| BY KIRK MILLER Want to know what the future holds? You need to meet the people building it. In our series Who’s Next, we profile rising stars of culture, tech, style, wellness and beyond. In 2020 I tested the second generation of Bose Sleepbuds. Admittedly, the audio brand’s first attempt at making comfortable, slumber-inducing earbuds had been met with a tepid response. But the second try was a vastly improved product that I, and seemingly many other people, wholeheartedly approved. Well, not enough people for Bose. Soon after the launch, the company shut down its health division, which included the sleepbuds. Thankfully, a few team members — led by former Director of Technology N.B. Patil — remained committed to finding a tech solution to one of the biggest problems facing people every single day: getting good sleep. “I worked at Bose for 22 years before leaving and starting Ozlo,” says Patil, co-founder and CTO of the company behind the new Ozlo Sleepbuds. “When I was at Bose, I liked the sleepbuds and how impactful they were. It’s a life-changing product! When Bose decided to discontinue the product, I said, ‘Okay, if I had to do something, this is it.’ So I got out, made an offer to buy the IP and then raised the money to build a team.” | 