Refold

What Refold does

Refold is a privately held New Zealand company, founded in 2014 and headquartered in Wellington, that designs, manufactures, and sells portable, foldable cardboard furniture under the Refold brand. Its flagship product is a portable cardboard standing desk built on a proprietary triple-weave cross-panelled construction that supports up to 60kg while weighing 6.5kg and assembles in roughly two minutes; the desk converts between sitting and standing heights via interchangeable leg sets and folds into a carry case for storage or transport. The company has since extended the range into four series: Worklife (desks, laptop stands, screen risers, accessories), Homelife (coffee tables, side tables, nesting tables, shelving, magazine holders, building blocks), Pet (cat scratching products, caves, tunnels), and Project (modular office whiteboards and boards), plus limited edition artist collaborations at premium pricing.

The core technology is the materials and joinery approach — durable, 100% recyclable and biodegradable cardboard panels bonded with non-toxic water-based glue, paired with a polypropylene waterproof top accessory — rather than any software or digital platform. All products are manufactured locally in Wellington, NZ and Wollongong, Australia from domestically sourced materials, and the company holds no disclosed patents. Unit prices range from $21 (laptop stand) to $450 (artist collaboration desk), with desks clustered at $135–$195.

Refold operates a pure direct-to-consumer e-commerce model through its Shopify-hosted refold.co store, with no physical retail or stockist network except a licensed reseller relationship with Aspect Furniture for the Project Series in NZ and Australia. The storefront supports seven currencies and ships to 30+ countries; bulk orders of 20+ desks and bespoke corporate requests are handled via direct enquiry with invoice-based purchasing available. Revenue streams are exclusively transactional (one-time product sales) with no subscription or recurring component. The company has 1–10 employees, has raised no disclosed external capital, and was launched originally via Kickstarter in 2014, generating earned media coverage from outlets including Fast Company, Engadget, TEDx, Designboom, and Tech in Asia.

Name

Refold

Legal name

Refold Ltd.

Website

https://refold.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Refold is a privately held New Zealand company founded in 2014 that designs, manufactures, and sells portable, foldable cardboard furniture — led by a flagship standing desk — through a direct-to-consumer e-commerce store shipping to 30+ countries, serving work-from-home consumers and small enterprises seeking sustainable, space-saving furniture.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Wellington

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Direct product sales: One-time purchase of physical cardboard furniture products sold directly through the e-commerce store. Accessories (waterproof tops, replacement table tops, extra legs) sold as add-on purchases. No subscription or recurring revenue model.
2. Limited edition artist collaborations: Limited edition, one-of-a-kind hand-painted desk products sold at premium pricing through the artist collaboration programme, featuring hand-painted designs by New Zealand artists.
3. Custom/enquiry-based product sales: Project Whiteboard and Project Board products are available by enquiry only, suggesting bespoke or custom pricing arrangements for larger/corporate orders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Refold designs, manufactures, and sells portable cardboard furniture built from a proprietary triple-weave cross-panelled cardboard construction. Its flagship Worklife series of foldable standing and sitting desks packs flat into a compact carry case, assembles in under two minutes, and supports up to 60kg. The company also produces a Homelife home furniture line, a Pet series of cat furniture, Project series whiteboards, and limited-edition artist collaboration products, all made from recyclable, biodegradable materials.

Product overview

Refold is a New Zealand-based company that manufactures portable, foldable cardboard furniture. The product portfolio consists of four main series: (1) Worklife Series — the core product line featuring standing desks, sitting desks, and accessories (laptop stands, screen risers, extra legs, replacement tops) that fold into compact carry cases; (2) Homelife Series — sustainable home furniture including display shelves, nesting tables, coffee tables, side tables, magazine holders, and building blocks; (3) Pet Series — cardboard pet products (scratchy pet palace, cat tunnel, cat cave) made from production off-cuts with non-toxic materials; (4) Project Series — modular office furniture including whiteboards and project boards designed for collaborative thinking. The company also offers artist collaboration limited editions. All products are designed and manufactured in Wellington, New Zealand and Wollongong, Australia, using recyclable materials and water-based glues. The store is powered by Shopify e-commerce platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Worklife series: Durable cardboard products designed for work and portability, including standing desks, sitting desks, laptop stands, and screen risers.
• Homelife series
• Pet series
• Project series
• Artist collaborations

