AcousticSheep® was founded in 2007 by Dr. Wei-Shin Lai, a family physician, and her husband Jason Wolfe, a video game developer. Dr. Lai struggled with getting back to sleep after patient phone calls in the middle of the night. She needed to listen to some meditative music to help her relax. But headphones were bulky, and ear buds were uncomfortable. Since there were no headphones specifically designed for sleeping on the market, they invented their own.

 

They worked so well for her that she decided she had to offer them to all of her patients taking sleeping pills. Jason soldered and Wei-Shin sewed the first 500 pieces themselves on their kitchen table. Initial feedback was phenomenal. One lady was able to come off of sleeping pills after taking them for 10 years. Another saved her marriage because she could finally sleep in the same bed as her snoring husband. Dr. Lai and Jason decided to patent their invention and start a real business. They completely sold out in their first year.