Adequate sleep is critical for the average college student, but according to Christian Tarala ’27, the Twin XL mattress sizes in the dormitories have made this challenging. After experiencing this issue first-hand, Tarala envisioned a solution in his freshman year dorm room: Big Red Beds. 

Alongside co-founder Rohan Kumar ’27, the two created a start-up in their freshman spring that replaces Twin XL with Full XL mattresses in University dorms, launching a platform for peer-driven entrepreneurship. Big Red Beds allows University students to expand their bed size by 50 percent with a frame extender that attaches to the original bed frame, according to the company’s website. The Full XL mattress rests atop the frame extender, while the Twin XL gets stored beneath the bed frame.

Big Red Beds offers multiple package options that vary in price. The most basic package starts at $240 per semester and includes a Full XL mattress, a secure frame extender and a waterproof mattress cover. For an additional cost, customers can upgrade to premium packages that include sheet sets, pillows and other bedding.

Big Red Beds manages delivery and installation, with service deliveries directly to students’ dorms.

As a student start-up, the business has not come without challenges. The biggest of which, for Tarala and Kumar, was Cornell Housing issuing a statement online discouraging the use of Big Red Beds in July 2024.

The statement from the University warned students to “please be aware that any rental from Big Red Beds is not an approved piece of furniture and you will be required to remove it.” 

However, after spending the year in communication with University administrators and the completion of a successful fire code inspection, Big Red Beds was able to secure approval in May 2025 to operate as a “third-party vendor,” Tarala said. Since then, Big Red Beds has functioned independently, working directly with students and their families while remaining fully compliant with University regulations.

In an email to The Sun, Cornell Housing and Residential Life affirmed their approval of Big Red Beds and expanded on the nature of this relationship. 

“Cornell University’s Housing and Residential Life currently works with Big Red Beds, a third-party vendor that works directly with students to provide options for expanding the size of their on-campus beds,” Cornell HRL wrote. “Housing and Residential Life does not have access to the vendor’s client list and is not involved in their business practices or bed installation.” 

With the business now operating independently and officially recognized by HRL, Tarala has turned his focus to growth and innovation by channeling his entrepreneurial skillset. According to Tarala, he has experimented with “learning how to communicate the brand,” developing marketing techniques such as content creation on Instagram and Tiktok within the last year.

Compiling 26,700 views, the company’s most-viewed Instagram reel marked a turning point in gaining recognition for the brand and Tarala himself in February 2024. 

Now, with his senior year quickly approaching, Tarala is looking for a successor to share the experience running a start-up at a collegiate level. For Tarala, the real legacy he hopes to leave behind is the real-world educational lessons for a new generation of students.

“The mission is designed to be passed down to provide real business experience and learning opportunities while simultaneously improving the Cornell experience for our peers,” Tarala said.

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