Timestamps:
1:33 - From India to Germany and Switzerland
10:57 - Why build a startup
22:00 - Solving sleep disorders
36:36 - Marketing to B2B and B2C simultaneously
40:33 - Vertical and horizontal expansion
About Soumya Dash:
Soumya Dash is the co-founder and CEO of Sleepiz, a startup which produces remote sleep monitoring devices. Originally from India, he grew up constantly relocating to different regions of this country due to his father’s job, and this allowed him to develop an incredible degree of adaptability. This adaptability was then put to good use when he chose to do his masters at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology as a fully funded scholar.
During his masters he visited Switzerland as an Erasmus student. Soumya’s time there made such an impression on him that when the time came to choose were he would do his PhD, he turned down an offer from Stanford to study at ETH.
It was during the last years of his PhD that he started Sleepiz, which leverages the power of sleep insights with a device that is simply placed next to the bed. The device operates in a non-contact fashion and measures movements originating from heart contractions and breathing patterns, as well as body motions with medical grade accuracy. This is quite simply the first time we’re able to measure cardiopulmonar activity without actually touching the body.
Sleepiz is catered towards respiratory illnesses, namely sleep apnea. Most people who suffer from sleep apnea do not get diagnosed, which is concerning considering that this condition makes it likely that at some point in their lives these people will suffer a fatal stroke. However, even if people do make an effort to be diagnosed, it is a cumbersome process involving a night at a sleep clinic with a bunch of wires strapped onto you. Sleepiz has come to change all of that.
Memorable Quotes:
"I lived in many different places throughout my whole life. This has made me capable of seamlessly fitting into any environment."
"I don’t think I’m the type of person that takes no for an answer, at face value."
"We’re risk takers but not stupid ones. We needed to ask ourselves: is the impact worth all the pain?"
Resources mentioned:
Thinking Fast And Slow, Daniel Kahneman
If you would like to listen to more ETH co-productions, check out our episode with Martin Eichenhofer.
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