About Us
Sleepyhead is a rapidly growing college lifestyle brand that offers premium mattress toppers at a student-friendly price. Sleepyhead is dedicated to giving back to students in need through donations per ten products sold. We are co-contracted with over 900 universities in all 50 states and backed by current and past executives of: LoveSac, Goldman Sachs, Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Coca-Cola.
Our Story
Founding Story
Sleepyhead was founded in 2016 by social entrepreneur, Steven Van Alen. As a college student transitioning from home life to dorm life, Steven quickly realized that the beds provided to students by his university were substandard and unhygienic. Students were using mattress toppers to go on top of the provided beds; however, there were so many questions about finding the right topper. Steven decided to fix the problem by creating the first ever mattress topper developed specifically for student housing and student apartments.
“The mattress toppers available to today’s students do very little to help..I watched my friends, classmates and myself suffer from a lack of sleep due to substandard sleeping solutions. Colleges prohibit students from replacing their mattresses, so the only solution was a better mattress topper, and that’s when Sleepyhead was born.”
For Students By Students
After two years of research and development, Steven and the Sleepyhead team launched Sleepyhead Mattress Toppers in 2018. The first topper features a generous three inches of 100 percent plush, gel memory foam and a removable hypoallergenic fabric cover. The gel memory foam is designed to be cooling and the cover is breathable- perfect for hot, unconditioned dorm rooms. The removable cover is also washable, so it's easy to keep clean- another plus when living in a shared/communal space like a dorm or university apartment.
Science
Sleepyhead’s latest topper, the Copper Topper, marks a step forward in innovation, offering more benefits than its already esteemed gel memory foam topper. The copper memory foam topper is infused with copper nanotechnology, which protects students from bacteria and dust mites found in existing mattresses issued by student housing. In addition to the copper infusion, Sleepyhead’s Copper Topper is made with CertiPUR-US certified memory foam, which is tested to be free of any harmful toxins and materials.
To make a difference
Sleepyhead is a Benefit Corporation- a hybrid between a corporation and a nonprofit. When Steven started the company he found out his sister, a college student at the time, was homeless and pregnant. Unable to provide for herself, she was eligible for government housing, but found out no furnishings were provided. She shared with family that she slept on the concrete floor while being nine months pregnant. Steven knew he had to do something to help, not just her, but the thousands of students who fall on hard times and are in need of some support to sleep better at night. According to many recent studies, 9% of four-year students and 14% of community college students are homeless
