L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2015 www.italoamericano.org L'Italo-Americano 9 T h e I t a l i a n n a m e immediately reminds of n i g h t a n d d r e a m s . However, the product's name p r o v e s a n e w w a y o f approaching sleeping: Luna is a product that has been launched by a group of Italian talents that surprised the market with a new, i n n o v a t i v e t e c h n o l o g y . T h e slogan you will find in their w e b s i t e d o e s n o t l e a v e a n y space for uncertainty or doubt: Luna is right now the world's smartest mattress cover which, in an increasingly busy world, can help people get better nights sleep. Science has proven that a g o o d s l e e p d e p e n d s o n h o w m u c h c o m f o r t y o u g e t f r o m your mattress, however buying a new, comfortable, expensive mattress may not be enough to make a night sleep somehow perfect. What Matteo Franceschetti and his team have produced is simple and sophisticated at the same time: this mattress cover has the ability to track each person's sleep phases and to identify the moment of lightest sleep, in order for the person to wake up, by feeling refreshed and ready for the day. The cover is not just an additional sensing device that everybody can have, b u t h a s a l s o a b e d w a r m e r through which you can control the warmth of the bed. The idea has found lots of positive reviews among the tech world, while these Italian talents started finding their names in the press: from CNN to Forbes, f r o m V o g u e t o T e c h C r u n c h , business specialists and experts have found the project not just b r i l l i a n t f o r t h e p r o b l e m i t addresses, but also great for the people's future life. The team is n o w c o m p o s e d o f s e v e n members, including scientific advisers who weigh in on the health components of certain f e a t u r e s l i k e t e m p e r a t u r e regulation. M a t t e o F r a n c e s c h e t t i i s Luna's Co-founder, together with Massimo Andrea Bassi and Andrea Ballarini. Matteo left his job as lawyer to get into the r e n e w a b l e e n e r g y a n d t e c h world. He has been working in t h e p a s t s e v e n y e a r s a s a n entrepreneurs and, as he told us, lost approximately 900 hours of sleep due primarily to restless legs syndrome. Together with M a s s i m o , t h e C T O o f t h e company, Matteo came up with the idea in January 2014, after l o n g t a l k s a b o u t h i s s l e e p problems. Two months later, they started talking about their project with a friend who did not hesitate to write a $25,000 check to get it started. How did you come up with this idea? I have problems to sleep and a couple of years ago I started l o o k i n g a t t h e s l e e p m a r k e t . Around one year ago, we were b r a i n s t o r m i n g a b o u t s m a r t d e v i c e s a n d w e s t a r t e d w o n d e r i n g w h y n o n e w a s making smart beds. That is how we came up with the idea of Luna. You all come from different f i e l d s . W h a t m a d e y o u converge towards the same project? M a s s i m o a n d I h a v e b e e n f r i e n d s f o r a l o n g t i m e a n d working in technology for years. When the Luna's idea came out, we were all ready for this new journey together. You launched an original crowdfunding campaign that was 1,103% funded back in March. Why do you think it was so successful? Luna launched an Indiegogo campaign, selling its products for $179 to $229 depending on bed size. When it ended, it had surpassed the original goal of $100,000 ten-fold, raising over $1.4 million from over 6,000 backers. I think we were able to i d e n t i f y a p r o b l e m s e v e r a l people have. We spend 1/3 of our life in bed, and it is time for technology to take care of us while we sleep. How would you explain the technology behind Luna? Luna tracks your sleep and m a n a g e s t h e t e m p e r a t u r e o f y o u r b e d . T h e t r a c k i n g p a r t works like a stethoscope: Luna t r a n s f o r m s a n y b e d i n a s t e t h o s c o p e a n d t r a c k s y o u r sleep, heart rate and breathing r a t e e v e r y s i n g l e n i g h t . T h e temperature management part is a sort of smart heating pad that l e a r n s y o u r h a b i t s a n d p r e f e r e n c e s a n d a d j u s t s t h e temperature accordingly. You are still working on a pre-order campaign. When will you go on the market? We are currently taking pre- orders on our website. We will start shipping in February 2016. What's your next step? B r i n g i n g t h e p r o d u c t t o market. Next year, for instance (in 2016) we will also launch new products. Luna: Three Italian Talents give the best night sleep with a small tech device SERENA PERFETTO 650.400.4747 AdeleDS@aol.com www.AdeleDS.com BRE# 00911740 Certied Trust, Probate and Estate Specialist Expert in preparation, promotion, and negotiation! SELLING HOMES THROUGHOUT THE BAY AREA Adele Della Santina "e Right Realtor makes all the difference." Left to right: Alexandra Zatarain, Andrea Ballarini, Matteo Franceschetti, Massimo Andreasi Bassi A sample of Luna Mattress Cover SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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