Type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Smart Luggage |
Founded | 2013 |
Founders | Tomi Pierucci, Diego Saez-Gil, Alejo Verlini |
Defunct | May 1, 2018 |
Headquarters | |
Area served | Worldwide |
Website | bluesmart |
Bluesmart Inc. was a global travel technology company that developed and produced Internet of Things travel products. The brand launched a carry-on suitcase, the Bluesmart One, on the crowdfunding website Indiegogo in 2014. [1] The campaign raised $2.2 million USD in contributions and became the highest crowdfunding project ever for a travel product at that time. [2]
On May 1, 2018, Bluesmart Inc. announced they would be shutting down operations, due to a ban by major US airlines on smart luggage with non-removable batteries. [3] The company's intellectual property was sold to Travelpro and the company's products will no longer be supported. [4]
In October 2014, the company launched its first product on Indiegogo, asking for support of their campaign - offering pre-orders of their product as rewards. [5] The company met its goal in 2 hours and broke records in the Hardware category by pre-selling 10,000 units to 114 countries and collecting more than $2.2 million USD in contributions. [6] In November 2014, while their extended Indiegogo campaign was still ongoing, the company was selected by Silicon Valley-based startup accelerator Y Combinator to be part of its program for the Winter 2015 batch. [7]
After Bluesmart Inc.'s manufacturing prototype passed its first reliability tests in June 2015, they set up a Mass Production division and local team in China which quickly grew to 15 employees.[ citation needed ] Bluesmart Inc. began shipping what would be known as the Bluesmart One in August 2015. [8]
In late 2015, the brand released Bluesmart One. [8]
In 2016, the brand released the premium Bluesmart Black Edition carry-on, which was more durable, and had an upgraded exterior anti-theft system. [ citation needed ]
In June 2017, Bluesmart Inc. introduced its Series 2 products including the Bluesmart Cabin, Check, Laptop Bag and Passport Pouch. [9]
Bluesmart Inc. was awarded the Red Dot Best of the Best Design Award category. [10]
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