Saatva

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Saatva was named the Official Mattress and Restorative Sleep Provider of the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games and Team USA in May 2025. The partnership covers the Milano Cortina 2026 and LA28 2028 Games cycles, with Saatva providing mattresses, linens, and pillows to athletes in the Olympic Village, effectively outfitting every bed in the LA28 athlete accommodation.

Founded in 2010 as one of the first direct-to-consumer mattress brands, Saatva has grown to an estimated $600 million in annual revenue by 2025. The company positions itself in the luxury segment, differentiating from the compressed-foam brands (Casper, Purple, Tuft & Needle) that defined the DTC mattress wave. The Olympic partnership extends Saatva's brand into performance recovery and sports science, a strategic expansion from its consumer luxury positioning.

The deal includes NBCUniversal broadcast integration through 2028, connecting Saatva's sleep-as-performance messaging to the largest U.S. television audience.

1. OLYMPIC HISTORY & MARKETING PRESENCE

1.1 Partnership Timeline & Evolution

This is Saatva's first Olympic sponsorship. The partnership was announced on May 19, 2025.

The mattress-as-Olympic-category is relatively new. At Tokyo 2020, Airweave (a Japanese mattress company) provided recyclable cardboard-frame beds that generated significant media attention. Saatva's approach for LA28 will be markedly different, emphasizing luxury and performance recovery rather than sustainability novelty.

1.2 Signature Programs

• Olympic Village outfitting: Saatva will provide mattresses for every athlete attending the LA28 Games, regardless of country
• U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center installation: Saatva mattresses installed at the USOPC Training Center in Colorado Springs, giving athletes pre-Games experience with the product
• Sleep-as-performance narrative: Positioning restorative sleep as a competitive advantage, supported by sports science research
• Team Saatva Athletes (Milano Cortina 2026): Saatva announced five Team USA athlete ambassadors for the Winter Games, each featured in content around sleep routines and recovery:
• Jessie Diggins (Cross-Country Skiing, USA) - Olympic gold medalist (PyeongChang 2018), first American to win Olympic gold in cross-country skiing
• Ryan Cochran-Siegle (Alpine Skiing, USA) - Olympic silver medalist (Beijing 2022) in super-G
• Brenna Huckaby (Para Snowboarding, USA) - Two-time Paralympic gold medalist (PyeongChang 2018)
• Noah Elliott (Para Alpine Skiing, USA) - Paralympic bronze medalist, visually impaired skier with guide
• Lauren Macuga (Alpine Skiing, USA) - Emerging U.S. alpine talent, World Cup competitor
• Saatva Winter Bundle: Curated collection for rest, recovery, and performance at Milano Cortina 2026. Includes Organic Sateen Sheet Set, Latex Pillow, Signature Mattress Pad, and Graphite Memory Foam Topper for enhanced cooling support. Saatva is providing 400 Graphite Memory Foam Mattress Toppers to Team USA athletes, 40 complete Winter Bundles to U.S. Figure Skating athletes, and 50 complete Winter Bundles to USA Hockey athletes.

2. LA28-SPECIFIC INITIATIVES

2.1 Announced Plans & Positioning

• Full Village Outfitting: Every athlete bed in the LA28 Olympic Village will feature Saatva mattresses, linens, and pillows
• NBCUniversal broadcast integration: Saatva will promote its role at the intersection of innovation and wellness across NBCU's Olympic coverage
• Training Center presence: Already installed at the USOPC Training Center in Colorado Springs as of 2025
• Athlete education: Sleep science programming and recovery optimization content featuring Team USA athletes

LA28 Venue Context: The Games will be staged across 40+ competition venues throughout the LA metro area, with a dual-venue Opening Ceremony shared between the LA Memorial Coliseum and SoFi Stadium (announced May 2025). LA28 will be the first Games since 1948 built entirely on existing infrastructure. The Olympic Village, where Saatva's full outfitting will be deployed, will use existing residential facilities adapted for athlete housing. The Games dates (July 14-30 for Olympics; August 15-27 for Paralympics) fall during LA's hottest season, making sleep environment quality a meaningful factor in athlete recovery and performance.

2.2 Regulatory/Market Context

The mattress industry has seen significant consolidation and competitive pressure since the DTC boom of 2014-2019. Casper went public and subsequently was taken private. Purple (NYSE: PRPL) has struggled with profitability. Saatva's decision to remain private and focus on premium positioning has been a differentiator. The Olympic partnership reinforces the luxury-performance positioning at a moment when many DTC mattress brands are contracting.

CEO Ron Rudzin has stated the company sees a "clear pathway to $950M-$1B by 2028," making the Olympic partnership both a brand play and a growth catalyst timed to the company's scale-up ambitions.

3. EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP & DECISION-MAKERS

3.1 C-Suite Leadership

• Ron Rudzin: President & CEO, Co-Founder. Furniture industry veteran who co-founded Saatva in 2010. Reportedly maintains a 90/100 employee approval rating. Public face of the Olympic partnership and "sleep is a superpower" positioning.
• Ricky Joshi: Co-Founder. Entrepreneur who partnered with Rudzin to build the DTC model. Has spoken publicly about Saatva being "basically profitable since day one."
• Arthur ("Art") Melville: COO, appointed to Board of Directors effective October 2025. Elevated role suggests operational leadership ahead of LA28 scaling.
• Joe McCambley: Chief Marketing Officer. Oversees brand strategy and consumer marketing.
• Jeff Klein: Chief Financial Officer
• Ryan Hutchinson: Chief Strategy Officer
• Evan Huston: Chief Technology & Digital Officer
• David Link: Chief Creative Officer. Leads in-house creative development.

3.2 Olympic Partnership Leadership

Not publicly disclosed. Given the company's size and the prominence of the partnership, it likely reports to the CEO or COO directly.

3.3 Board Members with Relevant Experience

Art Melville's October 2025 board appointment is the most recent publicly noted governance change. Broader board composition is not publicly disclosed (private company).

4. AGENCY & CREATIVE PARTNERS

4.1 Agency Model

Saatva has historically operated a performance-marketing-heavy model typical of DTC brands, supplemented by retail showroom expansion. The Olympic partnership represents a significant shift toward brand marketing and mass-market awareness.

4.2 Known Agency/Partner Relationships

• NBCUniversal - Media partner for Olympic broadcast integration through 2028
• Specific creative and media agency relationships are not publicly disclosed.

4.3 Notable Creative Executions

The company's messaging around the Olympic partnership has emphasized the CEO's personal conviction that "sleep is a superpower" and the scientific link between restorative sleep and athletic performance. This frames the partnership as substantive rather than purely associative.

5. COMPETITIVE POSITIONING

5.1 Market Share & Competitive Landscape

The U.S. mattress market is approximately $20 billion annually. Key competitors:

• Tempur-Sealy (NYSE: TPX) - Market leader, owns Tempur-Pedic, Sealy, Stearns & Foster
• Serta Simmons Bedding - Major traditional brand (emerged from bankruptcy 2023)
• Purple (NYSE: PRPL) - DTC/hybrid competitor
• Casper - Taken private in 2021 after struggling as a public company
• Sleep Number (Nasdaq: SNBR) - Smart bed competitor
• Airweave - Japanese brand that provided Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympic Village mattresses. Airweave's recyclable cardboard bed frames became a viral story at Tokyo 2020. Saatva's LA28 deal replaces Airweave as the Village mattress provider, a direct competitive displacement. None of these competitors hold current Olympic partnerships.

Saatva differentiates through luxury positioning, made-to-order manufacturing, and white-glove delivery, sitting above the compressed-foam DTC brands on price and perceived quality.

5.2 Olympic Sponsorship Differentiation

Saatva holds exclusive rights as the Official Mattress and Restorative Sleep Provider. No competitor can associate with LA28 or Team USA in this category. The village-wide outfitting contract is particularly powerful: every athlete from every country sleeps on a Saatva mattress, creating global brand exposure.

5.3 Key Brand Messaging

• Luxury DTC: Premium materials, made-to-order, white-glove delivery
• Sleep as performance: Recovery and restorative sleep as competitive advantage
• Substance over gimmick: Positioned against compressed-foam "bed in a box" competitors
• American manufacturing: Mattresses made in the U.S.

6. KEY METRICS & BUSINESS CONTEXT

6.1 Financial Performance

• Estimated 2025 Revenue: ~$600 million
• Growth trajectory: Pathway to $950M-$1B by 2028 (per CEO)
• EBITDA margin: High-teens (per CEO)
• Profitability: Claimed profitable since founding
• Ownership: Private, no publicly disclosed investors or valuation
• Founded: 2010, Queens, New York

6.2 Olympic Period Performance

Not applicable; LA28 will be the first Games activation. The Milano Cortina 2026 partnership element will provide an initial data point for the Team USA component, though the full village outfitting is specific to LA28.

APPENDIX: KEY SOURCES

Official Sources

• Saatva Press Room: Official Mattress & Restorative Sleep Provider announcement (May 2025)
• USOPC: Saatva Becomes Official Mattress and Restorative Sleep Provider (May 2025)
• LA28 Newsroom: Saatva Partnership Announcement
• Saatva Press Room: Colorado Springs Training Center Installation

Industry Analysis

• Inside The Games: LA28's sleep rests on Saatva
• Sportcal: Saatva tucks in Olympic partnership with LA28, Team USA, NBCU
• Tom's Guide: CEO interview on sleep science and athletic performance
• BedTimes Magazine: Saatva Named Mattress Provider for 2028 Summer Olympics
• Modern Retail: Saatva co-founder interview on DTC luxury mattress market

Financial Information

• LinkedIn/podcasts: Ricky Joshi on scaling to $400M DTC brand
• Inc.: Revenue growth and business model profile
• US Chamber of Commerce: Saatva sales growth strategies

End of Research Brief