Mark Coombs

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT MARK COOMBS

I\'m Mark Coombs, co-founder of Sleepout Inc- the company behind the world\'s only certified non-toxic, 100% blackout curtain. Here’s how it started:For me, sleep has been a lifelong struggle. Growing up in apartments with a mom who worked night shifts as a nurse, I\'d do whatever I could to block out windows and create darkness. During the pandemic, my sleep deteriorated further - I was waking every morning around 5:00 or 5:30 a.m. exhausted. I tried tin foil, blackout fabric, anything to keep light out. But nothing worked.So I started prototyping a curtain that could install easily, fully black out a window, and genuinely improve sleep. Once it worked for me, I realized I wasn\'t alone. Parents with young children, travelers, renters, shift workers - millions were facing the same issue in unpredictable environments.But when I dug deeper into the curtain industry, I was shocked to find that much of what is marketed as \"blackout\" is merely “dimout”, letting too much light slip through. Even worse, most blackout curtains rely on chemical coatings that off-gas toxic byproducts into the room.That discovery was a pivotal moment for me. Over the next two years, we developed our own exclusive Sleepout® fabric: 100% blackout, completely non-toxic, and formaldehyde-free. Today, we\'re the only blackout brand with GREENGUARD® Gold certification - earned from extensive chamber testing proving our curtains\' benefits for cleaner indoor air. In fact, Sleepout has created the only fabric in the world to ever pass Greenguard Gold\'s VOC emissions test, setting a new standard for safety, performance, and sleep health in the home.Since launching, Sleepout has grown to customers. We have been featured on Dragons\' Den, Good Morning America, CBS, Forbes, and Parents.com, where Sleepout was named the Best Room Darkening Option, and the most recommended blackout curtain by sleep professionals.My focus now is scaling Sleepout and growing awareness around the gold standard for safe, high-performance home blackout options. We’re actively expanding the Sleepout Home brand and bringing our blackout technology to every window in North America.P.S. Contact me for interviews and media conversations on the importance of light and toxic-free environments for sleep health. We\'re getting a lot of inbound interest right now:)