SOND exits stealth with $7M to launch AI-powered sleep earbuds

Boston-based sleep tech startup SOND emerged from stealth on Wednesday with $7 million in funding. The company introduced its debut product, Dreambuds, which is a closed-loop, in-ear system—meaning it captures physiological signals and acts on them in real time. The device tracks 12 physiological signals, including respiration, heart rate variability, cardiorespiratory coupling, sleep staging, body position, snoring, and seismocardiography, which refers to the mechanical vibrations of the chest wall produced by the beating heart. The investment comes from E14 Fund, Crosslink Capital, Ubiquity Ventures, Alumni Ventures, Meach Cove Capital, and John Abele.

The startup was founded in February 2022 by CEO Yadid Ayzenberg and CTO Amir Lazarovich, who met 14 years ago at MIT. Ayzenberg previously worked at Bose as its Head of Sleep Products, where he launched Bose’s Sleepbuds 2. While competitors like Ozlo have built on that legacy, Ayzenberg notes that SOND is taking a different path. “We did something entirely different. Maybe the form factor is an earbud, but that’s where it ends,” Ayzenberg said. The company aims to bring the devices into mass production by Q2 2026, following a crowdfunding campaign.

Unlike traditional sleep earbuds that focus on passive noise masking, Dreambuds stream sensor data in real time to a cloud-based AI sleep coach. The coach selects or generates audio programs from a library of over 500 options. The system runs end-to-end without requiring a phone; instead, the charging case includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, an OLED display, physical buttons, and a speaker. This design is intended to keep users off their mobile screens. “We have a running joke — we say giving an insomniac a phone is like running an AA meeting in a liquor store,” Ayzenberg said. Users who are having trouble sleeping can double-tap the earbud to engage the AI coach, which Ayzenberg confirms will never speak to the user unless prompted by this gesture.

Why it matters

SOND is moving beyond passive noise-masking sleep tech by introducing a closed-loop system that actively intervenes to improve sleep quality based on real-time physiological data.