Leonardo DiCaprio-backed mattress e-tailer Casper debuts in London

A US online mattresses retailer backed by Hollywood stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire has launched in the UK after settling into its first full year of business with $100 million in sales.

Casper’s launch here pits it against UK start-ups such as Simba and eve Mattress, which have been spending heavily on marketing in recent months.

The company has raised $70 million since its inception in 2014 from venture-capital firms such as Institutional Venture Partners and New Enterprise Associates.

But it also has an unusually long list of celebrity backers including actor Ashton Kutcher and musician and star of the Voice in the US Adam Levine.

“We really have seen a lot of support from them [celebrity investors], whether it’s talking about our television spots with Tobey [Maguire] or just sharing their love of Casper on social media, it’s really been something that’s helped us grow faster than expected,” said co-founder Constantin Eis.

Casper’s standard double bed mattress is retailing for £550.