DTC Podcast Ep 592: $250K Kickstarter to West Elm: How Bearaby Built a Weighted Blanket Category (Without Early Meta Spend)
Mar 9, 2026
Dr. Kathrin Hamm, PhD economist turned founder who created Bearaby after solving her own insomnia. She explains launching with a $250K Kickstarter, inventing a breathable chunky-knit weighted blanket, and turning a clinical product into lifestyle retail wins like West Elm. The conversation covers gifting, press and Netflix set placements, scaling DTC and Amazon, and localizing for Europe.
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Chunky Knit Solved Medical Blanket Shortcomings
- Weighted blankets existed medically but used plastic beads and overheated users, leaving room for product innovation.
- Kathrin redesigned the form factor into a breathable chunky knit using natural fibers to solve heat, noise, and distribution issues.
Launch New Categories On Kickstarter
- Use Kickstarter to launch category-defining, educational products because its audience tolerates long-form storytelling and novelty.
- Kathrin used $120,000 to crowdfund Bearaby and reached $250,000 quickly, proving market demand.
Gifting Beats Early Paid Ads For Category Education
- Gift strategically to editors, sleep experts, and designers instead of spending early on paid ads to build earned coverage.
- Bearaby gifted blankets to sleep writers and interior designers, driving organic press, Instagram tags, and retail interest.