Accomplishing what entrepreneurs twice his age are striving for, sleep company CEO and Founder Steven Van Alen already has his dream team of highly experienced investment professionals and seasoned industry executives.

Those looking to take their startup companies from “humble beginnings” to big business might view entrepreneur Steven Van Alen’s success as sheer luck. The advice he gives on the other hand quoting Roman Philosopher Seneca, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”

Van Alen is both a hard-working student continuing his studies at San Diego State University and the Founder and CEO of college mattress topper brand Sleepyhead. Possessing a quality that most his age are still struggling to discover, he knows exactly where he’s been to know where he’s going.

Unlike business ventures that take years to build investment portfolios, Van Alen is already off to the races. On July 1, Sleepyhead closed its pre-seed funding round at $375,000. He’s also working with four world class investors and operators who normally invest and join pre-IPO or publicly traded companies. Not a bad start for this CEO under 30.

Sleepyhead’s investor team and board of directors include: Shawn D. Nelson, Founder and CEO of furniture retailer LoveSac, along with company Chairman Andrew R. Heyer, CEO of Mistral Equity Partners. Also signing on to invest and join the board are Philip Darivoff, who spent 27 years at Goldman Sachs as director of Alumni Relations and Chairman of Capital Markets. Lastly, Steven J. Heyer, former CEO of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide and previously President and COO of The Coca-Cola Company.

“Our investors are high net worth individuals, with world class operating skills and financial backgrounds,” Van Alen said. “We are so fortunate to have these guys on board this early in the game.”

What’s next for Van Alen as he brings high profile investors and executives on board from the beginning? He explains how raising money is always a full-time process, but in the future, it can be done in-house or through referrals only, which makes growing his business a lot more sustainable.

Sleepyhead has become a trusted brand by over 900 colleges nationwide for its CertiPUR-US® certified memory foam mattress toppers. The company is looking to introduce the most advanced and comfortable copper-infused mattress topper on the market, the Copper Topper, starting August 1, just in time for back-to-school. The company also donates one topper for every ten sold to anti-poverty nonprofits.

Aside from providing sleeping solutions for success and supporting students’ dreams, the copper nanotechnology protects students from bacteria and dust mites found in older mattresses issued by student housing.

“College mattresses are notoriously uncomfortable and questionably hygienic, Van Alen explained. “And the mattress toppers available to today’s students do very little to help. I watched my friends, classmates and myself suffer from a lack of sleep due to substandard sleeping solutions. Colleges prohibit students from replacing their mattresses, so the only solution was a better mattress topper, and that’s when Sleepyhead was born.”

In this line of business, Van Alen is using his age and college experience to his advantage and his talent isn’t going unnoticed. With this type of buzz early on in the startup game, look for Van Alen to further revolutionize the sleep space for college students and university housing.

About Sleepyhead

Launched in 2018, Sleepyhead believes in top quality sleep. Disenchanted by the status quo of dorm sleep environments, founder Steven Van Alen set out to bring comfortable, hygienic, and “good till graduation” mattress toppers tailored to college students. Today, the company leads through cost leadership, college specific sizes, customer care, and community impact. Sleepyhead is proud to be a B-Corp. They donate one product for every ten sold to an anti-poverty nonprofit organization. For more information, please visit https://sleepyheadusa.com/.