Los Angeles-based parenting solutions company Happiest Baby announced it has raised $23 million in Series B funding led by Greycroft Partners. Sallfort Bank and GV also participated in this round.
Happiest Baby was founded by the renowned pediatrician Dr. Harvey Karp. And the company received international acclaim for its SNOO Smart Sleeper safe baby bed product. SNOO is able to add hours to a baby’s sleep with womb-like rhythms (rumbly sound and gentle rocking).
When the SNOO detects fussing, it responds with gradually higher levels of motion and sound — which often calms the baby in less than a minute. Plus SNOO is able to naturally sleep train babies in the first few months of life.
The SNOO special swaddle also secures babies safely on the back for all naps, all night. This makes it the only bed to meet the American Academy of Pediatrics Safe Sleep advice that babies only sleep on the back for the first six months.
“We are grateful to our investors and to all parents using SNOO for their trust and support of our mission,” said Dr. Karp in a statement. “At Happiest Baby, we’re creating tools to dramatically reduce suffering from postpartum depression and infant sleep death and to improve the well-being of families across America and around the world.”
SNOO is the result of a collaboration between Dr. Karp along with industrial designer Yves Béhar and Dr. Deb Roy (Director of MIT Media Lab’s Laboratory for Social Machines).
There are multiple university-based studies that are being developed for evaluating SNOO’s medical benefits like boosting infant sleep, the treatment and prevention of postpartum depression, and reducing infant sleep deaths. The study sites include UCSD, Harvard, University of Amsterdam, University of Kentucky, University of Michigan, and the University of North Carolina.
Dozens of companies are renting SNOOs for supporting new parent workers, which is helping boost productivity and reduces fatigue-related errors and accidents. Some of the companies offering SNOO include Activision Blizzard, Snap, Dow Jones, Qualcomm, Indigo Books and Music, Button, Cooley LLP, and The Motherhood Center of New York.
“We have a comprehensive benefit program for new moms, but we’ve been told the SNOO is by far the best benefit we’ve ever offered. The feedback we’ve been getting from new parents is phenomenal,” explained Snap’s Benefits Manager Rahab Hammad.
Earlier this year, Happiest Baby launched its second flagship product called Sleepea — which is a 5-second swaddle. It is considered the easiest and safest swaddle because it has breathable mesh for lessening the risk of overheating and stays snug to reduce risky rolling.
Some of Happiest Baby’s previous investors include celebrities like Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johansson, and Zoe Saldana.
“We’re thrilled to be working with Dr. Karp and the team at Happiest Baby,” added Greycroft partner and co-founder Dana Settle. “Today’s parents are stretched very thin. They’re working long hours – often both parents having jobs outside the home – yet they have less family support than ever before. That’s where Happiest Baby’s smart and effective innovations, like SNOO, are providing truly breakthrough support. And, they are just getting started!”
