$500,000 kick starter in two days… Sense Sleep System

[Vigilante]

http://m.entrepreneur.com/article/235933

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/hello/sense-know-more-sleep-better

 

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[LibertyForMe]

Interesting campaign. My big issue with the product is that they store your sleep data in the cloud where the NSA is guaranteed to tap it. The Sense Pills have mics, so its not unreasonable to assume that your bedtime conversations will be stored in the cloud as well. I was reading the comments, and it seems like a lot of people have an issue with this as well. I wouldn't buy it for this reason alone.

It'll be fun to watch how this plays out. They have dominated so far, and they just got started!

 

[Mike Kavanagh]

My big issue with the product is that they store your sleep data in the cloud where the NSA is guaranteed to tap it.

How is this any different than keeping your cellphone in your room. Or your computer, most have built in microphones.

People give the NSA too much credit.

 

[Kyle Tully]

Digging around you can see why this got so big so quick.

($853k at time of writing.)

Sure the product is cool, but more interestingly...

• Mentored by a billionaire.
• Started by a guy who already created a successful business.
• Had 6-figures to invest in this new business from sale of first business.
• Already raised $10 million from private investors before going to kickstarter.
• Company has 16 employees.
• Company is 18 months old.
• Company advisors include former PayPal head David Marcus and former Apple iPhone senior engineer Andy Grignon.
• Article on Forbes to coincide with kickstarter... and then an avalanche of articles/blogs picking up the story.
• Kickstarter videos/photos/copy are all top notch.

500k in 2 days is a nice title but this was YEARS in the making!

 

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[PopEmersen]

Digging around you can see why this got so big so quick.
($853k at time of writing.)
Sure the product is cool, but more interestingly...
Mentored by a billionaire.
Started by a guy who already created a successful business.
Had 6-figures to invest in this new business from sale of first business.
Already raised $10 million from private investors before going to kickstarter.
Company has 16 employees.
Company is 18 months old.
Company advisors include former PayPal head David Marcus and former Apple iPhone senior engineer Andy Grignon.
Article on Forbes to coincide with kickstarter... and then an avalanche of articles/blogs picking up the story.
Kickstarter videos/photos/copy are all top notch.
500k in 2 days is a nice title but this was YEARS in the making!

Rep given!

 

[InLikeFlint]

People give the NSA too much credit.

*NSA agent watches you type this through your webcam footage and chuckles*

 

[parkerscott]

How is this any different than keeping your cellphone in your room. Or your computer, most have built in microphones.

People give the NSA too much credit.

Its all stored in the cloud though. Your computer can be running but the mic is not relaying info into a server. Personally it doesnt concern me though but they could pull files from the server if needed.

 

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[Mike Kavanagh]

Its all stored in the cloud though. Your computer can be running but the mic is not relaying info into a server. Personally it doesnt concern me though but they could pull files from the server if needed.

I use to know a bunch of computer hackers when I was younger. One of their main "hacks" were trojan horse viruses. They had 100% access to everything on the computer as long as it was on and connected to the internet. Microphone, web cam... all of it.

These were teenage kids. Imagine what a faceless government with technically unlimited resources could do.
I wouldn't be worried about what you say in your sleep or just before bed.

If they really wanted to know what your saying, your phone would be tapped, your computer turned into a listening station and if they are really salty about you - your house will be bugged.

I think the data acquired in the cloud would be better put to use finding a bunch of target demographics for people with problems like sleep apnea, insomnia, snoring and other sleeping problems.

 

[MakeItCount]

Its interesting how all five $5k pledges are gone in the first 2 days.

My guess is there are a lot of investors using kickstarter and other crowdfunding sites to spot early potential showing businesses.

 

[firmwear]

From the website:

Is Sense always recording the sound in my room?
No way. We classify key events like snoring and sleep talking on the Sense hardware itself, not by uploading to our servers. Sense keeps a short buffer of recorded sound on the device to be able to pick up loud disturbances during the night, such as a car alarm. These short disturbances are available to play back via the application so you can learn what happened at night.

I am guessing the sense device will be recording a lot of sex?

 

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[Vigilante]

Its interesting how all five $5k pledges are gone in the first 2 days.

