AcousticSheep LLC
AcousticSheep LLC designs and manufactures SleepPhones and RunPhones — patented fabric headband-embedded headphones for sleeping and exercising — sold globally through D2C e-commerce, major retailers, healthcare institutions, and TV shopping.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersErie, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What AcousticSheep LLC does
AcousticSheep LLC, founded in 2007 and headquartered in Erie, Pennsylvania, designs and manufactures wearable audio hardware sold under two brand lines: SleepPhones and RunPhones. The company's core technology embeds ultra-thin speakers inside soft, washable fabric headbands — a patented, novel architecture originally developed by co-founder Dr. Wei-Shin Lai after she found existing headphones and earbuds incompatible with sleep. SleepPhones target sleep-aid seekers, with variants spanning wired (Classic, Simple), Bluetooth wireless, and SleepPhones Effortless (which pairs Bluetooth with induction charging). RunPhones target active exercisers with moisture-wicking fabric headbands in wired Classic and wireless Bluetooth variants.
The business operates as a bootstrapped, founder-owned hardware company employing approximately 30 people and distributing globally across all 7 continents. AcousticSheep sells through owned D2C e-commerce at SleepPhones.com and RunPhones.com, online marketplaces (Amazon), US retail chains (Meijer, Sam's Club, Restoration Hardware), international retailers (Boots in the UK, JD in China), healthcare institutions (Cleveland Clinic), and television shopping (QVC, debut February 2017). Revenue is generated purely through hardware sales of consumer-priced audio wearables positioned within the wellness electronics and natural sleep-aid category.
AcousticSheep's credibility is reinforced by multiple CES Innovation Awards (2013-2017 across SleepPhones Wireless, RunPhones Wireless, SleepPhones Effortless, SleepPhones Harmony, SleepPhones Performance, and Dozer the Sleep Sheep), a Red Dot Honorable Mention, the Consumer Technology Association's 2015 Small Business of the Year designation, and the SBA's 2016 Pennsylvania Small Business Person of the Year (Dr. Wei-Shin Lai). The company has been featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Fortune, Engadget, Dr. Oz, Kiplinger, and Inc.com. No outside institutional investors, parent company, or acquisitions are referenced in the available data.
AcousticSheep LLC firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- AcousticSheep LLC
- Legal name
- AcousticSheep LLC
- Website
- https://acousticsheep.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- AcousticSheep LLC designs and manufactures SleepPhones and RunPhones — patented fabric headband-embedded headphones for sleeping and exercising — sold globally through D2C e-commerce, major retailers, healthcare institutions, and TV shopping.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
AcousticSheep LLC industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Consumer Audio Wearables
- NAICS
- Audio and Video Equipment Manufacturing (334310)
- SIC
- Household Audio & Video Equipment (3651)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sleep Tech Wearables (CRACAIAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hearables (True Wireless Earbuds & Smart Headphones) (CRACAIAD), Sports & Fitness Audio (Open‑Ear, Bone Conduction, Neckband) (CRACANAD)
Keywords
Where AcousticSheep LLC is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Erie
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
AcousticSheep LLC business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- SleepPhones Hardware Sales: Direct-to-consumer and retail sales of SleepPhones headphones (Effortless, Classic, Wireless, Simple models) — the company's flagship product line enabling users to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
- RunPhones Hardware Sales: Sales of RunPhones headphones (Classic and Wireless moisture-wicking models) developed by popular customer request for exercising.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels8 records
Marketing channels4 records
AcousticSheep LLC product offering
Product offeringCore offering
AcousticSheep designs, manufactures, and sells SleepPhones and RunPhones — patented fabric headband-embedded headphones with ultra-thin speakers, engineered for comfortable side-sleep listening and sweat-resistant exercise audio respectively. The products are sold globally as wearable consumer audio hardware that functions as a natural, non-pharmaceutical sleep aid or as moisture-wicking exercise headphones.
Product overview
AcousticSheep LLC is a hardware company specializing in wearable audio products under two branded lines: SleepPhones (designed for sleeping) and RunPhones (designed for exercising). SleepPhones include four variants (Effortless with induction charging, Classic wired, Wireless Bluetooth, and Simple) that enable users to comfortably listen to audio at bedtime to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. RunPhones offers Classic wired and Wireless Bluetooth variants with moisture-wicking fabric for exercise. Both brands feature speakers sewn into comfortable headbands, differentiating from traditional bulky headphones or uncomfortable earbuds. The company positions SleepPhones as a natural sleep aid in the wellness electronics category alongside melatonin and white noise machines.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- SleepPhones: Headphones designed specifically for sleeping, enabling users to comfortably listen to music at bedtime to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
- RunPhones
Products and services
- SleepPhones Classic Wired sleep headphones with ultra-thin speakers sewn into a soft, washable fabric headband designed for comfortable side-sleeping audio listening.
- SleepPhones Wireless Wireless Bluetooth-enabled sleep headphones with ultra-thin speakers in a comfortable headband for untangled all-night listening.
- SleepPhones Effortless Wireless sleep headphones featuring induction charging technology combined with Bluetooth-enabled speakers in a comfortable headband for effortless all-night listening.
- SleepPhones Simple Entry-level wired sleep headphones with a simple, comfortable headband design for straightforward sleep audio listening.
- SleepPhones Harmony SleepPhones variant recognized with a 2016 CES Innovation Award for Design and Engineering.
- SleepPhones Performance SleepPhones variant recognized with a 2017 CES Innovation Award for Design and Engineering.
