Why are mattress companies acting like tech startups?

The business of selling spring and foam was once a staid affair. Now firms such as Simba, Casper and Eve are taking cues from - and sharing investors with - Twitter and Snapchat

If you've glanced at the ads for Simba, Eve or Casper, you'd be forgiven for thinking they were flogging some kind of new gadget. They have the aesthetic of tech startups everywhere, tout the research and development that went into their sparkly new products, and offer eye-catching, venture capital-funded deals. If you look more closely, however, you'll see they're actually selling mattresses.

But why would companies selling foam, springs and fabric be posturing as Silicon Valley brands? The answer is mattress-selling has changed.