Stellar Sleep, a health startup focused on chronic insomnia, has raised $6 million in seed funding. In the United States alone, poor sleep habits not only impact the economy but also lead to health problems like heart disease and depression.
A Different Approach to Sleep Tracking
While many apps and devices help people track and monitor their sleep, Stellar Sleep focuses specifically on chronic insomnia, defined as having trouble sleeping 3 or more nights a week for 3 months.
Co-founders George Wang and Edrei Chua, who both struggled with chronic insomnia, faced wait times of 6 months to a year to see a sleep specialist. Instead, they turned to learning about sleep therapy, a psychological method that addresses the root cause of insomnia.
“The front line of treatment should be psychological,” says Chua. “But doctors often only have two options: give you prescription medication or put you on a waitlist for six months. Most of those medications are not recommended for long-term use and don’t address the root cause.”
App Uses Psychological Therapy to Beat Insomnia
Stellar Sleep’s mobile app leverages these methods to help users break the cycle of sleepless nights. By helping users relearn how to sleep well, a clinical trial of 500 users found Stellar Sleep to be 50% more effective than sleeping pills.
Users download the app, create an account, and complete an initial assessment to give Stellar Sleep a comprehensive picture of their sleep issues. The app combines techniques including cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and motivational interviewing.
For a subscription fee of $60 per month, users can connect their wearables and Stellar Sleep builds a personalized, interactive program that guides them daily on their journey to restful sleep. The program becomes smarter over time, providing further personalization based on the user’s sleep stats.
Plans for the New Funding
This new funding round is Stellar Sleep’s first institutional funding, led by Initialized Capital with participation from Y Combinator, Lombardstreet Ventures, Switch Ventures, Moonfire Ventures, Scrum Ventures, 8vdx, and Goodwater.
Wang and Chua plan to use the new capital to increase the amount of content and curriculum offered in the app. They also want to grow clinical partnerships to understand their practices and patients, further personalizing the user experience.
“We’re focused on improving our product to make sure we can help anyone with chronic insomnia, regardless of the cause or where they are in their life,” says Wang. “We also aim to get this program to as many people as possible and scale the distribution side.”
With its personalized, psychological therapy-based approach, Stellar Sleep offers an innovative solution to the chronic insomnia experienced by millions worldwide. The app has the potential to improve quality of life and overall health for many, while also reducing the economic burden caused by sleep disorders.
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