Americans spend 15-billion dollars a year on mattresses. The queen-sized models rated highest by Consumer Reports cost 13-hundred to 23-hundred dollars, but there are even some fancy mattresses that sell for 60-thousand dollars apiece! My guest calls that “shady” and says only the top 3 inches of the mattress really matter. That’s why he started a mattress topper company called Kloudes. Omar Alchaboun, welcome to Easy Money.
Omar, make your argument. Why do you believe only the top 3 inches of the mattress matter?
The mattress industry makes it seem like they’re changing the game when they’re really just playing a game. Their favorite game is to deem a mattress new and innovative even if all they’ve done is simply rearrange layers of foam. Mattresses with more layers, cool names, and flashy technology are not worth the high cost. There is very little variation in how mattresses are made. Don’t get sucked into the mattress industry’s silly battle of the bulge when the top 3 inches are all that matters.
To really answer this question, I need to tell you a little bit about my bedding background. The previous business I was involved in focused on wholesale for a variety of bedding products. I was mainly responsible for sourcing and product development. We started out selling pillows mainly and expanded gradually into other products. When we decided to make a memory foam mattress, I took a trip to our factory and began discussing the options to design our own mattress. In the manufacturing process, they have a few options to choose from for the base layer and middle layers and then a huge selection for the top layer or “comfort layer”. So basically, I was just searching for different top layers. Then I began researching many different mattress companies to notice that most of the time they are just rearranging top layers. From this experience and from our research, we realized that the top layer was most important.
So you say the solution is a good mattress topper, specifically the one your team developed. Describe it.
Kloudes is an innovative, patent-pending mattress topper designed to transform your existing mattress into a brand new one. Kloudes can enhance or restore the comfort level of new and old mattresses alike, whether it’s a worn-out mattress that has flattened out after years of use, a mattress that is too hot or too firm, or a recently purchased mattress that just isn’t quite hitting the spot. Kloudes uses patented Air Foam technology and patent-pending Micro-Kloudes technology to ensure a cool, ultra-comfortable night’s rest.
So since the base and middle layers rarely change in mattresses, we began our process by researching different top layers of mattresses and mattress toppers. Developing a product like a mattress topper isn’t rocket science. Don’t believe what anyone tells you, there isn’t much technology in sleep products. The effort it took to develop our mattress topper was a lot of research on materials, combinations of different materials and a lot of sleeping. We had a simple goal when developing our topper: To make the most comfortable mattress topper that improves any existing mattress. We want to create an alternative to replacing your mattress.
Our topper basically can be broken down into 2 parts:
The first is a solid piece of ventilated gel infused air foam. Air foam is a patented type of foam produced by the factory that makes our Kloudes topper. We basically searched for the best type of foam we could find and we found that air foam was the best hands down. It stays cool and is breathable and is not temperature sensitive like regular memory foam.
The 2nd part of the topper is our channel stitched organic cotton cover that is embedded with what we call “Micro-Kloudes” When a memory foam mattress is produced, they take a large block of foam and cut out the size needed. The excess pieces of foam are then shredded and embedded into the organic cotton cover.
When we combined “Micro-Kloudes” with an organic cotton cover and wrapped it around the air foam, we found that this unique combination was unlike anything on the market. We believe we’ve created “The World’s Most Comfortable Topper”
How did you get the idea to develop a mattress topper and try to disrupt the mattress industry?
Kloudes is more than just a mattress topper – Kloudes is a wake-up call. This is our way of calling out the mattress industry on their shady marketing practices and unfair pricing schemes. This is our way of changing long-held, yet incorrect beliefs surrounding mattress buying. At Kloudes, we intend to disrupt the mattress industry one aging mattress at a time. Kloudes was created by consumers for consumers. We aren’t sitting in a high-rise, in designer suits, trying to find new ways to rip people off. We aren’t some Silicone Valley-esque startup disguised as a tech company, but selling completely ordinary products. We’re just 4 normal people committed to creating a product that makes lives better.
Going back a few years when I realized that the top layer was most important, I began researching all these mattress companies. And Rarely do they ever sale a topper. Why would they? They want to get you to buy a larger ticket item, it doesn’t make sense for their business model to down sale you. As I started researching mattress toppers, I noticed that no one was creating a topper good enough to replace your existing mattress but more as an accessory to your mattress. This is what inspired Kloudes. We want to be an alternative to replacing your old mattress or improve your existing mattress that may not be as comfortable as you want.
I did this a few years ago myself with a latex foam topper. Apologies! Your toppers weren’t out yet. What makes your Kloudes mattress topper any better than others on the market?
