Deskmate's Cardboard Pivot

A story about how Deskmate, a struggling standing desk company, found unexpected success during COVID-19.

"Deskmate makes portable cardboard standing desks that you can flip up on your desktop. They're really inexpensive, starting at €30 or £30. They were really struggling before COVID-19 - they had supply chain issues and their manufacturer shut down. They couldn't fill orders for a month because they couldn't get stock from their manufacturer and warehouse.

The two cofounders were about to sell the company. They found a buyer, but the buyer backed out due to market instability in mid-February, right before COVID-19 intensified globally. The cofounders decided to roll up their sleeves and try to make it work.

They now have this great opportunity because so many companies are trying to figure out how to outfit their employees at home. The timing is perfect for their product. Their biggest challenge now is that they can't make enough to meet demand - they're getting orders from around the world, especially in Spain, Italy, and the US. They're trying to find a manufacturer in the US so they don't have to ship everything overseas."