Wristband + iOS App = Silent Alarm System

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Name: LARK

Quick Pitch: LARK is a silent “un-alarm” clock, sleep sensor and personal sleep coach designed by sleep experts.

Genius Idea: Wake up in silence.

A few years ago, Julia Hu was sleep deprived. She was attending MIT for grad school and had recently moved in with her boyfriend. Each morning, he would unintentionally wake her when his alarm would go off an hour-and-a-half before she needed to be up.

Hu’s sleep deprivation inspired her to use her engineering education to create a product that could make the world happier and healthier through better sleep.

One week ago, Hu’s mission came to fruition with the release of LARK, a wireless wristband, device dock, online portal and iOS silent alarm system.

Sleepers don the wristband at night; it wirelessly talks to the iOS application to track your sleep patterns across thousands of data points as you sleep. You’ll wake up to a gentle nudge from the vibration of the wristband, and be greeted with data on how well you slept and how often you awoke in the night.

“Our goal is to help people realize how critical sleep is to their health and well-being,” Hu says.

Hu, LARK’s CEO and founder, spent more than 1.5 years developing the patent-pending system with a team of sleep scientists and fellow classmates. The business was moved to Palo Alto, incubated and later backed by Lightspeed Venture Partners.

The self-motivated types can buy the basic package for $129, but those that need a little more encouragement and sleep development will need to shell out an additional $60. For $189, LARK Pro buyers get the seven-day sleep assessment and Personal Sleep Coach to track their sleep goals and change their bad habits.

“Giving people an understanding of how they sleep naturally motivates them to sleep better,” says Hu. “Competitive feelings arise, so people will make small adjustments and later see the effects of these behaviors on their sleep. We think you can be personally coached to better sleep,” she asserts.

LARK, available for purchase online, will also be sold in every Apple store in North America beginning June 14.

Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.

More About: Alarm Clock, bizspark, iOS app, LARK, lightspeed venture partners, spark-of-genius, startup, technology

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