Waking Up
Waking Up is a subscription-based meditation and mindfulness mobile app founded by Sam Harris in 2018, offering 600+ hours of audio content from 100+ interdisciplinary teachers and serving individual consumers seeking secular meditation, philosophical depth, and stress management through a global self-serve model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2018
- HeadquartersEncino, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Waking Up does
Waking Up is a privately held meditation and mindfulness application operated by Waking Up LLC and founded by Sam Harris in 2018. The product is a mobile-first audio platform offering over 600 hours of content organized into three pillars — Practice (guided meditations), Theory (talks and archival recordings), and Life (practical tools for daily living) — plus a structured 30-day Introductory Course for beginners. Content is produced by a roster of 100+ interdisciplinary teachers spanning neuroscientists (including Andrew Huberman), philosophers, Buddhist practitioners, and best-selling authors, with archival material such as Alan Watts recordings from as early as 1969. Technically, the app is a standard iOS and Android client with offline download support, customizable session lengths, and integrations with Apple Health and Google Fit, alongside a web-based community and account portal.
The company monetizes exclusively through annual subscriptions sold after a 7-day free trial, with all features gated behind the paywall and a money-back guarantee reducing purchase friction. It serves primarily individual consumers — both beginners building a practice and experienced meditators seeking philosophical depth — and offers a Scholarship Program that provides free full-access memberships for users who cannot pay. Distribution is fully self-serve and global via the App Store, Google Play, and direct web, with no enterprise sales motion, no disclosed institutional funding of consequence, and a lean headcount of 11-50 employees. Marketing is anchored by Sam Harris's personal brand (books, podcast, public speaking) and organic referrals from high-profile teachers and the member community.
The business has reached meaningful scale by self-reported metrics — 100,000+ 5-star reviews, millions of users since 2018, and 50,000+ community members across 26 countries — while operating without disclosed external venture or private equity backing, suggesting a capital-efficient, founder-led model. Competitive positioning is differentiated by the intersection of meditation practice with neuroscience and philosophy rather than pure relaxation or sleep content, and the secular framing deliberately avoids religious requirements.
Waking Up firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Waking Up
- Legal name
- Waking Up LLC
- Website
- https://wakingup.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2018
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Waking Up is a subscription-based meditation and mindfulness mobile app founded by Sam Harris in 2018, offering 600+ hours of audio content from 100+ interdisciplinary teachers and serving individual consumers seeking secular meditation, philosophical depth, and stress management through a global self-serve model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Waking Up industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Meditation and Mindfulness Mobile App
- NAICS
- Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Learning Content Bundling & Subscription Passes (All-Access Libraries) (MPACALAL)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs (EDAAAEAL)
Keywords
Where Waking Up is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Encino
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Waking Up business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Annual Subscription: The primary revenue stream is annual subscriptions after a 7-day free trial. Membership provides full access to the entire library of meditations, lessons, conversations, and new content released regularly. The company offers a risk-free money-back guarantee and scholarship memberships for those who cannot afford the subscription.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Standard Annual Subscription with 7-day free trial |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Waking Up product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Waking Up is a mobile meditation and mindfulness subscription application that delivers over 600 hours of audio content, including guided meditations, theory lessons, expert conversations, and a 30-day Introductory Course, all produced by Sam Harris and 100+ interdisciplinary teachers. The product combines meditation training with insights from neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology, and is sold as an annual subscription following a 7-day free trial, with a scholarship program providing free access to those who cannot afford it.
Product overview
Waking Up is a single meditation and mindfulness application that offers a comprehensive library of audio content including guided meditations, theory lessons, and conversations. The core product is the Waking Up App, which provides access to over 600 hours of content through various content types: Practice (guided meditations), Theory (talks and archival recordings), and Life (practical tools for daily living). Additional offerings include the Introductory Course for beginners, a member-exclusive Community forum, and a Scholarship Program for accessibility. The app features content from 100+ interdisciplinary teachers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Waking Up App A subscription-based mobile meditation and mindfulness application offering over 600 hours of audio content including guided meditations, theory lessons, conversations with interdisciplinary experts, and an Introductory Course; targeted at individual consumers ranging from beginners to experienced meditators.
