Start-up funding for textile innovation
Dagsmejan – Quality sleep thanks to smart pyjamas
Improving the quality of your sleep with what you wear while sleeping. This is the original idea of the Zurich start-up Dagsmejan. From pyjamas to comfortable shorts and T-shirts, there is a wide range of products available in Switzerland and worldwide. The company, which was founded only three years ago, has met with great success, thanks in particular to the support of Innosuisse and research partners like Empa.
![https://www.empa.ch/documents/56164/31662079/dagsmeja+stopper.jpg/61007a77-e37d-6747-002d-2a099ac4edf5?t=1722590342259](https://www.empa.ch/documents/56164/31662079/dagsmeja+stopper.jpg/61007a77-e37d-6747-002d-2a099ac4edf5?t=1722590342259)
The two founders, a Swede and a Swiss, are the creative minds behind this unexpected yet no less essential idea: improving the quality of sleep using smart clothing and innovative fibre constructions in sleepwear. It was three years ago when Catarina Dahlin and Andreas Lenzhofer came up with this idea in response to a passing observation. “We have always been interested in sports and had been watching the progress of smart textiles in that area. The clothing adapts to the body and movements to improve performance and comfort during exercise. But this wasn't the case when it came to sleepwear, despite how important sleep is in light of our busy lives,” says Catarina Dahlin, Co-CEO of Dagsmejan, adding: “Some people invest up to several thousand francs in highly sophisticated smart bed technology or sleep monitoring devices, but until recently no one has shown much interest in the materials we wear for more than a third of our lifetime.”
The start-up brings a breath of fresh air to a field that has seen virtually no innovation in recent decades. Dagsmejan applies technological advances from the sportswear sector to the sleepwear sector: the result is a patented knitted fabric that provides an optimal sleeping environment, regardless of whether someone tends to sweat, feel cold or experiences both during the night. What's so original about it? To develop clothing that is in tune with our physiological needs for rest and is designed specifically for sleep. “Temperature is one of the key components of a good night's sleep. If our natural body temperature is disturbed, our quality of sleep suffers. Therefore, our goal was to find a solution that maintains the right body temperature all night long,” explains Andreas Lenzhofer, Co-CEO of the start-up.
Valuable support
Since its inception, Dagsmejan has benefited from several offers of support from Innosuisse. The founders started a personalised coaching programme in 2018 and participated in two training sessions in New York and London, which proved to be very useful when it came to establishing a foothold in international markets. “Within a very short space of time, we have learned a lot about taxes, laws and customs“, Andreas Lenzhofer recently told startupticker.ch. Thanks to these internationalisation camps, the start-up was also able to benefit from the network of the Swiss embassy in London and the swissnex office in New York.
To understand the physiological requirements for sleep, and to test and evaluate the different fibre and tissue structures and their impact on the body, Dagsmejan is also carrying out a parallel innovation project in collaboration with Empa in St. Gallen and the University of Lucerne. For Catarina Dahlin, these different levels of support are extremely valuable. “It was important to us that our approach be scientifically validated. The collaboration with Innosuisse for our research project made this possible. At the same time, having access to highly qualified coaches and being able to discuss our business activities in depth has been very helpful."
To the stars
In recognition of its excellent work, Dagsmejan was awarded the Innosuisse certificate in January 2020, which guarantees that the company is ready for sustainable growth. Growth that has been demonstrated by the growing success observed here and abroad. Right from the start, Dagsmejan has been focusing on the global market. In addition to Switzerland, Germany and Austria, the United Kingdom and North America were also targeted.
Today, the brand is available in more than 60 countries and its founders are already thinking of ways to further diversify their production. “Beds, mattresses or duvets are additional elements that affect our sleep. To support the body in a holistic way, it makes sense for us to conduct studies at all levels.“ Dagsmejan is therefore open to exploring new and exciting opportunities as they arise.
Dr. Simon Annaheim
Biomimetic Membranes and Textiles
Phone +41 58 765 7768
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