Rentbrella: kiosks with umbrellas installed in New York, which can be rented in bad weather

A new umbrella-sharing startup expands in New York. The creators promise that the umbrella system will be the same as Citi Bike's for bicycles. New York Post.

Rentbrella, an app that was first launched in Brazil in 2018. Automatic kiosks with 100 umbrellas in each are being set up throughout the city. And rent is free for the first 24 hours.

Within a system like Citi bikeNew Yorkers use Rentbrella's phone app to scan codes. They allow users to unlock and return umbrellas at different kiosks. This is a very convenient service for passengers who are stranded and do not want to shell out $ 10. According to co-founder Freddie Marcos, sometimes liquor stores charge $ 15 for an umbrella.

“Our model is very simple,” said Marcos. "They take an umbrella, go home, and return it the next day."

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If customers do not return the umbrella within 24 hours, they will be charged $ 2 for the second day and another $ 2 for the third day. If they still haven't returned the umbrella after four days, they will be charged $ 16 and they can keep the umbrella forever.

Rentbrella isn't the first umbrella-sharing startup to hit the storm.

In 2016, a company called BrellaBox went to Shark Tank to promote the idea of ​​renting luxury umbrellas at a rate of $ 1,50 for the first 12 hours. Businessman and host Kevin O'Leary dismissed the idea as “possibly the worst idea I've ever heard.

rentbrella

And in 2017, Chinese startup E Umbrella lost nearly all of its 300 umbrellas within a week of launch. Unlike Rentbrella, E Umbrella did not have umbrella storage kiosks and did not charge users if they did not return their rent.

“We are very different from E Umbrella,” insisted Marcos.

Rentbrella placed its first cars in New York this October, according to Marcos. Since then, about 98 percent of customers have returned their umbrellas within 24 hours. The company currently has 3500 umbrellas in 35 stalls at Manhattan and Brooklyn. They plan to reach 100 stations early next year.

Since the $ 2 payment doesn't turn into cash flow, Rentbrella plans to make money selling ads on umbrellas.

The model worked in São Paulo, where the company has nearly 400 kiosks, says Marcos. She makes a profit there, largely thanks to the advertising of the insurance company Unimed.

Rentbrella has no sponsors in New York yet. The company plans to start selling ad space when it has 100 kiosks. They are currently mostly concentrated in the offices and residential towers of Manhattan. The founder said he would like to eventually place them at metro stations in five boroughs.

The company already has partners

Rentbrella says it currently has partnerships with real estate companies. Among them:

• WeWork
• Braun Management
• Moinian Group
• Tishman speyer
• Beacon Capital
• Chetrit Group
• Meringoff Properties
• Feldman Realty Group.

Rentbrella plans to start operations in London in early 2022, according to Marcos. The founders would like to expand their activities to other cities in the US and Europe. The company is funding the expansion for approximately $ 7 million from sponsors. They are located primarily in Brazil, including family offices and venture capital funds.