[News Inside Companies] K-Sleep Tech 'A-Sleep' Spotlighted by Google

Amazon, LG Electronics, and Others Send Successive Love Calls
AI Provides Optimal Sleep State by Monitoring Sleep Breathing

[Asia Economy Reporter Seunggon Han] Sleep tech company A-Sleep is gaining attention. Sleep tech refers to technology that uses advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) to diagnose and analyze sleep quality and help achieve deep sleep. A-Sleep is reportedly in discussions for collaboration with major U.S. big tech companies including Google, as well as cosmetics company L'Or?al.

A-Sleep CEO Dongheon Lee completed a master's program in AI at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and graduated from Draper University in Silicon Valley, USA. Founded by U.S. venture capitalist Tim Draper, this university has produced numerous startups and is known as a so-called "startup academy." In June 2020, Lee and six colleagues from his master's program established A-Sleep, and two years later developed 'Wi-Fi sleep sensing technology' that continuously measures breathing sounds and body movements, as well as AI-based 'sleep analysis and diagnostic technology.'

Booth of 'Asleep' exhibited at 'CES 2022' in Las Vegas, USA, in January last year. Photo by Asleep

Lee said that in the first year of the startup, they focused on collecting sleep-related data. Even before the company's establishment in 2020, they continuously deep-learned sleep conditions such as breathing sounds and patterns of patients suffering from insomnia and sleep apnea using AI, and now possess sleep data from about 7,000 people, one of the largest in the world. Since September last year, they have been conducting research on deep sleep technology with the Sleep Research Center at Stanford University in the U.S., and published a paper proving the clinical effectiveness of AI sleep measurement technology in the international journal of sleep medicine, Nature and Science of Sleep.

Currently, A-Sleep's business model is business-to-business (B2B). They provide information such as customers' sleep breathing patterns to companies and generate profits. Since last year, LG Electronics has been collaborating with A-Sleep to prepare products utilizing sleep data. For example, IoT products that analyze sleep breathing status and adjust air conditioners or humidifiers in real time to help deep sleep may be released. Not only LG Electronics, but also the world's largest e-commerce company Amazon, Kakao, and Samsung Life Insurance have shown interest in A-Sleep. Additionally, starting this month, they have begun joint research with Stanford University Sleep Center, known as the world's most prestigious sleep center, to establish sleep diagnostic standards.

In March last year, A-Sleep successfully raised 16 billion KRW in Series B funding (investment at the stage of commercializing technology) from InterVest, Kakao Ventures, Samsung Venture Investment, and Hana Bank, raising the company's valuation to about 90 billion KRW just 1 year and 9 months after its founding. Currently, CEO Lee has set a goal to achieve a corporate value of tens of trillions of KRW within five years and then list on NASDAQ. In an interview with Forbes, he said, "A-Sleep will succeed in achieving a corporate value of tens of trillions of KRW by providing services that intervene not only during sleep time but throughout daily life before and after sleep," adding, "A-Sleep's vision is to grow into a 'lifestyle company' that creates a better life for humans."