Charles Ejogo pitched for his company “Umbrolly” on the Dragons Den episode aired on the 4th January 2005. The idea he presented to the Dragons was that of a number of vending machines for umbrellas, including an LCD screen to display advertising of a very high quality, to be placed on the streets of London.

This was to include three hundred in the London Underground for a minimum contract of 12 years. The entrepreneur had come up with the idea whilst walking home in the rain, and wished a vending machine had been nearby so that he could purchase an umbrella and stop himself getting soaked! Each machine had the capacity to hold up to 45 umbrellas and was suitable for use both indoors and outdoors.

Although Charles requested £150,000 from the Dragons for a 20% share in his business, he accepted an investment offer from Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne of £75,000 from each of them for 20% equity for each Dragon. However, Charles never received the money for the investment from the Dragons. Both Peter Jones and Duncan Bannatyne had been under the impression that Umbrolly already had all the arrangements in place for the advertising that was to be displayed on the panels of the vending machines. It transpired, however, that this wasn’t the case and that Charles had been hoping to get the contract for the advertising at a later date once a deal with the Dragons had been negotiated.

Following the collapse of the deal, Charles was forced to look elsewhere for the investment he required for his business. However, the exposure he had received by going on to the TV show meant that after the deal with the Dragons had collapsed, Charles was inundated with offers of partnerships and investments in his company from other businesses, and soon accepted an offer, with the business moving into a serviced office in London.

In 2006, the umbrella vending machine was named “Innovation of the Year” by BT Redcare. Later that year, the Mini Machine (thought to be the most compact umbrella vending machine in the world at only 8 inches deep) was designed and prototyped by Seymour Powell, the same group of people who helped to design Richard Branson’s Space Plane. Later that same year, the Department of Trade and Industry named Ejogo as the Innovator of the Year.

In 2007, flaws were uncovered in the original prototype of the Mini Machine, so Charles ordered a complete redesign of the machine to be undertaken. Shortly thereafter, manufacturers for the new Mini Machine were recruited and production of the unit with its new design began. Umbrolly then began to build up a network of retailers who were willing to place the vending machines in their stores. Ejogo has been successful in gaining several high-profile contracts, such as in airports, shopping centres and train stations, where the footfall of potential customers passing the machines, and therefore more likely to use them, is at its highest. Later in 2007, the Mini Machine was named Runner-Up in Auto Vending Magazine’s ‘Product of the Year’.

Charles was then able to agree an exclusive servicing / operating deal allowing Umbrolly to position their machines anywhere they desired within the UK. After signing the agreement with the national service partner, Charles began to find customers who were willing to lease or purchase a machine from Umbrolly all over the country.

The company continued to grow in stature significantly throughout 2007. Later that year, Burlington Investment Partners took a significant (although minority) stake in Umbrolly, which allowed Charles to facilitate further growth not only on a domestic scale, but also globally. Interest from abroad grew rapidly, and Umbrolly began to listen to offers from potential international investors. The Mini Machine then received another award, this time coming second in the Vending International Magazine’s ‘Product of the Year’. After this award, Umbrolly became better known internationally, with machines being delivered to Germany and the USA later in the year and further overseas deals being negotiated.

The publicity Umbrolly received by going on Dragons Den was all important in getting the business moving and allowing it to grow, firstly on the domestic front and then over time on an international scale. Even though Charles’ deal with the Dragons fell through and he never received their investment or business advice, it didn’t prevent his business from becoming a global success. He has ultimately succeeding in turning his umbrella vending machine concept into a reputable, profit-making company. This is yet another entrepreneurial example of persistence paying off in the face of what may have appeared to have been an insurmountable problem at the outset. Affiliates take heed!

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