New retail home technology brand "Banri Xian" (半日闲) announced the completion of a tens of millions of RMB Pre-A funding round, led by Source Code Capital.

源码资本·March 1, 2022·1·4

Dedicated to becoming a pioneer in transforming the home industry's consumption model.

This article was originally published on 36Kr, authored by Heyue Liu.

36Kr has learned that new retail home technology brand "Banrixian" (半日闲) recently closed a Pre-A round of financing worth tens of millions of RMB, led by Source Code Capital with follow-on investment from existing backer K2VC. Farsighted Capital served as the exclusive financial advisor. The proceeds will be used primarily for product R&D, channel development, marketing, and team building.

Founded in November 2020, Banrixian was started by Mohan Zeng, who brings extensive consulting experience and an internet background, having previously served as co-founder of Zhuangfanr. This round follows the company's angel round of over 10 million RMB last June.

In an interview with 36Kr, Zeng outlined several clear trends he has observed in China's home market through years of industry experience: rising per capita income and the trend toward smaller residential units have made consumers pay more attention to soft furnishings; home retail channels are diversifying; and the rise of internet platforms has shattered the industry's information black box.

Mattresses are one of the largest single categories in soft furnishings, and the area where Banrixian has focused its initial efforts. The mattress market has grown rapidly in recent years at roughly 15% annually, reaching a scale of over 100 billion RMB. Yet industry concentration and penetration remain low, leaving considerable room for new brands to grow. As Chinese consumers increasingly prioritize sleep quality, generational shifts and consumption upgrades in mattress purchasing are pronounced. Compared to traditional consumers' preference for "hard board beds," a growing number of emerging consumers favor the differentiated sleep experience offered by new material mattresses and are willing to invest more for quality rest.

Unlike the channel-constrained US home market, China's rapid logistics infrastructure development and internet informatization in recent years have enabled diversified home retail. Beyond traditional home furnishing malls, new channels continue to expand — major e-commerce platforms, vertical home communities, integrated renovation supplier channels, and brand-owned stores have all become key battlegrounds for the industry.

Because mattress performance is difficult to quantify, the industry has long been characterized by information opacity and excessive markups, with overhyped "IQ tax" products appearing regularly. The rise of internet platforms has broken through this information black box, allowing consumers to understand home brands from multiple angles — materials, manufacturing, products, marketing, and distribution.

As a new brand, Zeng said, Banrixian aims to leverage internet platforms and top-tier domestic supply chain integration to drive transparency in the mattress industry, provide better products to consumers, and become a standard-bearer for "Made in China."

Banrixian mattress and pillow products

According to Zeng, mattresses can generally be divided into three layers: the fabric layer, comfort layer, and spring layer. The comfort layer is the most critical, yet existing materials all have certain drawbacks. For example, latex — popular in recent years — is actually a common, inexpensive petrochemical material with issues including heat retention, aging, and sagging.

Banrixian uses a domestically developed material called "Carbon Weave" (碳力织网) for its comfort layer, offering advantages in support, responsive comfort, pressure distribution, antibacterial and mite resistance, breathability, and durability. Zeng noted that this material costs 8–10 times more than conventional mattress materials and is typically used in high-performance engineering applications such as high-speed rail shock absorption, luxury automotive safety components, and medical surgical gowns. Banrixian's application of it to mattresses aims to significantly enhance consumers' sleep experience. The company's "Air Bobo" mattress recently won an IDA Design Award, gaining international recognition for its innovative material application and original structural design.

Banrixian's patented new material — Carbon Weave TPEE

Banrixian has currently launched 7 SKUs, including the "Air Bobo," "Scientific Support," "Breathable Wellness," and "Young Lady" series mattresses, covering multiple price points; it has also recently introduced pillow products. The company's R&D approach focuses on core needs of different consumer types. For example, it developed the "Little Sleeper" children's mattress for rapidly growing kids with high metabolism, with extra attention to support, breathability, and fabric safety; for users with lumbar issues or advanced age, it offers the "Scientific Support" mattress emphasizing structural support.

On product plans, Zeng said Banrixian will continue focusing on sleep scenarios this year, with particular emphasis on pillows beyond mattresses. However, he added, Banrixian positions itself as a home brand and intends to enter additional home scenarios in the future.

On marketing strategy: because mattresses are durable goods with long consumer decision cycles, Banrixian emphasizes precision in internet advertising and information density in content. To align with Gen Z consumption habits, the company partners with internet renovation vertical platforms and collaborates with KOCs/KOLs on content communities including Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Bilibili, and Zhihu, targeting renovation scenarios for precise consumer cultivation. It favors content formats with higher information density such as video and long-form illustrated posts.

On sales channels: in 2022, Banrixian will fully expand online sales channels, with Tmall, JD.com, and other mainstream e-commerce platforms serving as important sales venues. It will also use live-streaming platforms like Douyin to increase sales transparency, continue developing private domain operations, and tap into community dividends for home products. Additionally, Banrixian maintains an online-offline integrated approach, conducting regional offline store pilots centered on Shanghai, with plans to open 8–10 experience stores in the city this year.

Zeng also noted that since product launch in the second half of last year, Banrixian has prioritized performance metrics in marketing, emphasizing conversion and revenue growth. For high-consideration products like mattresses, user word-of-mouth referrals are an important channel for precise conversion. Building on this, the company expects to enhance brand influence this year through collaborations with well-known brands and major IPs.

In recent years, both established players and new entrants in the mattress industry have strengthened their presence on internet platforms, focusing on online channels and brand marketing. Banrixian hopes to become a pioneer in transforming home industry consumption patterns through continuous product innovation, precise understanding of consumer decision-making models, and deep cultivation of industry channels.