26. Kokoon Technology

Founders: Tim Antos and Robert Hall
Founded: October 2013 (Launched July 2015)
Website: www.kokoon.io

Kokoon has garnered its fair share of Startups.co.uk accolades since launching in 2015. Founders Tim Antos and Richard Hall were included in the Young Guns Class of 2016, it has appeared twice before in the Startups 100 and was nominated in the Startups Awards for Innovative Business of the Year.

Now featuring in the Startups 100 for its third and final time, Kokoon is the company using audio to tackle sleeplessness with the world’s first sleep-sensing headphones.

The truly unique start-up – which also claims its headphones are the best for cancelling out noise – has six patents for its technology which encompasses sensing technology (first consumer on ear EEG), ergonomics (comfort in bed), and system design (intelligent audio).

This patented system design relates to the Kokoon headphone’s sensor-enabled feedback loop which adapts audio in response to the body, environment and context and also learns and personalises audio in response to what is effective over time.

Alongside its headphones, which retail for £349.99 (arguably a reasonable price to pay in return for countless good nights’ sleep), Kokoon is also in the process of launching an app.

Called Kokoon Relax, the app will give users access to a range of free and paid-for content including guided relaxation, soundscapes, relaxing music and more.

With nearly half (47%) of Britons complaining of difficulty falling asleep due to stress or worry, there’s a huge potential market of struggling sleepers for Kokoon to target. Frequent travellers are another key demographic with 75% of travellers regularly complaining of poor sleep.

Over 17,500 people pre-ordered Kokoon headphones ahead of launch and the start-up is on track to turnover £6.5m in 2018 and to net a tidy profit.

With its first product having shipped in April this year, it’s an exciting time for Kokoon but it doesn’t want to stop at sleep and relaxation.

Its engineering team is now focused on version two; how it can further improve health and well-being through technology. This includes exploring ways to tackle health and wellness challenges such as stress, anxiety, meditation, mindfulness, and tinnitus.