About Us

Why did we build WakeTFUp?

We started with a simple problem.

People already have alarms.
They already have smartphones.
They already have watches.
And yet people still oversleep.

So we asked:

“What if the problem isn’t the alarm?”

“What if the problem is accountability?”

We didn’t start with a finished product.

We started with a problem.

01 EMPATHIZE

We spoke to users and conducted primary research to understand oversleeping, shared-room challenges and the consequences of missing important commitments.

02 DEFINE

People with important early commitments need a more reliable way to wake up without unnecessarily disturbing people around them.

03 IDEATE

Our initial thinking focused on a vibrating wearable.

But user concerns emerged:

• Slipping during sleep

• Skin irritation

• Uneven vibration

• Comfort

04 PROTOTYPE

We moved toward a pillow-based solution with:
• Vibration motors
• Pressure/motion sensing
• Bluetooth
• Rechargeable electronics
• A connected mobile app

05 TEST & ITERATE

The concept evolved further to include:

• Wakefulness verification

• Progressive escalation

• Wake My Friend

• Multiple wake/sleep modes