Rythm Raises $4 Million to Advance Dreem Smart Sleep-Tracking Headband

Rythm, a company headquartered in San Francisco, USA, has secured $4 million in funding. Its product is a smart headband that connects to a mobile app to track sleep patterns. Rythm also maintains a branch office in Paris. The investors in this round were Laurent Alexandre and Xavier Niel. To date, the company has raised nearly $11 million in total funding.


Smart headband can connect to a mobile app to monitor and improve user sleep quality.

Rythm was founded in July 2014. Hugo Mercier, the company’s co-founder and CEO, stated that he began developing this product during his undergraduate studies at École Polytechnique in Paris. At that time, he had a strong interest in brain function and devoted considerable time and diverse approaches to researching this field. During this period, he connected with a team conducting research in the area of sleep.

Rythm’s product is a smart headband called “Dreem” that connects to mobile devices. When used during sleep, “Dreem” can track the user’s brain activity in real time. “Dreem” consists of a series of sensors and sound wave generators, and is made from lightweight silicone polymer materials. The internal sensors can detect the user’s real-time brainwaves. When the device detects that the user has entered deep sleep mode, it emits a special sound wave that propagates through the skull bones, effectively extending the user’s deep sleep state. During this process, users do not need any other auxiliary devices or earplugs. Additionally, it sends data generated from brain activity to the company’s accompanying mobile app. Users can view their sleep onset time, sleep duration, sleep stages, and sleep history on the app.


With user experience as the top priority, the first 500 test units of “Dreem” will be released in 2017

Mercier stated that although the product’s features are already robust, the company plans to wait until early 2017 before officially launching it to the mass market. At that time, Rythm will release a limited batch of 500 smart headbands, selling them exclusively to groups capable of providing user feedback. “We want to spend more time understanding what users truly need,” Mercier said. “In fact, sleep research is a highly complex field. Everyone’s sleep patterns are different, and each individual has unique sleep requirements. Therefore, to develop a sufficiently mature product that meets the needs of a broad user base, we must gather feedback from our initial users.”

Mercier stated that when selecting users for the 500 limited-edition beta products, the company’s criterion was the level of user anticipation for the product.

The limited beta version of “Dreem” is priced at $349, which includes a smart headband, a dedicated app compatible with the device, and lifetime updates. However, the company has not yet determined the final retail price for the market release, though Mercier stated that the final price will be similar to that of the limited beta version.


The Field of Smart Headbands: Both Challenges and Opportunities

Several companies have previously dedicated themselves to developing products that utilize smart headbands to monitor brain data. For instance, Zeo, a company headquartered in Boston, USA, offered products designed to track sleep patterns. Unfortunately, due to various internal issues, the company ceased operations in 2013. Another company, Melon, which developed smart wearable headgear, was acquired by Daqri in February 2015 under the guise of expansion, with the specific acquisition amount remaining undisclosed. Melon stated that at the time, although some advised them to integrate their product with smart helmet technology, their team remained focused on crowdfunding for their flagship product—the Melon smart headband. For Rythm, these precedents serve as harsh lessons. Nevertheless, the company intends to continue pioneering in this field. Grounded in user needs, Rythm believes this endeavor presents both challenges and opportunities.