Alexandra Zatarain, Eight Sleep | Building Brands and Taking a Niche Product Mainstream

The audio and video are in Spanish. These notes are a translation.

We spoke with Alexandra Zatarain, Chief Marketing Officer and cofounder of Eight Sleep, a startup that makes smart mattresses powered by data and artificial intelligence to help people sleep better.

To date, Eight Sleep has raised more than USD $150 million from investors such as Khosla Ventures, Founders Fund, and Softbank, and it has been used by more than 100,000 people, including celebrities such as Steve Aoki, Kevin Hart, and Tim Ferris.

We talked about how to create a market, because Eight Sleep is the first “smart mattress,” and they had to rethink their marketing strategy so they would not be seen as a mattress company, but as a sleep technology company. We also talked about how to create brands, when and how much to invest, and how to take a product from a niche market to a mass market.

Alexandra worked with Andy Cunningham, who was responsible for public relations at Apple with Steve Jobs, and she shared many branding lessons with us. An interview you should not miss.

Youtube Timestamps*

[1:41] - How to Create a Market

How did Alexandra get into the fascinating world of startups?
Were they aware at Eight Sleep from the start that they were “creating a market,” or what things happened that led them to consider that possibility?
How is this idea of “creating a market” implemented in the company? How does it show up in the way they work, design product, sell, etc.?

[15:41] - How to Create a Brand

What were her conversations with investors like in her first rounds, what were the main objections they received, and what was the process of convincing Khosla Ventures like?
Alexandra worked with Andy Cunningham, who was in charge of public relations at Apple and worked with Steve Jobs. What were the 2 or 3 most important mistakes and lessons she took away from this experience?
How does Alexandra define what characteristics a good niche should have in order to start?
In Latin America, the vast majority of startups are fintechs or e-commerce, and the truth is that sometimes they all have very similar brands and messages. How does Alexandra think these companies can make their brand something truly unique, a differentiator?
Gabriela Estrada, CEO of Vexi, a Mexican fintech with almost 1 million customers, told us that one of her regrets was not having invested in building a brand sooner. What does Alexandra advise other founders about the right time to invest in brand building?
Alexandra has worked with several of the best-known artists, athletes, and influencers, such as Tim Ferris and Steve Aoki. How do they measure the return on these efforts invested in the brand at Eight Sleep?

[41:00] - How to Make a Product Mainstream

Eight Sleep has the ambition to create more affordable products in order to fulfill its vision. How does Alexandra think Eight Sleep’s marketing and product will change as it moves from early adopters to mainstream?
A few years ago, Alexandra spoke about the concept of “creating a movement” as an engine of sustainable growth. What does she mean by this concept, and what role does it play at this stage of crossing the chasm from a niche product to a mainstream one?
What role does Alexandra think price will play in the future of Eight Sleep?
What is Alexandra’s framework for originating a movement around a brand?

[55:22] - Rapid-Fire Questions

If she had to start a company from scratch, what is the main piece of advice Alexandra would give herself?
What has been the most influential book on Alexandra’s path through the world of startups?
Changes Alexandra would like to see in Latin America’s startup ecosystem