Michael Barbella, Managing Editor04.08.24
Stellar Sleep has raised $6 million in a seed funding round led by Initialized Capital with participation from Y Combinator, Lombardstreet Ventures, Switch Ventures, Moonfire Ventures, Scrum Ventures, 8vdx, and Goodwater.
The money will help the company further expand capacity and reach. In addition, the investments will allow for more comprehensive content and personalization of the user experience. “No one values sleep as much as those who can’t get it. The treatment options are so limited that these founders got trained as sleep therapists to treat themselves,” Initialized Capital Partner Parul Singh said. “Stellar Sleep is tech-enabled Cognitive Behavioral Therapy—true tech enablement of patient care that will make a meaningful impact on the millions of people who suffer from sleep disorders worldwide.”
More than 25 million Americans suffer from chronic insomnia (i.e., sleep problems three or more nights weekly for more than three months). The condition can lead to both mental and physical health issues, ranging from trouble concentrating to sleep apnea and heart attacks. For people suffering from chronic insomnia, superficial care advice (e.g., cutting coffee, reducing screen time, meditation etc.) is not enough. Their insomnia is driven by deeper psychological challenges like unresolved anxiety, burnout or depression. Stellar Sleep is a mobile app that helps users break the insomnia cycle using a proven, psychology-based methodology, and a clinical assessment of 500 users found to be 50 percent more effective than sleeping pills.
Sleeplessness in America is on the rise due to such factors as increasingly negative news cycles that keep people in a state of worry. Additionally, the shift towards hybrid-remote work arrangements has blurred the once-clear boundary between the "stress" space of work and the "rest" space of home. Collectively, these factors have caused more Americans to have recurrent sleepless nights than ever before.
The current American healthcare system is not well-equipped to deal with chronic insomnia. When superficial remedies do not work, many people grappling with this condition turn to sleep medications, which often have dependency risks and are not meant for long-term use. Research shows that the most effective long-term solution for chronic insomnia is to address the root psychological causes, instead of just the symptoms.
Stellar Sleep was created when Co-Founders George Wang and Edrei Chua suffered from insomnia for years and struggled to get care. Guidelines by physician organizations indicate that the best way to manage chronic insomnia is using a psychological approach called sleep therapy. This type of approach addresses the root cause of insomnia and helps the patient re-learn how to sleep well again. “What we found as we tried to get treatment for ourselves was that sleep clinicians are in such short supply—waiting lists of six to 12 months are common—that access to psychology-based care is a significant obstacle for the average person,” Wang stated. “In addition to the waiting list, the cost and time commitment involved meant that out-of-pocket sleep therapy was out of reach for most. We founded Stellar Sleep with the goal of providing broad access to insomnia care via an app, a solution to a widespread public-health problem that was previously unavailable to many.”
Stellar Sleep is the first digital solution on the market that goes beyond the surface-level symptoms and addresses chronic insomnia at the root. Here’s how it works:
Beyond the impact on physical and mental health, insomnia can be an isolating experience. “I’ve had insomnia for about five years. I was at the point of desperation, willing to try anything. Insomnia feels very lonely," noted Victoria, who struggled with insomnia for many years before finding Stellar Sleep. "It’s 2 a.m. and your spouse is asleep. You’re very alone with your anxious thoughts. It feels like you’re trapped and alone. After starting Stellar Sleep I’ve now started sleeping better for the first time in five years. I’ve gotten hope back that I can be normal.”
Stellar Sleep offers the first digital solution for chronic insomnia management. The app is grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy, and in a clinical assessment of 500 users, Stellar Sleep was 50% more effective than sleeping pills.
The money will help the company further expand capacity and reach. In addition, the investments will allow for more comprehensive content and personalization of the user experience. “No one values sleep as much as those who can’t get it. The treatment options are so limited that these founders got trained as sleep therapists to treat themselves,” Initialized Capital Partner Parul Singh said. “Stellar Sleep is tech-enabled Cognitive Behavioral Therapy—true tech enablement of patient care that will make a meaningful impact on the millions of people who suffer from sleep disorders worldwide.”
More than 25 million Americans suffer from chronic insomnia (i.e., sleep problems three or more nights weekly for more than three months). The condition can lead to both mental and physical health issues, ranging from trouble concentrating to sleep apnea and heart attacks. For people suffering from chronic insomnia, superficial care advice (e.g., cutting coffee, reducing screen time, meditation etc.) is not enough. Their insomnia is driven by deeper psychological challenges like unresolved anxiety, burnout or depression. Stellar Sleep is a mobile app that helps users break the insomnia cycle using a proven, psychology-based methodology, and a clinical assessment of 500 users found to be 50 percent more effective than sleeping pills.
Sleeplessness in America is on the rise due to such factors as increasingly negative news cycles that keep people in a state of worry. Additionally, the shift towards hybrid-remote work arrangements has blurred the once-clear boundary between the "stress" space of work and the "rest" space of home. Collectively, these factors have caused more Americans to have recurrent sleepless nights than ever before.
The current American healthcare system is not well-equipped to deal with chronic insomnia. When superficial remedies do not work, many people grappling with this condition turn to sleep medications, which often have dependency risks and are not meant for long-term use. Research shows that the most effective long-term solution for chronic insomnia is to address the root psychological causes, instead of just the symptoms.
Stellar Sleep was created when Co-Founders George Wang and Edrei Chua suffered from insomnia for years and struggled to get care. Guidelines by physician organizations indicate that the best way to manage chronic insomnia is using a psychological approach called sleep therapy. This type of approach addresses the root cause of insomnia and helps the patient re-learn how to sleep well again. “What we found as we tried to get treatment for ourselves was that sleep clinicians are in such short supply—waiting lists of six to 12 months are common—that access to psychology-based care is a significant obstacle for the average person,” Wang stated. “In addition to the waiting list, the cost and time commitment involved meant that out-of-pocket sleep therapy was out of reach for most. We founded Stellar Sleep with the goal of providing broad access to insomnia care via an app, a solution to a widespread public-health problem that was previously unavailable to many.”
Stellar Sleep is the first digital solution on the market that goes beyond the surface-level symptoms and addresses chronic insomnia at the root. Here’s how it works:
- Users download the app, create an account, and complete an onboarding assessment that allows Stellar Sleep to understand the comprehensive picture behind their sleep issues. Users can also connect their wearables to provide an even more complete view of their sleep and well-being.
- Next, Stellar Sleep builds each user a custom, interactive program that guides them daily—and as needed in the middle of the night—to learn how to sleep well again. The program gets progressively more personalized based on the user’s sleep stats.
- Stellar Sleep helps users manage the user’s chronic sleep issues over the long run using psychology. This includes a combination of proven psychology techniques (e.g., CBT, acceptance and commitment therapy, motivational interviewing) that addresses the user’s root causes of insomnia (such as anxiety or burnout) and provides them with the tools to manage those root causes, so they don’t interfere with their day-to-day life and sleep.
Beyond the impact on physical and mental health, insomnia can be an isolating experience. “I’ve had insomnia for about five years. I was at the point of desperation, willing to try anything. Insomnia feels very lonely," noted Victoria, who struggled with insomnia for many years before finding Stellar Sleep. "It’s 2 a.m. and your spouse is asleep. You’re very alone with your anxious thoughts. It feels like you’re trapped and alone. After starting Stellar Sleep I’ve now started sleeping better for the first time in five years. I’ve gotten hope back that I can be normal.”
Stellar Sleep offers the first digital solution for chronic insomnia management. The app is grounded in cognitive behavioral therapy, and in a clinical assessment of 500 users, Stellar Sleep was 50% more effective than sleeping pills.