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A Hot Business Idea -- Between the Sheets Inspired by athletic wear, two former coaches develop high-performance bedsheets.

By Michelle Juergen

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Sleep Like a Champ
Sweet dreams: Traditional sheets can trap heat; Sheex performance-fabric sheets keep sleepers cool and dry.
Phototography © Devon Jarvis

Entrepreneurs: Former University of South Carolina (USC) basketball coaches Michelle Marciniak and Susan Walvius, founders of Irmo, S.C.-based Sheex, maker of "performance bedsheets."

"Aha" moment: When Marciniak, a former WNBA star, introduced Walvius to moisture-wicking performance fabrics used in workout clothes, her reaction was, "I'd love to have bedsheets made out of this stuff." In August 2007 the two brought the idea to USC's Moore School of Business; students did a feasibility study over two semesters and produced a solid business plan. In May 2008, Marciniak and Walvius gave up coaching to focus on their business. They raised money from friends, family and angel investors--about $6.5 million so far.

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