Products and services

• Standing desk Portable cardboard standing desk that folds into a compact carry case for easy storage. Available in Small (100cm), Medium (105cm), and Large (110cm) heights, supports up to 60kg, weighs 6.5kg, and assembles in under 2 minutes. Designed for work-from-home professionals and hybrid workers.
• Sitting desk Cardboard sitting desk that folds away into a lightweight, compact carry case. Sitting height 76cm, desktop surface 66cm deep x 110cm wide. Designed for home office and small-space use.
• Standing desk with sitting legs Sit-to-stand combo desk that converts between standing and sitting heights by swapping legs. Pairs the standing desk surface with interchangeable sitting legs for flexible work setups at a flat $165 price.
• Standing desk with sitting legs and waterproof top All-in-one convertible desk with a durable waterproof top surface and height adjustability via leg swap between Small (100cm), Medium (105cm), and Large (110cm) heights. Priced at $195 USD.
• Sitting desk with waterproof top Sitting desk bundled with a highly durable, easy-to-clean waterproof top. Desktop 66cm deep x 110cm wide, sitting height 76cm. Priced at $165 USD.
• Standing desk with waterproof top Portable standing desk bundled with a waterproof topper that provides highly durable, easy-to-clean surface protection against spills. Desktop 66cm deep x 110cm wide. Priced at $165 USD.
• Laptop stand Cardboard laptop stand that elevates laptops to ergonomic height. Made from 2 pieces of cardboard, easy to pack up and down in an instant. Fits most laptops. Dimensions: 30cm wide x 30cm deep x 25cm high. Priced at $21 USD.
• Screen riser Cardboard monitor riser that elevates screens to ergonomic working height. Holds 20-30kg and features storage space underneath for keyboard and accessories. Dimensions: 10cm high x 54cm wide x 25cm deep. Priced at $33 USD.
• Extra legs Additional leg set that allows desk height conversion by swapping out legs. Fits any existing Refold desk. Priced at $45 USD.
• Cardboard top (replacement) Replacement waterproof table top that refreshes the work surface of any Refold desk. Priced at $24 USD.
• Waterproof top White polypropylene waterproof top that clips over any Refold desk. 100% recyclable. Priced at $36 USD.
• Scratchy pet palace Cardboard cat scratching post and hidey hole made from 100% recyclable, biodegradable materials with non-toxic water-based glue. Available in Kitten (30cm high x 30cm wide x 28cm deep) and Full-grown feline (40cm high x 38cm wide x 30cm deep) sizes.
• Scratchy cat tunnel Cardboard cat tunnel for play. 100% recyclable, 100% biodegradable with non-toxic environmentally friendly water-based glue. Dimensions: 22cm high x 43cm wide x 30cm deep. Priced at $36 USD.
• Scratchy cat cave Cardboard cat cave scratching product designed for modern homes. 100% recyclable, 100% biodegradable with non-toxic water-based glue.
• Pack-down-able display shelf Portable, pack-down-able cardboard bookshelf that holds over 100 books. Setup: 118cm high x 84cm wide x 26cm deep. Case: 28cm high x 84cm wide x 15cm deep. Priced at $120 USD.
• Blocks (set of 3) Cardboard building blocks made from production off-cuts. Can be used as a bedside table, bookshelf, or plant stand. Dimensions: 40cm high x 16cm wide. Priced at $51 USD.
• Magazine holder Cardboard magazine holder with symmetrical design for storing magazines, cookbooks, and records. Slides apart for flatpack moving. Dimensions: 38cm high x 38cm wide. Priced at $39 USD.
• Nest tables Set of three nesting cardboard tables in Pewter, Olive, or Powder colours with waterproof, easy-to-clean surfaces. Made from 40% recycled content, CO2-neutral manufacturing. Large: 40cm high x 38cm wide; Medium: 32cm high x 32cm wide; Small: 22cm high x 20cm wide. Priced at $216 USD.
• Coffee table (Large) Large cardboard coffee table with waterproof surface made from 40% recycled content. CO2-neutral manufacturing, biodegradable at end-of-life. Dimensions: 35cm high x 100cm wide. Priced at $420 USD.
• Side table Cardboard side table with waterproof surface. Made with 40% recycled content, CO2-neutral manufacturing. Dimensions: 38cm high x 40cm wide. Priced at $159 USD.
• Project Whiteboard Large cardboard whiteboard for expanding wall space. Made with unique cardboard sheets, durable, printable, and recyclable. Dimensions: 111cm wide x 170cm high, 2cm thick, 5kg. Available in single or double-sided options. Available by enquiry only.
• Standing desk — Limited edition artist collaboration Limited edition 1-of-1 hand-painted standing desk in collaboration with New Zealand artist Oliver Cain. Medium height with waterproof top. Desktop surface 66cm deep x 110cm wide x 105cm high. Priced at $450 USD.

