Simba Sleep

Simba Sleep (also known as Simba) is a British online mattress company that was founded in 2015. It manufactures and sells mattresses, bedding and other sleep products in several countries, including the UK, Canada and China.[1] Simba's retail partnerships include John Lewis and Argos in the UK[2] and Sleep Country stores in Canada.[3]

Simba Sleep
TypePrivately held company
IndustryMattresses
Founded2015 
FounderSteve Reid
James Cox
Andrew McClements
Harry McClements
Headquarters
London
,
United Kingdom
Area served
Products
Number of employees
155
Websitehttps://simbasleep.com/

History

Simba Sleep was co-founded in 2015 in the UK by Steve Reid, James Cox and the McClements family.[4][5] The name of the company was suggested by Cox as it was a pet name he used for his partner.[6]

Within the first year of the company's launch, Simba Sleep sold its first hybrid mattress within the UK. The company designed the mattress after analysing body profiling data from 10 million people around the world, in conjunction with the Sleep to Live Institute, and manufactured it in a factory in Derby, England.[7][8]

In March 2016, Simba raised £1 million in funding from investors including Sir John Hegarty, as well as Richard Reed, co-founder of Innocent Drinks, and Tom Teichman.[9]

Simba's initial investment round was followed by its Series A raise of £5 million in October 2016, as investors looked to support the brands’ overseas growth to markets such as France and Canada.[10] The company received a further £9 million investment in February 2017,[11][12] before unveiling another £40 million injection of funds in November 2017. The Series B round was led by venture capital firm Atami Capital and included backers, such as Nigel Wray, chairman of Saracens rugby union club, and the Swiss private bank Lombard Odier.[13][14]

In April 2017, Simba hired the Real Madrid and Wales international footballer Gareth Bale to lead a promotional campaign,[15] which included the development of an aeroplane seat designed to maximise sleep.[16][17]

The British businessman Allan Leighton succeeded Tom Teichman to become chairman of Simba Sleep in August 2018, while continuing to serve as chairman of The Co-operative Group.[18][19]

After working with Gareth Bale, the company named England rugby player Maro Itoje in July 2019 as the star of its next UK marketing campaign,[20] which included the launch of an app that monitors sleep patterns.[21]

At the start of 2020, Simba became operational in nine countries across Europe, Asia, and North America[22] and secured a further $24 million in investment from the American private equity firm Cartesian Capital.[23][24]

Products

Simba Sleep's standard mattress consists of five layers of foam and 2,500 conical springs, which allow it to be folded in two and vacuum-packed into a cardboard box.[25] In October 2019, Simba Sleep launched a premium version of its regular hybrid mattress,which contained 5,000 springs.[26]

Simba also launched a duvet containing Outlast, a technology that was originally developed for NASA to protect astronauts from temperature changes during space exploration. The company has since developed its own version of the technology, known as Stratos, which it uses in its duvets and pillows.[27][28]

References
  1. "London-based mattress startup Simba Sleep that produces most advanced mattresses in the world bags €21.5M". Silicon Canals. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  2. Butler, Sarah (2018-03-23). "Sleepy world of retail mattress sales gets rude awakening". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  3. "Simba agrees Canadian distribution deal". www.furniturenews.net. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  4. Journal, The Gentleman's. "How Simba Sleep's founders raised £58 million | Gentleman's Journal". The Gentleman's Journal. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  5. Reporter, L. L. B. (2016-10-13). "This British mattress start-up has just raised £5m". London Business News | Londonlovesbusiness.com. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  6. "Simba Sleep's James Cox talks firmness, pet names and the importance of conical springs in mattresses". CityAM. 2016-06-13. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  7. Magazine, Wallpaper* (2016-08-31). "Wake up call: Simba Sleep is the hybrid mattress changing the way we sleep". Wallpaper*. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  8. Manning, Ellen (2018-11-13). "Sleep sells: how mattress companies woke up to the science of slumber". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  9. Loizou, Kiki. "Mattress maker rouses investors". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  10. Quinn, James (2016-10-12). "Mattress start-up Simba wins firm support in £5m funding". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  11. Quinn, James (2017-02-12). "Mattress retailer Simba Sleep raises £9m from raft of new City investors including husband of Heineken heir". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  12. "The mattress startup battle's heating up in the UK as Simba gets in bed with top City investors". CityAM. 2017-02-13. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  13. Evans, Peter. "Cash under the mattress at Simba Sleep". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  14. GmbH, finanzen net. "Online mattress startup Simba closes £40 million investment round | Markets Insider". markets.businessinsider.com. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  15. Editor, Deirdre Hipwell, Retail. "Bale is role model for the laid back". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-10-26.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  16. April 2017, 11. "The aeroplane seat helping Gareth Bale get to sleep". fourfourtwo.com. Retrieved 2020-10-26.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. "This Mattress Company May Have Designed the Most Comfortable Airplane Seat Ever". Fortune. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
  18. "Allan Leslie Leighton, Simba Sleep Ltd: Profile and Biography". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  19. Gill, Oliver (2018-08-13). "Ex-Asda boss Leighton aims to deliver Simba bounce". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-10-26.
  20. "Simba launches 'national sleep campaign' with rugby star Maro Itoje". Prolific London. 2019-07-23. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  21. "Can Simba's new app improve your sleep? We put it to the test". Evening Standard. 2019-08-15. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  22. "London-based mattress startup Simba Sleep that produces most advanced mattresses in the world bags €21.5M". Silicon Canals. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  23. "Simba raises $24m agreement with Cartesian Capital Group". UKTN (UK Tech News). 2020-01-03. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  24. Hurley, James. "Simba Sleep bundles up US deal to fund global growth". ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2020-10-23.
  25. Margolis, Jonathan (2020-10-16). "Mattress wars: rude awakening for a sleepy market". Financial Times. Retrieved 2020-10-24.
  26. "Simba Hybrid Pro Mattresses". Which?. Retrieved 2020-11-05.
  27. Rear, Jack (2018-12-21). "The best pillows for a luxurious night's sleep". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
  28. Walden, Lisa (2019-05-14). "Simba unveils new hybrid pillow and duvet inspired by space suits". House Beautiful. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
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