This week, we break down the recent funding rounds raised by AI-powered sleep companies, and dive into whether pickleball is better thought of as fitness or entertainment
AI is coming for every aspect of our lives, including the bedroom.
This week, Sleep.ai raised $5.5 million in venture funding, becoming the latest sleep company leveraging artificial intelligence to secure growth capital.
Formerly known as SleepScore Labs, Sleep.ai makes an AI-powered sleep intelligence and improvement platform that’s been utilized by brands including Therabody, L’Oreal and Mattress Firm.
The sleep tech company states that its platform is powered by more than 800 million hours of proprietary sleep data, along with scientific studies and a growing patent portfolio.
The company’s founder and CEO, Colin Lawlor, said the goal is to create a world “where AI transforms health outcomes by transforming tens of billions of complex data points into actionable sleep intelligence.”
Sleep.ai isn’t the only company working to create such a world, and it isn’t the only one to receive millions in funding. Earlier this month, Eight Sleep raised $100 million to accelerate its push into artificial intelligence, including an AI-powered sleep agent tasked with interpreting people’s biometric data to deliver a better night’s rest.
Somnee, meanwhile, raised $10 million of its own in June for an AI-powered, EEG-equipped smart headband designed to help wearers fall asleep faster, sleep for longer and improve their overall sleep quality.
Pickleball Clubs Are Getting Creative on Entertainment
America’s top pickleball clubs want to be seen as entertainment venues, not necessarily sports or fitness brands. At least, that’s the impression many of them are giving.
The Pickle Pad, a franchise owned by NRD Capital-backed Indoor Active Brands, is opening new locations across the country, with a twist. Rather than acting as stand-alone venues, each new site will be part of an entertainment mix that blends pickleball with dining and social experiences. The brand’s upcoming New Jersey location, for example, will open alongside Birdie ParTee and Crave Social Eatery, forming a social hub. Pickle Pad locations themselves already feature other games, including billiards, darts and foosball.
Chicken N Pickle, a concept backed by Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, combines pickleball courts with a full-scale restaurant experience inside the same facility. The brand, which also offers games like cornhole, ping pong and Jenga, says it will look to acquire complementary entertainment and hospitality concepts.
Ace Pickleball Club, meanwhile, struck a partnership with DoorDash earlier this month, allowing its members to place orders and get them delivered directly to the club in between matches.
As these brands embrace entertainment over competition, the question becomes this: is pickleball part of the fitness industry, or is it something else?
