198: Crowdfunding the Bed in a Box with Viscosoft Founder & CEO Gabriel Dungan
Invest Like a Boss
Sam Marks Johnny FD Derek Spartz
4.8 • 518 Ratings
🗓️ 7 October 2021
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Sam interviews Viscosoft Founder & CEO Gabriel (Gabe) Dungan about crowdfunding his bed in a box startup. The two go back over a decade to their startup days in China and explain the technology and how Gabe has transitioned the business to the United States. Then Sam and Derek recap the business, talk about their experiences with bed in a box, talk bad mattress stories and go over Sam's personal investment in the company.
Viscosoft wants to change the way the world sleeps. With a background in textile engineering, product development, and sensor technology, our mission is to provide consumers around the world with high-end bedding products that deliver ultimate comfort, unmatched value and the smartest, data-driven sleep experience ever to exist.
Viscosoft is poised to become one of the most recognized brands in the $432B sleep industry. We are an Amazon top 250 seller and have several products that have been recognized by industry experts for delivering great sleep through thoughtful design and innovative materials, including Good Housekeeping’s prestigious ‘Best Bedding’ award in 2021.
Over the past 4 years, more than 500K direct consumers have contributed to revenues of more than $95M and increased profitability last year. 2020 revenues reached $30M as the direct-to-consumer business (Viscosoft.com) grew more than 700% YoY from increased brand recognition, customer loyalty programs & product partnerships.
Sleep technology is a $12.5B industry and expected to reach $40.6B within the next 5 years. Viscosoft is committed to delivering a first-of-its-kind mattress topper with integrated sleep-quality sensors for under $200.
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Where we are:
- Johnny FD – Ukraine / IG @johnnyfdj
- Sam Marks – Ireland/ IG @imsammarks
- Derek Spartz - Venice Beach / IG @DerekRadio
Sponsor:
- RAD Diversified
RAD Diversified REIT allows investment partners to invest in cash-flowing properties with substantial value-add opportunities. RAD Diversified offers monthly distributions, a 5% bottom-line guarantee, and achieved a 36.7% return in 2020. - Support Invest Like a Boss: Join our Patreon
Discussed:
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Time Stamps:
- 12:02 – How did Bed in the Box start and how has the industry changed?
- 14:30 – How did Covid-19 affect the bedding business?
- 17:07 – How does bedding sales online compare to in store purchases?
- 18:20 – Where does technology fit in as it relates to mattresses?
- 20:20 – How did you get so popular on amazon and become a top 250 seller?
- 23:04 – How do your mattresses compare to other big brands?
- 24:43 – What was the process like for crowd funding the business?
- 29:15 – Can you now raise money through other means?
- 29:49 – How long has the listing been up on startengine and how has it been going?
- 30:46 – What do you have planned for the business over the next few years?
- 34:20 – Sam and Derek review
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | What's up bosses? Before we kick off this episode, I want to tell you about Radd Diversified |
| 0:05.1 | REIT and what makes them an ideal fund for investors. Rad Diversified offers monthly distributions |
| 0:11.8 | a 5% bottom line guarantee. They returned 36.7% in 2020. And in the last 12 months, they've returned 33.42%. |
| 0:23.9 | RAD, Diversified RET, allows investment partners to invest in cash flowing properties with |
| 0:29.7 | substantial value add opportunities. |
| 0:32.7 | Rad also kept its entire staff employed, took zero government assistance, and continued to aggressively acquire assets during the pandemic. If you want to take a closer look at what RAD is doing, all you got to do is go to raddiversified.com slash boss. That's RAD, R-A-D-D-D-I-V-E-R-S-I-E-D.com slash B-O-S-S. I'm going to tell you even more about RAD during the |
| 1:00.2 | break, but if you want to check it out now, like I said, it's raddiversified.com slash boss. |
| 1:06.0 | All right, let's kick off this episode. |
| 1:08.6 | Welcome to the Invest Like a Boss podcast. I'm Sam Marks and I'm Johnny FD. |
| 1:12.6 | We're self-made entrepreneurs who invest our own money and use modern technology to invest |
| 1:16.2 | like a boss. Join us each week for exclusive interviews with our network of modern |
| 1:19.9 | investors, business owners, and multimillionaires to discover new ways to invest our hard-earned |
| 1:24.2 | cash. |
| 1:27.8 | What's our, bosses? |
| 1:29.0 | Episode 198 of the Invest Like a Boss podcast. |
| 1:32.8 | I'm Derek Sparts here home in Los Angeles, per usual. |
| 1:36.7 | I think we got Sam Marks in a new spot. |
| 1:38.9 | Where are you at, Sam? |
| 1:39.9 | Did you actually know that or was that strictly a guess that was in a new spot? |
| 1:43.7 | You sent like a cryptic email that made it sound like you weren't in Barcelona. |
| 1:47.5 | So I figure out here somewhere else. |
| 1:49.8 | I'm in a small town of Killarney, Ireland, enjoying a rainy Irish afternoon from the, |
... |
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