Nightside is the brainchild of Jess Gupta. The $350 LED bedside lamp is a deliberately simple product. It doesn’t have built-in Wi-Fi or Alexa, but it does have a few clever tricks up its sleeve.
“I went to design school in CCA [in San Francisco], studying furniture design. I got into lighting and wanted to play with optics and different ways of playing with light instead of just putting a light source behind a shadow,” Gupta tells TechCrunch. “I discovered that I could make the equivalent of a theater projector, like a focused disc of light. I like to read at night before going to bed and I realized this would be a great reading light.”
The inventor continued to experiment with various light bulb prototypes. With a background in law, initially entered the software industry, engaging in non-design roles for several years. His departure from the company coincided with some personal milestones, including the birth of his first child. It was during a routine nighttime diaper change that Gupta’s wife expressed the need for a lamp that could be turned on without disturbing their sleep. This moment rekindled Jess’s interest in his earlier prototypes, designed for unobtrusive reading.
Seeing the immediate benefit of his creation, his wife encouraged him to pursue this venture further. With new motivation and time on his hands, Jess devoted himself to refining and prototyping his design. The journey was full of challenges and unexpected turns, but Jess remained committed to his vision. He describes the inspiration behind the lamp as being driven by a desire to provide for his family and his passion to read in bed without disturbing his light-sleeping wife.
The design of the Nightside lamp is simple but neat. It features a single LED source that serves dual functions: uplight effect for ambient lighting and reading projector for focused illumination. A front-mounted dimmer knob is the only control on the lamp. It’s powered by USB-C, regulated and energy efficient, running on about one watt of power.
“The components of the lamp come from different places. The plastic parts come from a supplier in China and the machined parts are also from Asia. However, all assembly work is done here in San Francisco. I have a facility where lamps are assembled to order. While I have a few pre-assembled units, I personally build most with some help, but I do all the final quality checks and oversee the shipping process,” explains Gupta. “This hands-on approach is vital to me, especially given the complexity of the product. I want to make sure every part works perfectly before shipping. Currently, about 75% of the spare parts come from abroad. For example, the gas spring that facilitates the extension of the reading reflector comes from Germany. I prioritize finding the best suppliers for these components to guarantee the highest quality.”
A look inside the Nightside lamp and its projection system. Image Credits: Nocturnal
I had the opportunity to get to know the lamp up close, and it is undeniably a device made with love. But the question remains: Is there really a market for a $350 lamp that is mostly assembled by hand?
“Sometimes I have concerns about pricing, but I always come back to the understanding that the quality justifies it. The lamp’s pricing reflects not only the complexity of its assembly, but also ensures a healthy profit margin. In conducting pricing research and looking at the market, I noticed that many products at similar price points offer much less functionality. Our lamp offers significant value for its price and this is the last bedside lamp I will ever need. It meets all my requirements perfectly and I have heard similar sentiments from several customers. This reassures me that the value we offer aligns well with the price. I have invested a lot in quality and many appreciate the lamp as a beautiful design object for their bedside table. While I get questions about pricing, it’s important to note that the lighting category includes a wide range of prices. I’m confident that our lamp sits comfortably in that spectrum,” says Gupta.
It seems early customers agree. “We’ve sold a few hundred units so far, from an initial limited run of 1,000, each numbered and signed,” adds the founder. “It’s been exciting to see sales gradually increase, allowing us to scale the business accordingly.”
As it turns out, the bulb itself uses an LED light that emits warm white (3,000 Kelvin) light, and Gupta claims a CRI value of 80-85. Color rendering index (CRI) is a quantitative measure of how accurately a light source can reproduce the colors of various objects compared to a natural light source. Measured on a scale of 0 to 100, the higher the CRI value, the better the light source is at rendering colors accurately. A CRI of 80 to 90 is considered good, while a CRI of 90 or above is considered excellent, and is usually desired for work that requires the most accurate color discrimination — such as photography, etc. Good.
Bringing the Nightside lamp to market was not without its challenges. Gupta highlighted the hurdles of navigating the global chip shortage and ensuring top quality by assembling the bulbs in San Francisco. There’s also the looming threat of his designs being ripped off and cheaply reproduced by a factory in China, but Gupta has bolstered his invention with a patent for the optical projection system.
The founder does not intend to stop at just the lamp, but is considering a range of products that “enrich the bedtime ritual”, focusing on lighting solutions and accessories covering the bedside area.
As the Nightside lamp continues to light up the lives of its users, Gupta’s story serves as an inspiration for aspiring product manufacturers. It’s a story of prioritizing product over financial windfalls. Will Nightside ever become a unicorn company? Doubtful — but his journey serves as a reminder that personal passion and building your own itch companies continues to be an interesting way to flex those creator muscles.
