Ever wonder why it’s so hard to wake up sometimes? It’s because our alarm clocks aren’t in tune with our sleep cycles. Understanding the sleep cycle is key to waking up refreshed, and TAVO has just the solution.

During a high-intensity job, Tadas Kunickas, co-founder of TAVO, struggled with his sleep schedule. His manager introduced him to the Sleep Cycle app that wakes the user feeling refreshed. Kunickas was skeptical, but waking up the next day he remembers thinking, “Oh my god, I’m actually not tired right now.”

The Sleep Cycle app uses sound analysis to listen to body movements. This detects when the user falls asleep and calculates the best time to wake the user. However, its highly sensitive microphone does not work for many people. “People sleep with a fan, have a noise machine, or don’t sleep next to a phone,“ stated Kunickas. This issue motivated the team to create a wearable that would work in any sleeping environment.

It’s important to wake up in the natural state, or light sleep, to wake up energized. Sleep cycles contain different stages: REM and non-REM. Non-REM restores the body, and REM restores the mind. The user should wake after the cycle is completed which is the beginning of non-REM.

“I know that waking up in light sleep is the better option than a regular alarm clock, even if I only get 5 hours of sleep,” Kunickas explained. He wants everyone to have the same experience. TAVO is building a wearable smart alarm band that is able to distinguish your most awake state in the morning, waking you up refreshed.

One challenge TAVO faces is distinguishing itself from other sleep tracking companies. “The perceived quality of sleep often comes from the wake-up,” Kunickas explained. This led TAVO to be an alarm clock focused on a quality wake-up instead of a sleep tracking company. 

What I Wish I Knew Before Starting my Company

“Building a company is not so much a race against competitors, as it is with yourself,” stated Kunickas. People may tell TAVO that the sleep market is too crowded, but Kunickas said, “It’s being patient about building and running your own race.”

“Starting a company is as much about the people as the product,” he emphasized. New entrepreneurs should build a quality product and focus on the team. When building the team for TAVO, Kunickas focused on people he trusted and enjoyed working and growing with.

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