A new service is providing a way for people to take naps wherever they find themselves. Garden Grove-based Nappify debuted its first mobile trailer with four “nap pods” in late May at Santa Ana College. It decided to launch at the school because it anticipated a demand for naps during final exams week, said co-founder Kevin Pham. He created the startup with brother Ken, both immigrants from Vietnam.
Kevin saw a YouTube video about a “nap salon” in Japan and came up with the idea of doing something similar with a trailer, bringing nap time to schools, companies and events from a few hours up to about a week.
It’s not just any kind of nap that Nappify wants you to have, though. It specializes in the power nap, he said.
His research showed that 40 minutes is the maximum amount of time for a solid power nap in order to gain the full benefits and avoid deep sleep to prevent grogginess. So that’s the maximum amount of time recommended for nappers.Â
It costs $7 for a student and $10 for a professional for 20 minutes of rest, with optional amenities, such as water, a blanket and earplugs. Nappify plans to add more trailers and will then shift to a membership fee that will allow nappers to pay approximately $25 per month for unlimited use of the pods, Kevin Pham said.
The pods also can be used as private, quiet mobile work or study stations, since each is equipped with a folding table and power outlet. Each also has a window and is cleaned after each session.
The company is seeking investors so it can customize more trailers to park strategically around Orange County, Pham said. It’s gotten initial financial support of $100,000 from friends and family.
Smarter Workouts
A Laguna Beach-based startup has launched a platform to help health clubs get “smart” about tracking what every member does at the gym. Smart Health Clubs equips workout equipment with sensors so it can track which pieces members use, how many reps they do, and how they can improve. It also provides data, such as calories burned, and offers nutritional guidance.
Smart Health Clubs debuted early this month at The Claremont Club, the largest single-location club in the state, with a rehab center, 20 trainers and a dietitian on staff, said co-founder and Chief Sales Officer Rob Luecke. The other founder is Praveen Kashyap. Luecke has prior experience using existing technology to make new services for the public, usually at a lower cost, he said, as he did with a financial services company and a real estate service. Previously, Kashyap served as senior director at Samsung R&D Labs in Irvine for 10 years and before that was a software manager at Motorola Semiconductors for 10 years.
Smart Health Clubs anticipates offering its “smart pin” for purchase by the public by the end of August. The pin will replace those used on universal weight machines, making them “smart-enabled” for auto tracking at any club, Luecke said.
The founders created the enterprise to address the growing number of people searching online for personal training, diet plans and rehabilitation. They responded by taking infrastructure health clubs already have and providing the clubs with the technology to provide personal training, as well as online training, through their platform.
Smart Health Clubs is providing its platform free of charge to health clubs and takes 25% of the revenue a club receives from its app and technology. Club members get the app for free, allowing them to keep their data from the smart-enabled equipment. Getting exercise and nutrition plans from a personal trainer or dietitian based on collected data requires a fee.
Smart Health Clubs has a three-year agreement with The Claremont Club. The startup is seeking $500,000 from investors for 15% restricted stock, which means it couldn’t be sold for two years.
Focus on India
A company that helps startups scale is presenting a “boot camp” in August for startups and small businesses to educate them about India and help them enter the market and grow there, said Ravindra Kondagunta, founder and managing partner of Traction Labs LLC, which is based at The Vine in Irvine. The “Make For India” boot camp will include lectures, workshops, and talks by experts.
Kondagunta said global management consulting firm McKinsey & Co. calls India the largest, youngest and fastest growing open marketplace in the world, “one that a business cannot ignore if they want to survive.”
Traction Labs intends to grow its platform by offering interested companies an “escorted” tour of India to experience the market firsthand, he said.
The boot camp will take place Aug. 1 to 6. Five startups get to attend for free, Kondagunta said. The winners will be announced Monday.
