The SleepyCat founder explains why the company wanted to change how Indians buy and experience mattresses.
For Kabir Siddiq, founder and CEO of SleepyCat, the opportunity in India’s mattress market was not simply to sell another product. It was to make buying better sleep simpler, more transparent and more accessible.
While living in the United States, Siddiq experienced a different approach to sleep products, where quality, convenience and consumer experience were given greater importance. After returning to India, he saw a gap between that experience and the traditional mattress-buying process, where customers often faced high prices, multiple intermediaries and limited ways to compare products.
That gap became the foundation for SleepyCat, which Siddiq founded in 2017.
The company adopted a direct-to-consumer model, with mattresses compressed and delivered in boxes, helping reduce the dependence on traditional retail intermediaries. What began as a mattress business has since developed into a broader sleep solutions brand.
From mattresses to sleep solutions
As SleepyCat grew, Siddiq and his team realised that customers were not thinking about sleep in terms of a single product.
The company expanded into pillows, comforters, bedsheets, weighted blankets, baby products, pet beds, furniture and other sleep-related products. The objective was to build a broader ecosystem around sleep rather than remain limited to mattresses.
Customer feedback has played an important role in that expansion. Reviews, complaints and suggestions have helped the company identify new product opportunities and improve existing offerings.
This customer-led approach has also influenced the company’s decision to move beyond its digital-first roots.
Why physical stores matter
Although SleepyCat was built online, Siddiq believes physical retail remains important for products where comfort is difficult to judge through a screen.
Customers can read specifications and reviews online, but a mattress is ultimately something they need to experience. SleepyCat has therefore invested in sleep studios where consumers can test products before purchasing them.
The company has accelerated its retail expansion in 2026. SleepyCat said in June that it had 38 exclusive stores across India and was targeting 85 by the end of the year. The network has since grown further, with the company announcing its 41st store in Thane.
The strategy gives SleepyCat a combination of online convenience and physical product experience, while also allowing the brand to reach consumers who remain more comfortable buying mattresses after visiting a store.
Learning to build beyond the founder
Scaling the business has also changed Siddiq’s role as a founder.
In the early years, founders often remain involved in everything from product decisions to hiring and customer complaints. As SleepyCat expanded across categories and cities, that approach became increasingly difficult to sustain.
Siddiq has consequently focused more on giving teams ownership and allowing capable employees to make decisions independently.
That transition is particularly important for a company expanding its retail network while simultaneously managing manufacturing, technology, logistics and customer service.
Manufacturing and the next phase
Manufacturing remains central to SleepyCat’s strategy. The company has invested in its production capabilities as it expands its retail footprint and product portfolio.
In 2026, SleepyCat announced a new manufacturing facility, which it called the “Great Indian Sleep Factory”, to increase production capacity and strengthen operational capabilities.
The company is also looking beyond India. Its international plans include expanding into GCC markets through retail while continuing to build its online presence in the United States.
The challenge now is considerably larger than when SleepyCat started. The company has to maintain consistent product quality and customer experience across a growing network of stores, digital channels and manufacturing operations.
Changing how India sleeps
SleepyCat’s journey reflects the evolution of India’s D2C market. It started by simplifying one traditionally complicated purchase, the mattress, and is now attempting to build a much larger consumer brand around sleep.
For Siddiq, the central idea has remained consistent. People should be able to access quality sleep products without unnecessary complexity or inflated costs.
The mattress was the starting point. The larger ambition is to change how India experiences, buys, and thinks about sleep.
