How Wakefit started

Chaitanya Ramalingegowda and Ankit Garg founded Wakefit in 2016, focused initially on a single, unglamorous product category that most people only think about once every several years: the mattress.

The problem they saw

Buying a mattress in India traditionally meant walking into a showroom, being shown a handful of options at wildly varying prices, and often negotiating in a process that gave the buyer little real information about what made one mattress different from another. Quality was inconsistent, markups were high due to the traditional retail chain, and there was no simple way to compare products on their actual merits. Ramalingegowda and Garg believed a direct, no-nonsense approach to a single well-made product could cut through that confusion.

What they sold first

Wakefit's first product was a memory foam mattress, sold directly online and shipped compressed in a box to the customer's door, skipping the traditional furniture retail chain almost entirely. The single-product focus was intentional — rather than launching with a wide range of options, the company put its early effort into getting one product right and explaining it clearly, backed by trial periods that let customers sleep on it before deciding to keep it.

The decisions that mattered

Selling directly to consumers online, without the traditional layers of distributors and showroom retailers, allowed Wakefit to offer clearer pricing on a product that had a very muddled one. It also meant the company could gather customer feedback quickly and make product changes based on real usage rather than waiting on a retail cycle.

Offering a trial period addressed the most obvious hesitation people have about buying a mattress without lying on it first. This mirrors what a physical store would offer, translated into a policy rather than a location, and it removed much of the risk customers associated with buying such a specific product sight unseen.

Wakefit expanded gradually into other home and sleep products over time, but kept its reputation as a mattress specialist front and centre rather than diluting its identity by launching too many categories too quickly.

What a small brand can take from this

A single, well-executed product can be a complete starting point. Wakefit did not need a wide catalogue to earn early trust — it needed one thing to work exceptionally well.

Cutting out unnecessary layers between the maker and the buyer can let a small brand offer real value on price and clarity, especially in categories where the traditional supply chain adds cost without adding much benefit to the customer.

Removing the customer's biggest source of hesitation, whether through trial periods, honest information, or clear policies, often matters more than adding more product variety.

If you are ready to sell your product directly, on your own terms, you can start with early access.

Varchas Stores is not affiliated with Wakefit. This is an editorial story based on public reporting, written for founders who are starting out.