Happiest Baby, Inc. Announces $23 Million in Series B Funding To Create New Products and Advance Development of Its Revolutionary Baby Bed, the SNOO Smart Sleeper

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Dec 11, 2018, 12:30 ET

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 11, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Happiest Baby, Inc., the parenting solutions company, has announced it has raised $23 Million in its Series B funding. The round was led by Greycroft Partners with participation from Sallfort Bank and GV.

Founded by celebrated pediatrician, Dr. Harvey Karp, Happiest Baby has received international acclaim for its breakthrough invention, SNOO Smart Sleeper. SNOO is the world's safest, most effective baby bed.

SNOO adds hours to a baby's sleep with the constant, womb-like rhythms (rumbly sound and gentle rocking) babies enjoy before birth. When SNOO "hears" fussing, it automatically responds with gradually higher levels of motion and sound, often calming the baby in under a minute (unless the baby is hungry or uncomfortable). SNOO naturally sleep trains babies over the first few months of life. And, SNOO's special swaddle secures babies safely on the back – for all naps, all night – making it the only bed to meet the American Academy of Pediatrics Safe Sleep advice that babies only sleep on the back for the first 6 months.

Much more than a bassinet, SNOO is a virtual caregiver. It is transforming modern parenting by being an "extra pair of hands" to soothe the baby and promote sleep whenever needed: 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for up to 6 months.

Released in 2016, SNOO is the result of a collaboration between Dr. Karp, award-winning industrial designer Yves Béhar (founder of SF-based, Fuseproject) and Dr. Deb Roy (Director, MIT Media Lab's Laboratory for Social Machines).

SNOO has won 15 major honors, including Innovation of the Year from the National Sleep Foundation and the Juvenile Product Manufacturing Association's award for top innovations. It has won several design awards, including IDSA's IDEA Gold Medal and Curator's Award and has been exhibited at three of the world's premiere museums.

Multiple, university-based studies are under way and being developed to evaluate SNOO's medical benefits, such as boosting infant sleep; the treatment/prevention of postpartum depression; reducing infant sleep deaths; and the support of newborns withdrawing from opiates. Study sites include UCSD, Harvard, University of Amsterdam, University of Kentucky, University of Michigan, and University of North Carolina.

SNOO is used by families across the United States, Canada and Australia. And now, corporations are taking note. Dozens of leading companies rent SNOOs to support new parent workers, boost productivity and reduce fatigue-related errors, accidents and health costs. 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," said Rahab Hammad, Benefits Manager, Snap.

In 2018, Happiest Baby launched its second flagship product, Sleepea, the '5-second' swaddle. The first doctor-designed sleep sack, Sleepea is the easiest, most effective and safest swaddle because it: has breathable mesh to lessen the risk of overheating; stays snug to reduce risky rolling; is hip safe; and can't unravel and cause loose cloths around a baby's face. Sleepea has won three major honors. It is made with organic cotton, so it's healthy for babies and the planet, too.

This Series B funding builds on Happiest Baby's successful A round of $10 million raised in 2015. That funding was led by Lux Capital with Felicis Ventures and Obvious Ventures. Other Series A investors included Justin Timberlake, Jessica Biel, Scarlett Johansson, and Zoe Saldana.

"We are grateful to our investors and to all parents using SNOO for their trust and support of our mission," said Dr. Karp. "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."

"We're thrilled to be working with Dr. Karp and the team at Happiest Baby," said Dana Settle, Co-Founder & Partner at Greycroft. "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!"

ABOUT HAPPIEST BABY
Happiest Baby is a mission-driven, venture-backed company dedicated to helping parents raise healthy, happy children. The company develops science-based products and content to solve everyday parenting challenges and enhance child well-being. Based in Los Angeles, California, Happiest Baby, Inc. was founded in 2001 by Dr. Harvey Karp with his wife and business partner, Nina Montée-Karp. Dr. Karp's celebrated books/videos, The Happiest Baby on the Block, The Happiest Toddler on the Block and The Happiest Baby Guide to Great Sleep: Birth to Five Years have helped millions of parents and are translated into over twenty languages. His landmark theories provide important insights into the causes and relief of infant crying, poor sleep and toddler tantrums. Thousands of certified Happiest Baby educators teach Dr. Karp's work on safe swaddling and infant care skills in hospitals and clinics across America and in over twenty other nations.

Media Contact
Erin Allweiss
[email protected]
No. 29 Communications

SOURCE Happiest Baby, Inc.