- Introductory Course A 30-day guided foundation course available within the Waking Up app, providing daily short meditations and mindfulness lessons from Sam Harris to help beginners establish a consistent meditation practice and understand what differentiates Waking Up.
Quantifiable outcome
- 60.5 million U.S. adults meditated in 2022 (up from 16 million in 2002)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Waking Up
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Waking Up technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature6 records
Waking Up partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Waking Up competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Calm: Calm is a leading meditation and sleep app offering guided meditations, sleep stories, and masterclasses. It is the most direct competitor to Waking Up in the consumer mindfulness subscription category, serving similar beginner-to-experienced audiences with audio-based content.
- Buddhify: Buddhify is a modern mindfulness app with themed meditations for different activities and life contexts. It serves a similar secular mindfulness audience and competes with Waking Up on accessibility and modern design.
- Ten Percent Happier: Ten Percent Happier is a meditation app targeting skeptical, secular users with content from teachers like Dan Harris and Joseph Goldstein. It directly overlaps Waking Up's secular, philosophically-inclined audience and several teachers appear on both platforms.
- Balance: Balance is a personalized meditation app offering adaptive content, sleep meditations, and coach-style sessions. It competes with Waking Up for individual subscribers seeking a modern, app-forward meditation experience with personalization.
- Simple Habit: Simple Habit offers bite-sized guided meditations, sleep content, and therapy sessions. It targets busy professionals seeking short daily practices, partially overlapping Waking Up's beginner and mental wellness focus segments.
- The Mindfulness App: The Mindfulness App offers guided meditations, sleep content, and family/kids programs. It is a direct competitor in the subscription meditation space with overlapping feature sets and global distribution.
- Insight Timer: Insight Timer is one of the largest free meditation apps, with a vast library of teachers, community features, and live events. It competes with Waking Up on content depth, teacher diversity, and community — often at a lower price point or free with optional tips.
- Headspace: Headspace is a major meditation and mental health app combining guided meditations, sleep, and focus content with a strong B2B offering (Headspace for Work). It directly competes with Waking Up for individual subscribers and has overlapping value propositions around secular mindfulness.
Emerging players
- Aura: Aura is a personalized wellness app offering guided meditations, life coaching, therapy, and hypnosis. It is an emerging player expanding beyond pure meditation into broader mental wellness, partially overlapping Waking Up's use cases.
- BetterHelp: BetterHelp is a leading online therapy platform that increasingly bundles self-guided meditation and mindfulness content. It represents an adjacent threat and partial competitor as the meditation app market converges with digital mental health services.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Waking Up social profiles
Digital presenceWaking Up financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Waking Up leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Waking Up funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Waking Up M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Waking Up
What does Waking Up do?
Waking Up is a mobile meditation and mindfulness subscription application that delivers over 600 hours of audio content, including guided meditations, theory lessons, expert conversations, and a 30-day Introductory Course, all produced by Sam Harris and 100+ interdisciplinary teachers. The product combines meditation training with insights from neuroscience, philosophy, and psychology, and is sold as an annual subscription following a 7-day free trial, with a scholarship program providing free access to those who cannot afford it.
Is Waking Up a public or private company?
Waking Up is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Waking Up founded?
Waking Up was founded in 2018. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Waking Up based?
Waking Up is headquartered in Encino, United States, in the North America region.
How does Waking Up make money?
One revenue line is on record: annual Subscription.
Who are Waking Up's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Calm, Buddhify, Ten Percent Happier, Balance, Simple Habit, The Mindfulness App, Insight Timer and Headspace. Emerging players are Aura and BetterHelp.
Does Waking Up have an API?
No public API is recorded for Waking Up.
What industry is Waking Up in?
Waking Up's product category is Meditation and Mindfulness Mobile App. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACALAL, Learning Content Bundling & Subscription Passes (All-Access Libraries), with a secondary code of EDAAAEAL, Online/Hybrid Lifelong Learning Platforms & Open Enrollment Programs. Its NAICS code is 611 and its SIC code is 7372.