The Kloudes Topper features two ventilated layers that work together to form a “convection-cooled” sleep system. The bottom layer is composed of patented, ultra-breathable Air Foam, and the top layer features our innovative Micro-Kloudes technology. The layers are encased within a channel-stitched organic cotton cover. Kloudes’ upper layer features our innovative Micro-Kloudes™ technology which was invented with comfort and eco-design in mind. Kloudes’ ventilation system allows air to flow freely, creating updrafts within the layers to ensure heat won’t get trapped. The updrafts cause warm air to expand leading to a drop in temperature as the air rises. The result is a cool, comfortable night’s sleep. You’ll feel like you’re sleeping on a cloud.
We slept on a lot of different mattresses and toppers while we were developing ours. From all that sleeping, we developed what we believe to be the World’s most Comfortable topper. Simply, it does not compare to any other toppers because it is unique. No company has dedicated the time to perfect the mattress topper, but that’s what we did. With that being said, everyone sleeps different and we get that. We designed our topper to work for most people and offer a 100 night trial. If you’re shopping for a new mattress or your mattress is just not as comfortable as you want, give the Kloudes topper a try. If it doesn’t work for you, you’ll get your money back. It’s that simple.
Again, a quality new queen-sized mattress can cost a thousand to 2-thousand dollars. How much does a Kloudes topper cost?
Twin: $149
Twin XL: $159
Full: $179
Queen: $199
King: $249
California King: $249
In addition to an attractive price compared to a mattress, you also say consumers can be satisfied knowing Kloude toppers are environmentally friendly. How so?
We created a unique upcycling process that uses surplus, high-quality memory foam that would have been tossed out by mattress manufacturers. We shred the memory foam, and embed it into a channel-stitched organic cotton cover. This stitching technique keeps the Micro-Kloudes ™ in place, making sure the topper is fluffy throughout.
We’re just trying do our part. Our cover is made with certified organic cotton. So no pesticides, formadelhyde or things of that nature. Our biggest contribution comes from our Micro-Kloudes technology. We upcycle foam that would of simply just gone to waste.
What if your existing mattress has deep body indentations in it? Won’t the Kloudes topper sort of fall into those? If so, what’s the solution?
This question has come up a lot to us. Most of the time these indentations happen to the top layer of the mattress so you are essentially adding a new top layer with our Kloudes topper. However, we ask people to use their best judgement. If your mattress is 15 years old with indentations to the ground, then you are probably going to need a new mattress. If your mattress has deep indentations but you think that a topper would fix that then try out a Kloudes topper. Again, use your best judgement and try us out.
Let’s make sure people understand the difference between a mattress pad and a mattress topper, so they can understand what you’ve created. Can you explain?
A mattress topper is thicker than a mattress pad. A good mattress topper can extend the life of your mattress, and make it feel brand new. It’s a great option when you are not ready to replace an aging mattress. Mattress pads are generally used for the purpose of protecting a mattress (which mattress toppers do as well)Not only is Kloudes more affordable than buying a new mattress, but it also extends the longevity of your current mattress. With Kloudes, you’re purchasing the only part of the mattress that actually matters.
Kloudes is part of a trend, where people are buying mattresses —or in this case toppers— online. You and other innovative companies offer a trial period and a money back guarantee to make consumers comfortable making a purchase like this over the internet. Describe that.
We want to make sure you love your new topper so we give you 100 days from the time you receive it to test it out. If, within 100 days, you decide Kloudes isn’t right for you, we will provide you with a refund on your original form of payment. Sleep on it, have breakfast in bed on it, binge-watch your favorite shows on it – if you don’t love it, we’ll give you a full refund. No return shipping costs or hidden charges.
if the product is unused, we will send a return label. If the product is used, we are looking to establish relationships nationwide to donate the toppers. We’ll start delivering in about 28 days so we are trying to secure these beforehand.
Kloudes is a brand-new company that came to life thanks in part to a Kickstarter campaign. Your goal was to have your toppers ready for shipment in February 2018. Did it work out?
Our Kickstarter campaign ended on January 11th and we reached 151% of our goal! We are aiming to ship out all pre-orders around February 15th. We’ve received great support so far and are excited to officially launch soon.
I should make it clear to everyone that I am receiving no compensation for interviewing you about Kloudes, Omar. I just thought it made a great money-saving topic since I, myself, have used a topper to make a crummy mattress better and avoid buying a new one. Do you think people —other than me— are going to be ready for your product?
First off, I would like to thank you again for having me on your show. We have received great feedback so far with people like yourself wanting to use our Kloudes topper to make their mattresses better and save the hassle of buying a new one. With millenials changing their mattresses more often than previous generations, we feel like we’ve come at the right time to offer a long term money-saving alternative.
Omar Alchaboun, CEO of Kloudes, thanks so much for joining me on Easy Money.
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