Dreem

About Dreem

Dreem, initially known as Rythm, was established in Paris, France, in 2014 by Hugo Mercier and Quentin Soulet De Brugiere. The founders, then students at the prestigious French engineering school École Polytechnique, were inspired by neuroscience research indicating that auditory stimulation at specific moments could enhance deep sleep quality. Mercier, who served as the initial CEO, was fascinated by neuroscience and collaborated with neuroscientists to develop a method for stimulating the brain with sound during sleep to improve its quality.

The company's core product was the Dreem headband, a wearable device that monitors brain activity using electroencephalography (EEG) sensors, along with respiratory and heart rates. This data was analyzed to understand a user's sleep architecture. A key feature of the headband was its use of bone conduction to deliver sound stimulations, such as pink and white noise, designed to help users fall asleep faster and prolong their time in deep sleep without disturbing others. The accompanying application allowed users to monitor their sleep data. The initial consumer-facing model aimed to address the widespread issue of poor sleep by offering a non-invasive solution.

Dreem garnered significant financial backing, raising a total of €53 million from investors including Johnson & Johnson Innovation, Bpifrance, and MAIF. The company established headquarters in both Paris and San Francisco. A significant shift occurred in March 2021 when the company announced it would no longer sell its headband directly to consumers. Quentin Soulet de Brugière took over as CEO, and the company pivoted its focus to the healthcare, research, and business-to-business sectors.

In July 2023, the research and development arm of Dreem was acquired by Beacon Biosignals, a Boston-based computational neurodiagnostics company, for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition integrated Dreem's clinically-validated hardware with Beacon's EEG analytics platform to enhance clinical trial assessments for neurological, psychiatric, and sleep disorders. Following the acquisition, the Dreem 3S headband received FDA 510(k) clearance and has been rebranded as Waveband, now positioned as a tool for clinical researchers and biopharma partners to conduct at-home sleep monitoring for clinical trials.