Koala (company)
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Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| ASX: KOA | |
| Industry | Furniture |
| Founded | November 2015 in Australia |
| Founder |
|
| Headquarters | , |
Area served | |
| Products | Bed in a box |
| Website | koala |
Koala is an Australian company selling mattresses and other furniture under a direct-to-consumer model. It was founded in November 2015 by Dany Milham and Mitch Taylor with a "mattress‑in‑a‑box" model that sold compressed foam mattresses online and delivered them directly to customers.[1][2]
Koala is headquartered in Sydney, and operates primarily as an online retailer.[3] The company later expanded beyond mattresses into products including sofas, sofa beds, and bases.[3]
Koala has promoted sustainability initiatives and wildlife conservation partnerships, including a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund (Australia), with the company donating to adopt a symbolic koala for every mattress sold.[4]
Koala was founded in 2015 by Dany Milham and Mitch Taylor, who launched the business with a focus on online mattress sales and simplified delivery.[1] The founders introduced a mattress compressed into a box that could be shipped directly to customers under a "bed‑in‑a‑box" retail model.[2]
Early marketing campaigns for the mattress included demonstrations designed to show reduced motion transfer between sleepers.[5] The company later expanded its product range beyond mattresses to include living‑room and bedroom furniture products, although it continued to be best known for its mattresses.[3] In 2020, some manufacturing was controversially moved to China.[3][6]
Co‑founder Dany Milham left the company in 2021 to start the grocery delivery startup Milkrun before returning as chief executive in 2024.[7] Koala has expanded beyond Australia into international markets. The company launched in Japan in 2017.[8] The company has since launched in the United States, garnering attention with its social media marketing.[9]
In 2022, Koala was reported to be preparing for an IPO on the Australian Securities Exchange, but that effort was later abandoned.[10] As of 2026, the company was reportedly again preparing a ASX IPO, targeting an April listing with an estimated valuation of about $300 million.[2][11]
The company debuted on the Australian Securities Exchange on March 31, 2026, the float was priced at $3.40 and gained almost 12% on the first day of trading leaving the company with a market capitalisation of $340 million.[12]