# Dr. Wei-Shin Lai

> Dr. Wei-Shin Lai is the Erie, Pennsylvania-based co-founder and CEO of AcousticSheep LLC. She and her husband, Jason Wolfe, founded the company in 2007 and made the first 500 SleepPhones headphone sets at their kitchen table. Her work spans product design, international distribution, and a 2025 chess scorebook created for her young daughter; her recognitions include Pennsylvania’s 2016 SBA Small Business Person of the Year award.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at AcousticSheep LLC
- **Organizations:** AcousticSheep LLC
- **Education:** B.S. with distinction in Cellular Molecular Biology, University of Michigan, M.D., University of Virginia School of Medicine
- **Known for:** Pennsylvania Small Business Person of the Year, U.S. Small Business Administration, 2016., Regional EY Entrepreneur Of The Year recognition for Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, 2016., Co-led AcousticSheep, Consumer Technology Association Small Business of the Year, 2015.

## Career timeline

- **2007** — Co-founded AcousticSheep LLC with Jason Wolfe; made the first 500 SleepPhones together at their kitchen table.
- **2009** — Documented product photography, brochure production, and the trade-offs of selling through Amazon in the SleepPhones blog.
- **2015** — AcousticSheep was named Small Business of the Year by the Consumer Technology Association.
- **2016** — Named Pennsylvania Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration; received a regional EY Entrepreneur Of The Year recognition.
- **2017** — AcousticSheep began using EXIM export credit insurance to support overseas sales.
- **2020** — AcousticSheep received an EXIM Exporter of the Year award; Penn State Behrend described a student collaboration that led to three full-time hires.
- **2025** — Introduced a figurine-notation chess scorebook inspired by her five-year-old daughter and announced a January 31 Kickstarter launch.

## Achievements

- Pennsylvania Small Business Person of the Year, U.S. Small Business Administration, 2016.
- Regional EY Entrepreneur Of The Year recognition for Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia, 2016.
- Co-led AcousticSheep, Consumer Technology Association Small Business of the Year, 2015.
- Co-led AcousticSheep, EXIM Exporter of the Year, 2020.
- AcousticSheep products have received eight CES/Consumer Electronics Association Innovation Awards and a Red Dot Design Award.
- Her November 2024 company biography reported millions of sales to more than 80 countries.

## Latest updates

- **2025-01** — AcousticSheep announced a Kickstarter campaign beginning January 31 for Lai’s chess scorebook, with a $4,000 goal and intended printing through Eifrig Publishing.
- **2024-11** — A November 20 company biography described her school volunteering, balloon animals, glitter tattooing, and face painting, alongside international business activity.

## Links

- Website: https://www.sleepphones.com/about-doctor-wei-shin-lai
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weishinlai

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/wei-shin-lai
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-20