Quantifiable outcome

• Desk holds up to 60kg without breaking a sweat
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Aspect FurniturecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAspect Furniture is a licensed reseller for the Project Series modular furniture units in New Zealand and Australia. Refold has partnered with Aspect Furniture to distribute the Project Series, with Aspect handling sales through their commercial furniture business in NZ (0800 323 220) and Australia (1800 696 334).
• Oliver CainminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOliver Cain is a young New Zealand fine artist and collaborator on limited edition artist desk designs. The partnership produces 1-of-1 hand-painted standing desks sold at premium pricing ($450 USD) through Refold's artist collaboration programme.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Chairigami: Maker of cardboard furniture including desks, chairs, and tables sold DTC. Closest direct competitor by material (cardboard) and product category (flat-pack portable furniture).
• Fully (Jarvis): Major standing-desk brand (Jarvis line) plus ergonomic chairs and accessories sold DTC. Direct competitor in the standing-desk category where Refold competes, with established B2B channels.
• FlexiSpot: Global standing-desk and ergonomic furniture brand offering motorized height-adjustable desks at competitive price points. Direct competitor for Refold's portable standing-desk offering.
• Floyd: Detroit-based DTC furniture brand known for foldable/clamshell designs (Floyd Bed, Floyd Desk) targeting the same portable-urban-dweller customer with a comparable shipping-and-assembly value proposition.
• Branch Furniture: DTC office furniture brand (Branch desks, chairs) targeting remote-work buyers with ergonomic standing-desk offerings. Direct competitor in the work-from-home furniture category.
• Roost: Maker of the iconic portable laptop stand — a direct functional competitor to Refold's $21 cardboard laptop stand in the portable-ergonomic-accessory category.
• UPLIFT Desk: Premium standing-desk brand with strong DTC and B2B presence. Competes for the same ergonomic-desk buyer that Refold targets, though at higher motorized price points.

Broad incumbents

• Wayfair: Largest online furniture retailer globally with broad assortment including desks and home furniture. Establishes the scale benchmark Refold's owned DTC site competes against.
• IKEA: Global flat-pack furniture incumbent and the canonical reference for portable/assemble-yourself furniture. Refold's pack-down portable designs compete for the same value-conscious, space-constrained buyer.
• Burrow: Established DTC furniture brand with modular, easy-to-ship sofas and seating. Comparable DTC-first business model and target customer (urban, mobile, design-conscious) though focused on upholstered seating rather than cardboard.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/refolddesk
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/refold-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Refold