Rentbrella rolls out umbrella sharing in NYC; Long Island sites planned
Rentbrella co-Founders Nathan Janovich, left, and Freddy Marcos, in New York's Times Square. Credit: Rentbrella
Rentbrella S.A., an umbrella-sharing startup, is rolling out in Manhattan with plans to expand to Long Island later this year.
The Brazilian company has installed 35 kiosks in Manhattan in its first expansion beyond the Sao Paulo base where it launched in 2018.
"Obviously, Manhattan is a huge market," a spokesman said. "They wanted more brand awareness."
An expansion to Long Island would be focused on commuters, said Rentbrella co-founder Freddy Marcos, but he offered no specifics. The company also plans to increase its kiosk count in New York City to more than 300 by year's end.
Rentbrella, which has raised $7 million in venture capital, has partnered with WeWork, Tishman Speyer and other commercial real estate companies to install its umbrella vending machines.
The umbrellas are free for the first 24 hours and cost $2 a day for the second and third days. If a user fails to return the umbrella by the end of the third day or wants to purchase it, they are charged $16.
The business plan of company co-founders Marcos and Nathan Janovich also calls for corporate sponsors to splash their names and logos across the umbrellas.
Users can download the Rentbrella mobile app at the Apple App Store or Google Play. The app maps the location of kiosks where umbrellas can be taken or returned.
Other umbrella-rental ventures have had mixed fortunes.
UmbraCity, launched in 2015, has kiosks in the rainy Pacific Northwest city of Vancouver, British Columbia, with plans to expand to other cities.
In 2017, Chinese startup E-Umbrella, using locks on individual umbrellas instead of a kiosk system, reportedly had tens of thousands umbrellas in 11 cities in China stolen in a few days.
Another umbrella rental startup called BrellaBox appeared on "Shark Tank" in 2016, but ran into a torrent of skepticism from the TV show's entrepreneur panelists.
Kevin O'Leary, known as "Mr. Wonderful," called the business concept "hideous" and said it was "maybe the worst idea I've ever heard on 'Shark Tank.'"
Ken Schachter covers corporate news, including technology and aerospace, and other business topics for Newsday. He has also worked at The Miami Herald and The Jerusalem Post.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 17: Olympics a possibility for Long Beach wrestler? On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra talks with Long Beach wrestler Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez about pursuing a third state title and possibly competing in the Olympics in 2028, plus Jared Valluzzi has the plays of the week.
Sarra Sounds Off, Ep. 17: Olympics a possibility for Long Beach wrestler? On the latest episode of "Sarra Sounds Off," Newsday's Gregg Sarra talks with Long Beach wrestler Dunia Sibomana-Rodriguez about pursuing a third state title and possibly competing in the Olympics in 2028, plus Jared Valluzzi has the plays of the week.
