Overwhelmed by the constant connection to technology in the bedroom, Jamie Kripke began to unplug a few years ago.
What he didn’t realize at the time, was that this act would lead to the creation of a new business and overnight crowdfunding success.
His efforts to unplug began by removing phones from the bedroom, leaving them outside of the room to limit distractions while he and his wife slept.
“We would try to make bedroom a tech-free zone where we can sleep, recharge and get ready,” he said.
But, Kripke, a photographer and visual professional, needed an alarm to wake him to go to the airport for his shoots.
So, he began to search for a clock that met his specific needs. He sought something he liked the look of, but also didn’t wake you up with an annoying buzz or chirp. He also wanted something that plugged into the wall, as he was fearful of missing a shoot because the battery on his clock died.
“I bought a few things, tried them, but didn’t find what I liked,” he said. “I started thinking, if I could make one for myself, what would it be?”
More than two years ago, Kripke floated the idea for a new type of alarm clock to a friend and serial entrepreneur, Lon McGowan. He bought in and Kripke brought on another friend, Howie Rubin, to co-found the company behind his vision, OneClock.
After much prototyping and design, Boulder-based OneClock launched on Kickstarter in February, offering a minimalist analog device with science-based music designed to help you wake up better.
“We’re of the mind that the less tech in the bedroom, the better,” Kripke said.
The clock was an instant success, topping its $20,000 goal in less than two hours. By the end of the campaign, OneClock had raised more than $780,000 from nearly 3,100 backers.
While he was unsure of the reception before launching the campaign, Kripke was blown away by the support for OneClock.
“When it took off it was pretty cool, because it was validating that we had something that people were interested in,” he said.
With a minimalist design, OneClock is an analog device, it doesn’t connect to Bluetooth or WiFi, that helps users wake up more gently.
To develop its unique wake up songs, OneClock worked with Grammy-award winning musician Jon Natchez. The clock’s AI music generator edits songs stored on its memory so users hear different tunes each time they wake up.
Using the latest in sleep research, OneClock’s compositions uses specific instruments or melodies that gradually increase with volume.
“These songs are composed to bring you out of sleep as gently as possible,” Kripke said.
To create the clock, the company employed the help of Denver-based design firm LINK Product Development. Marc Hanchak of LINK said the goal was to create an heirloom piece that was simple, yet timeless.
“We were going for a minimalistic design, using honest materials to make the design aesthetic non-intrusive,” he said.
Now that OneClock has completed its crowdfunding campaign, Kripke said the company is focused on production to fulfill its orders, acknowledging that supply-chain challenges make it difficult to set a date for the first shipments.
Ultimately, Kripke said OneClock wants to get more into the music side of its business, studying sleep and sonic science to create the best atmosphere for waking up.
“We’re already working with more musicians to make entirely new albums and eventually you’ll be able to put them on your clock,” he said. “We know a lot about going to sleep, staying asleep and insomnia, but there’s very little science around what happens when we wake up.”
