Australia is a sleep-deprived country, according to a Newspoll survey commissioned by IKEA last year. The aptly named National Slumber Survey revealed that only one in 10 Australians felt rested and relaxed, with many of us experiencing tossing and turning, sleepless nights and feelings of being exhausted in the mornings. Mattresses play a critical role in the quality of the sleep we get, yet according to results of the survey over 72 percent of us claim that we are sleeping on uncomfortable beds. Launched just last week, Sydney-based startup Koala is looking to disrupt the bedding industry with its new state of the art mattress product and 4-hour turnaround online experience. The company was founded by Dany Milham, Phil Johnson, and Mitch Taylor. The trio were recently joined by Australian cricket captain Steve Smith in the venture that wants to reinvent, to begin with, the way Australians sleep. Basically, the startup claims that the Koala Mattress has been carefully engineered using ‘world-first’ innovation in technology and high-quality materials that make the product universally comfortable for all users.
From a manufacturing standpoint, the product is produced in Australia and uses three unique layers of modern polyurethane foam, a product that is used in many ‘memory foam’ style mattresses, but Koala claims that the way its are put together is what makes it unique. “To be involved in a project that’s disrupting the mattress industry with such an innovative product is really exciting for me, and one I’m very proud of,” said Smith in a press release. “Over the past year our team of experts have tested and slept on hundreds of mattresses. Every minute detail has been explored and examined in order to produce an amazing sleeping experience.” According to Milham, what sets Koala apart from traditional mattress competitors in the Australian market is the use of innovation in both its design and go-to-market strategy. Koala does not use latex or traditional memory foam in its products, instead it uses a comfort layer called K-4 that, as of right now, cannot be found anywhere else on the market.
The sleep tech behind the design means that users are guarenteed a perfect distribution of body weight across the mattress when sleeping. “The days of being woken up by a restless sleeper are gone with our zero disturbance technology,” said Smith. “No matter whether you sleep alone, or share your bed with someone, you’ll enjoy the perfect night’s sleep every time.” It should be noted that in Australia, Koala faces tough competition from Melbourne startup Sleeping Duck, which launched in 2014. While the products might be slightly different – Sleeping Duck uses bamboo plus both latex and traditional memory foam as part of its product – the business model is pretty much identical, and Sleeping Duck founders Winston Wijeyeratne and Selvam Sinnappan have been extremely successful with a turnover that exceeded $1 million in revenue in their first year in business. However, with its four hour delivery time in both Sydney and Melbourne, Koala will hold a distinct advantage, especially when marketing to a generation that is used to receiving most other items these days they buy online with that same type of speed and urgency.
Currently, Sleeping Duck mattresses take up to 72 hours to dispatch out to consumers. This strategy seems to be working, according to Milham – revenue has already reached six figures in just two weeks. “After reaching six figures in just our second week of business, we are on track to do at least $5 million revenue in our first year,” he said. Though it is still early days, there are already millions of people from across the world that have seen the Koala Matress product in action because of a video on social media that has garnered over one million views in a matter of days. The video depicts the startup’s “zero disturbance technology” by placing a glass of wine on the mattress and having a person jump onto the mattress – the wine does not spill. Zero Disturbance TestCan your mattress do this? Posted by Koala Mattress on Friday, November 13, 2015 What makes Koala stand out almost more than its innovative quality and service is its social mission – to protect Australia’s koalas.
For every Koala Mattress purchased, that customer will also be adopting a real life Koala in partnership with Port Macquarie’s Koala Hospital. The adoption helps with the rescue and treatment of sick and injured koalas with the goal of releasing them back into the wild. “All of the founders have a passion for giving back to the community and environment,” said Milham. “With a history of building social enterprises [like Seed the Change], we wanted to go beyond creating just another socially responsible business model; we wanted to try something different by creating a brand around protecting the future one of our national icons.” “While the Koala was a natural choice due to its sleeping behaviour, we have always been aware of the threats koalas face each year from human development, bushfires, road accidents, and disease. This allows us to help sick and injured koalas and also their protect habitat with regeneration and conservation projects.” As the company begins to scale, the team plans to add pillows to the range;
these are currently being given the ‘bedroom’ test prior to being released in early 2016. Koala did raise a round of seed funding earlier this year, however a contractual agreement means that the founders are unable to discuss publicly how much that funding was or who it was from. 8 Best Memory Foam Mattress Toppers to Boost Your Sleep Quality Having a good night of sleep is critical to ensuring you can live every day to its fullest. You're much more energized and healthy when you get a full night of rest. One of the most recent trends is the use of the best memory foam mattress toppers to make one's bed more comfortable to sleep in.You'll want to make sure that you get the best quality foam mattress topper in order to ensure you get the best results possible. Thanks to this review, you will now know which ones are the best of the best and why they separate themselves from the rest. 1. Best Price Mattress 4-Inch Memory Foam Mattress Topper, Queen: $130.87, Amazon While the name doesn't live up to what this product provides, it is an affordable mattress topper that's able to provide a superior level of comfort.
