A lot is happening for startup company Videung. They were recently named “SmartUp of the Year” for their innovative ideas to change the bed industry. Also, within days their first bed will be ready for launch. Thoroughly focused on environmental and climate smartness, the bed will be the first to be sold via e-commerce directly from manufacturers to end customers.
“We are setting the bar high and calling it the world's most sustainable bed,” says Patrik Sandhu Wilén, CEO at Videung. “It feels fantastic to be up and running and offer good sleep for real. We will open our web shop Videung.com soon, so keep a close eye on us.”
As SmartUp of the year Videung received SEK 50,000 prize money. The award was presented by SmartUp Skellefteå, a collaboration of company and innovation-promoting actors who support developers of ideas, growth or company scale-ups.
The public was given the opportunity to vote on the three final entries.
“Incredibly fun! Awards can be regarded as personal acknowledgments, but for us it means that many people believe in our idea and long for a bed that provides really good sleep and is healthy for the user. We also see the award as a proof of the relevance of our offer”, says Patrik.
Patrik, a veteran of the furniture and bedding industry, noted how customers threw away their old beds, even though it had perhaps only one broken part. The idea of developing a bed with interchangeable modules began to grow and so Videung was born.
“Our bed concept is based on quality, sustainability, and the customer's best interests. This means that we can offer a premium bed at half the price of what it would cost through traditional channels, thanks to the fact that we cut all middlemen,” says Patrik. “We have also chosen natural products for the most part. Even if a bed contains approved chemicals, it is usually the cocktail of chemicals that humans are subjected to that causes potential health effects. Therefore, we have turned only to nature in our produced material”, says Patrik. For example, natural latex is used in the mattress and Videung is also the world's first bed manufacturer to 3D print the bed legs from recycled food packaging. “We do this because we want to make a real difference, that is what drives Videung. We have taken no shortcuts in the development of our product, and we have a confident hope that the market is ready for more sustainable choices. We are now initiating a strategic soft launch focused on the coastal areas of northern Sweden. After that, we will expand our geographical area to offer sustainable sleep to even more people", says Patrik.
SmartUp jury motivation:
“Videung is nominated for SmartUp of the Year for its pioneering product with potential to change the global bed industry. By focusing on sustainability, local materials, and digital processes, they have developed a revolutionary bed that is gentle on both the environment and those who sleep in the bed.
Videung has both the knowledge and product required to change the entire bed industry to become more sustainable. Winning SmartUp of the Year would contribute to that change starting in Skellefteå!”