- RunPhones Classic Wired exercise headphones with a moisture-wicking fabric headband designed to stay secure and comfortable during running and workouts.
- RunPhones Wireless Wireless Bluetooth-enabled exercise headphones with a moisture-wicking fabric headband for comfortable, secure use during workouts and physical activity.
Quantifiable outcome
- SleepPhones helped one customer discontinue sleeping pills after 10 years of use
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use AcousticSheep LLC
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
AcousticSheep LLC technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
AcousticSheep LLC partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- QVCcoreSleepPhones debuted on QVC, reaching television audiences through the shopping channel and driving direct-to-consumer sales via televised product demonstrations.
- AmazoncoreAmazon serves as a major online retail distribution channel for AcousticSheep's SleepPhones and RunPhones products, reaching consumers globally through the Amazon marketplace.
- MeijerminorMidwestern US retail chain carrying AcousticSheep products in physical storefronts.
- Sam's ClubminorWarehouse club retailer distributing AcousticSheep products to its member base.
- Boots (UK)minorMajor UK health and beauty retailer distributing AcousticSheep products internationally in the United Kingdom.
- JD (China)minorLeading Chinese e-commerce platform distributing AcousticSheep products in the China market.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights5 records
AcousticSheep LLC competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Bose (Sleepbuds discontinued): Bose entered the sleep audio category with Sleepbuds (later discontinued) as part of its broader consumer audio portfolio. Bose represents the type of well-funded incumbent that competes with AcousticSheep's SleepPhones in the premium sleep audio segment.
- Beats by Dre (Powerbeats): Beats' Powerbeats line targets exercisers and athletes with sweat-resistant wireless earbuds, overlapping with AcousticSheep's RunPhones use case for sports audio, though distributed through broader premium consumer channels.
- Plantronics / Poly BackBeat Fit: Poly (formerly Plantronics) makes sports and wireless headphones, including the BackBeat Fit line, targeting active users with wireless workout audio — a comparable use case to AcousticSheep's RunPhones.
Direct peers
- Dreamegg: Dreamegg is a direct competitor in the sleep audio category, offering sleep headphones, white noise machines, and sound machines for adults and children. It overlaps directly with AcousticSheep's SleepPhones use case targeting insomnia and sleep aid seekers.
- Yogasleep (HoMedics Sound Therapy): Yogasleep and HoMedics produce sleep sound machines, white noise devices, and related sleep audio products. They compete for the same consumer wallet share that AcousticSheep targets with SleepPhones as a natural sleep aid.
- Shokz (formerly AfterShokz): Shokz specializes in open-ear bone conduction sports headphones, directly comparable to AcousticSheep's RunPhones line in targeting exercisers and runners who need non-intrusive audio during physical activity.
Emerging players
- Oura Health: Oura's smart ring tracks sleep quality and recovery, serving sleep-conscious consumers with an adjacent rather than directly competing product. Useful for cross-referencing the broader sleep tech wearables category in which AcousticSheep operates.
- Hatch Restore: Hatch Restore is a bedside sleep device combining sunrise alarm, white noise, and audio content, targeting adults with sleep difficulties. It competes for the same sleep aid wallet but via a different form factor (bedside unit) than AcousticSheep's headband design.
- Anker Soundcore (Sleep A20): Anker's Soundcore Sleep A20 earbuds compete in the sleep audio category as an emerging alternative to SleepPhones. Anker brings significant scale and pricing aggression as a broader consumer audio brand entering sleep.
Others
- Brookstone / Sharper Image (sleep audio): Brookstone and Sharper Image carry consumer sleep and relaxation audio products including sound machines and sleep headphones through their retail and online channels, competing in adjacent product categories in the same sleep wellness segment.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
AcousticSheep LLC social profiles
Digital presenceAcousticSheep LLC financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
AcousticSheep LLC leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
AcousticSheep LLC funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
AcousticSheep LLC M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about AcousticSheep LLC
What does AcousticSheep LLC do?
AcousticSheep designs, manufactures, and sells SleepPhones and RunPhones — patented fabric headband-embedded headphones with ultra-thin speakers, engineered for comfortable side-sleep listening and sweat-resistant exercise audio respectively. The products are sold globally as wearable consumer audio hardware that functions as a natural, non-pharmaceutical sleep aid or as moisture-wicking exercise headphones.
Is AcousticSheep LLC a public or private company?
AcousticSheep LLC is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was AcousticSheep LLC founded?
AcousticSheep LLC was founded in 2007. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is AcousticSheep LLC based?
AcousticSheep LLC is headquartered in Erie, United States, in the North America region.
How does AcousticSheep LLC make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. SleepPhones Hardware Sales are the primary driver. The others are runPhones Hardware Sales.
Who are AcousticSheep LLC's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Bose (Sleepbuds discontinued), Beats by Dre (Powerbeats) and Plantronics / Poly BackBeat Fit. Direct peers are Dreamegg, Yogasleep (HoMedics Sound Therapy) and Shokz (formerly AfterShokz). Emerging players are Oura Health, Hatch Restore and Anker Soundcore (Sleep A20). Brookstone / Sharper Image (sleep audio) is listed as an others.
Does AcousticSheep LLC have an API?
No public API is recorded for AcousticSheep LLC.
What industry is AcousticSheep LLC in?
AcousticSheep LLC's product category is Consumer Audio Wearables. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRACAIAG, Sleep Tech Wearables, with a secondary code of CRACAIAD, Hearables (True Wireless Earbuds & Smart Headphones). Its NAICS code is 334310 and its SIC code is 3651.