The product: Sleeptracker
Headquarters: Atlanta, Ga.
Lee Loree's wife is not the nicest woman when she is roused from a restful sleep, which is why Loree was surprised when she woke up one morning at 2 a.m. and had the most pleasant conversation with him. She can be "an ornery cuss," he said good-naturedly.
The incident, which occurred in 1999 got Lee, 38, thinking about how people sleep and the best times to wake them up. He spent several years researching his idea and came up with a gadget that could analyze sleep data.
His prototype was a gutted $8 watch from Walmart, which according to Loree ''looked like trash." But he improved it and started Innovation Sleep Solutions LLC in 2005, which sells the Sleeptracker, a lightweight watch that monitors and stores information on the wearer's sleep habits.
Every morning, users upload that data to their computers and can pinpoint their most restful moments during the night. Once they know this, they can modify their habits for better sleep. The watch also can be programmed to wake up users with an alarm, or vibration, at the best time in their sleep cycles. This way they wake up less groggy and more refreshed.
Interest in the watch is strong. Currently, Innovation Sleep Solutions has annual revenues of $3 million.
NEXT: SleepPhones