Backed by a 5-year warranty, there's no doubt that our readers will benefit greatly from this purchase. Be the first to know - Join our Facebook page. It works by reacting to your body temperature and forming to fit your body and provide pain relief to the body's many pressure points. The customer reviews prove that this is one of the better options currently on the market. Buy Now from Amazon 2. LUCID 2 Inch Gel Infused Ventilated Memory Foam Mattress Topper - 3-Year Warranty – Queen: $99.99, Amazon For those who need to stay under $100, this is an excellent choice. It works by utilizing gel-infusion technology that captures and evenly distributes heat while also allowing for proper airflow. It is a great solution for those who prefer to closely regulate the temperature of their bed when sleeping.Its 3-year warranty helps ensure that it's not a product that you'll have to replace soon after buying. While the price tag may be lower than its competitors, this doesn't mean that quality was sacrificed.
3. Sleep Master Memory Foam 2 Inch Mattress Topper, Full: $57.27, Amazon Have a full size bed? This Sleep Master memory foam mattress topper may be exactly what you're looking for when it comes to improving the comfort of your bed. In fact, they've even gone as far as providing certification they obtained, which guarantees the product's content, durability, and performance.The only downside is that, unlike "ready to go" mattress toppers, it can take anywhere from 24-72 hours to set up. Other than that, this is an affordable topper that embraces the best in memory foam technology. 4. 3.3 Cloud9 Full / Double 3 Inch 100% Visco Elastic Memory Foam Mattress Topper: $77.59, Amazon Perhaps the most distinguishing feature of this memory foam mattress topper is what Cloud9 refers to as "Featherlight" technology, which is exclusive to their line of toppers. The ideas is to make it feel as if you are floating on a cloud.Those who didn't follow the recommendations (2" if you're 200 pounds or less, 3" if you're 200 pounds or more, and 4" for those weighing more than 250 pounds).
Unfortunately, this means that when you get a topper that doesn't support your weight, it will slowly lose its form. Other than that, this is a quality product, and it's backed with an astonishing 20-year warranty. 5. Natures Sleep Cool IQ King Size 2.5 Inch Thick, 4.5 Pound Density Memory Foam Mattress Topper with 18 Inch Fitted Cotton Cover: $219.99, Amazon Natures Sleep provides more airflow than other mattress toppers thanks to their own technology that they use for this memory foam mattress topper. It allows your bed to remain cool, which is one of the biggest driving factors for many when it comes to getting a good night of sleep.While the price tag is high, we see it as reasonable. Especially when it comes to its ability to beat even their more expensive competitors. 6. Sleep Innovations 4-Inch Dual Layer Mattress Topper - Gel Memory Foam and Plush Fiber. Queen Size: $181.15, Amazon The 10-year warranty that this product comes with shows that they work hard to uphold a reputation for one of the better quality toppers on the market.
It features two layers total, one that is gel-infused and another made of plush fiber.This is another topper that is made for those who want to sleep on a soft surface versus the a firmer one. Sleep Innovations has given their competition something that'll keep them on their toes with this topper. 7. Memory Foam Solutions 3-Inch Thick Visco Elastic Memory Foam Mattress Pad Bed Topper, Queen, 4 Pound Density: $135.55, Amazon Memory Foam Solutions has aimed to produce a mattress topper that's environmentally friendly, and they succeeded by exceeding industry standards. It's always good to see a company focused on preserving the environment that we all share.The price tag is a little high, but at the same time it has proved that it can give customers a good night of sleep. Not to mention, it's a leader when it comes to eco-friendly memory foam mattress toppers. 8. Lucid Linenspa 2 Inch Ventilated Memory Foam Mattress Topper, Queen: $89.99, Amazon This isn't a thick mattress topper, which means that it's not going to have a high weight limit.
It is priced on the low-end though which makes it a budget-friendly buy for anyone that's trying to make their bed feel as comfortable as possible.Keep in mind that if you need a cover for the memory foam, you'll have to order it separately since it's not included with your purchase. However, the affordable price and focus on quality still proves it to be a wise decision for those who can't afford one of the higher-end toppers. Are you ready for a good night of rest that you've been missing? Having a memory foam mattress topper is more affordable than buying a new mattress while giving you the comfort that your body craves. Now that we've broken down the best options for you, the only thing holding you back is placing your order.We have also featured links above to help you save as much money as possible. Buying a mattress topper doesn't have to be difficult, and we want to save you as much time in the buying process as possible, and each product featured above has proven that it's one of the leaders in the industry.