Matteo Franceschetti is the Co-Founder and CEO of Eight Sleep, a proprietary technology reinventing the way people sleep. Eight graduated from Y Combinator in the summer 2015 and from Stanford’s StartX program in May 2015.

On this episode, Matteo offers insight into the nuances of how and why we sleep. He touches on how various inputs affect our quality of sleep such as food, caffeine, alcohol and supplements. He also describes various levels of sleep: Light, Deep and REM. Finally, Matteo and Chris talk about Eight Sleep's technology and how it has been able to help people improve their sleep. Enjoy! 

Follow Chris on Twitter: www.Twitter.com/FortWorthChris

Learn more about Chris Powers and Fort Capital: www.FortCapitalLP.com

Follow Chris on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/chrispowersjr/

(01:42) - Matteo’s Background

(02:30) - How did you get the idea to start Eight Sleep?

(03:34) - What was your experience like going through Y Combinator?

Y Combinator

(04:26) -  Why do you characterize sleep as a form of fitness?

(05:34) - Why do you suggest compressing your sleep from 8 hours to 6 hours?

(06:33) - How do you define light sleep, deep sleep, and REM?

(07:58) - What happens to the body when you’re sleeping? Why do we need sleep?

(09:51) - Does the amount of total time in bed but not asleep benefit you at all?

(10:24) - What effect does alcohol have on sleep?

(12:21) - What effect does eating before bed have on sleep?

(13:29) - How does caffeine impact sleep?

(14:39) - How does exercise and when you exercise affect your sleep?

(16:02) - Does having sex before you go to sleep affect your sleep?

(16:27) - Do you recommend sleep supplements like Melatonin?

(17:35) - What are your thoughts on going to sleep around the same time every day?

(20:43) - How does your mood before going to bed impact your sleep and how you wake up?

(21:56) - Is there data on sleep quality for couples vs. those sleeping alone?

(22:58) - Why do people dream?

(24:17) - Why are some people really heavy sleepers and others light sleepers?

(24:57) - How does age affect sleep?

(26:17) - Does gender affect sleep?

(26:40) - How does sleeping on a mattress for most folks affect sleep vs. people in poverty that have worse sleeping conditions?

(27:40) - How does light and temperature in the room affect sleep?

(28:21) - What is it about the products you offer that make sleep better for people?

(30:00) - How are these mattresses able to control body temperature?

(30:34) - What type of information do the mattress sensors pick up about the user?

(31:53) - Does the mattress differ in terms or softness or firmness? Does it even matter?

(32:50) - Do pillows matter?

(33:16) - What data do customers get in the morning on the Eight Sleep app?

(33:47) - Circulating Water into the Mattress

(34:46) - Can you describe the pods and cover you offer?

(35:58) - What can folks who travel a lot do to make sleeping better?

(36:30) - Is there a childhood experience that shaped the trajectory of your life?

(37:15) - Do you have a morning routine?

(38:05) - What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

(38:14) - If you had a billboard that was on a major highway, what would you put on it?

(39:08) - How can people reach you?

eightsleep.com

Follow Matteo on Twitter