Sharing E Umbrella, launched just three months ago in April 2017, suffered a terrible downpour of bad luck after it saw nearly all of its 300,000 brolly-styled umbrellas disappear. The innovators behind the startup were left empty handed after many users seem to have chosen to just save the umbrellas for a rainy day.
— Sherman (@Shermanbot) July 10, 2017
The business plan behind the $1.5 million start-up company based in Shenzhen, in southeastern China, was simple: launch an app that can give nearby residents the ability to pick up an umbrella whenever the rain gods decided it was time to party.
In theory, after users downloaded and setup their accounts on Sharing E Umbrella’s app, they’d pay a $2.90 deposit and be billed an additional $0.07 for every half-hour an umbrella was away from a docking station. However, the company never issued a penalty for not returning the umbrellas.
Shockingly enough, the ever-positive founder of the startup wasn’t even upset about the incident. In fact, he told local media that customers taking the umbrellas home was probably best, as it suggested they would at least be safe if they were caught in a downpour.
Zhao is moving ahead with plans to roll out 30 million more umbrellas across China by the end of 2017, according to the South China Morning Post. The new batch will reportedly include GPS trackers, according to the NY Daily News.
"We were really impressed by the bike-sharing model," Shuping told the South China Morning Post. "Everything on the street can now be shared."
Sadly, while everything can be shared, whether it’s returned is a whole ‘nother ball game.