My guess is there are a lot of investors using kickstarter and other crowdfunding sites to spot early potential showing businesses.

Have a little bit of a different twist on this. There's a kickstarter right now for pepper spray that "raised" 200k in 2 days.

If you dig deeper, you will see that 11 "people" put in the top amount of $10k each.

I think what is happening is people are taking their initial seed capital, spreading it out, generating a "buzz" on kick starter and that's how the kick starter campaigns are becoming viral.

Instead of somebody investing $110,000, they simply give $10,000 to 11 friends have them each put it into the kick starter campaign. Boom. Overnight success story on kick starter.

 

[contract]

Picking up where the market left off at..

The sleep wristband went out of business after their product had electrical issues. It will be interesting to see how long this one lasts, granted it's backed by some big names and funding. (Other one wasn't)

Everyone sleeps, most have troubles with it, great market to be in.

There's a really popular iPhone app that tracks all of this. Basically a similar concept without the added alarm clock/light. Has a huge number of sales going for it.

The technology itself has been out for ages. I remember downloading an app on my phone years ago that used sensors to evaluate your sleep pattern and movement in bed.

 

[GuestUser113]

Have a little bit of a different twist on this. There's a kickstarter right now for pepper spray that "raised" 200k in 2 days.

If you dig deeper, you will see that 11 "people" put in the top amount of $10k each.

I think what is happening is people are taking their initial seed capital, spreading it out, generating a "buzz" on kick starter and that's how the kick starter campaigns are becoming viral.

Instead of somebody investing $110,000, they simply give $10,000 to 11 friends have them each put it into the kick starter campaign. Boom. Overnight success story on kick starter.

I never thought about that. Interesting.

 

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[MakeItCount]

Have a little bit of a different twist on this. There's a kickstarter right now for pepper spray that "raised" 200k in 2 days.

If you dig deeper, you will see that 11 "people" put in the top amount of $10k each.

I think what is happening is people are taking their initial seed capital, spreading it out, generating a "buzz" on kick starter and that's how the kick starter campaigns are becoming viral.

Instead of somebody investing $110,000, they simply give $10,000 to 11 friends have them each put it into the kick starter campaign. Boom. Overnight success story on kick starter.

I was thinking that also. When others see the high-end pledges taken, it not only boosts the products credibility but encourages others to act fast and submit their pledges.

Its similar to shill bidding on auction websites.

 

[Tom.V]

These Kickstarter leverage tactics are quite interesting and might be worth a good case study. Thanks for the share Dave!

 

[firmwear]

Picking up where the market left off at..

The sleep wristband went out of business after their product had electrical issues. It will be interesting to see how long this one lasts, granted it's backed by some big names and funding. (Other one wasn't)

Everyone sleeps, most have troubles with it, great market to be in.

There's a really popular iPhone app that tracks all of this. Basically a similar concept without the added alarm clock/light. Has a huge number of sales going for it.

The technology itself has been out for ages. I remember downloading an app on my phone years ago that used sensors to evaluate your sleep pattern and movement in bed.

Are you talking about the Zeo? The sleep-cycle alarm that went bankrupt 1-2 years ago?

 

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[Phones]

I need something like Zeo to come to the market, I want to master my sleep phases but I need to properly track them. None of this devices does it like Zeo did.

 

[Sweeetland]

I need something like Zeo to come to the market, I want to master my sleep phases but I need to properly track them. None of this devices does it like Zeo did.

@Phones I use this, any use to you?

http://www.sleepcycle.com

 

[Phones]

@Phones I use this, any use to you?

http://www.sleepcycle.com

Nah, it isn't precise enough, I'm a weird sleeper, move and dream a lot, I'd end with the cellphone on the ground. Plus, I sleep with my GF, so it would be even less precise. But thanks for the suggestion.

What I was referring to was something that analyses brainwaves like Zeo did.

 

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[firmwear]

Nah, it isn't precise enough, I'm a weird sleeper, move and dream a lot, I'd end with the cellphone on the ground. Plus, I sleep with my GF, so it would be even less precise. But thanks for the suggestion.

What I was referring to was something that analyses brainwaves like Zeo did.

There are still some Zeo units for sale on Amazon. I do not know much about the product, but if you search it (atleast in the U.S.), there it is.