Khaliah O. Guillory left a stable vice president position at a Fortune 100 financial services company in 2018 to pursue her passion by founding Nap Bar, a tech startup dedicated to promoting rest through innovative solutions. Her inspiration came during a road trip when she struggled to find a place to nap and realized there was a gap in the market for accessible, quality rest options. Guillory, who also runs KOG & Co., a speaking boutique, rooted Nap Bar’s concept in wellness and performance, underscored by a NASA study highlighting the productivity benefits of short naps.

Nap Bar offers eco-friendly, tech-enhanced rest suites designed for busy individuals seeking recharging moments during their day. Early customer feedback influenced features like aromatherapy, massages, and immersive virtual reality experiences using Meta Quest headsets, which simulate calming environments such as waterfalls and coastal views. The startup launched its first storefront at The Galleria mall in Houston in November 2019 but pivoted to pop-up locations—including airports, festivals, college campuses, and events like AFROTECH Conference and the Grammy Awards—after the COVID-19 pandemic impacted physical retail.

Funding for Nap Bar has come from multiple sources including $40,000 won in pitch competitions such as 50 Cent’s Hustle Tank, $119,250 raised via crowdfunding, and a personal investment of $200,000 from Guillory herself. She envisions expanding Nap Bar to operate storefronts worldwide at high-traffic venues like airports, hospitals, and college campuses to make rest more accessible and normalized, especially within communities influenced by a culture of constant grind and limited rest.

To engage the community and share Nap Bar’s vision, Guillory is hosting the inaugural Napchella wellness event in Houston on June 14, 2026. This immersive experience includes elements like brunch, plant activations, chair massages, a tie-dye station, and curated music, showcasing the startup’s holistic approach to self-care and rest. Guillory emphasizes reclaiming rest as a birthright and a tool for unlocking creativity, health, and well-being, challenging long-standing cultural mindsets around productivity and sleep.