Charles Ejogo (born 1976) is a British entrepreneur who is the inventor of the Umbrolly umbrella vending machine. Ejogo appeared on the first episode of the UK television programme '' Dragons' Den'' where he "won" £150,000 funding (£ today) for his "Umbrolly" umbrella vending machines.

Early life and career

Born and raised in

Chelsea, London Chelsea is an affluent area in west London, England, due south-west of Charing Cross by approximately 2.5 miles. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames and for postal purposes is part of the south-western postal area. Chelsea histori ...

, Ejogo is the son of Charles (Snr) and Elizabeth Douglas. His father (now deceased) was a

Nigerian Nigerians or the Nigerian people are citizens of Nigeria or people with ancestry from Nigeria. The name Nigeria was taken from the Niger River running through the country. This name was allegedly coined in the late 19th century by British jour ...

entrepreneur and his mother a Scottish tour guide. Ejogo attended the

London Oratory School The London Oratory School, also known as "The Oratory" or "The London Oratory" to distinguish it from other schools, is a Catholic Church, Catholic Secondary school#United Kingdom, secondary school for boys aged 7–18 and girls aged 16–18 in W ...

in Fulham, before going on to read Law at Staffordshire University, and then History and Politics at

Goldsmiths, University of London Goldsmiths, University of London, officially the Goldsmiths' College, is a constituent research university of the University of London in England. It was originally founded in 1891 as The Goldsmiths' Technical and Recreative Institute by the Wor ...

. Ejogo worked in private banking for

Merrill Lynch Merrill (officially Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated), previously branded Merrill Lynch, is an American investment management and wealth management division of Bank of America. Along with BofA Securities, the investment bank ...

(in

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and London) and then briefly for

Deutsche Bank Deutsche Bank AG (), sometimes referred to simply as Deutsche, is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Sto ...

before going on to set up Umbrolly.

''Dragons' Den''

In 2005, Ejogo succeeded in the first ever episode of the British version of the business reality television programme '' Dragons' Den''. In the episode, broadcast on 5 January 2005, his pitch for investment in an umbrella

vending machine A vending machine is an automated machine that provides items such as snacks, beverages, cigarettes, and lottery tickets to consumers after cash, a credit card, or other forms of payment are inserted into the machine or otherwise made. The fir ...

business resulted in

Duncan Bannatyne Duncan Walker Bannatyne, (born 2 February 1949) is a Scottish entrepreneur, philanthropist, and author. His business interests include hotels, health clubs, spas, media, TV, and property. He is most famous for his appearance as a business an ...

and Peter Jones making a joint offer of £150,000, which he accepted. Seven months later, the deal collapsed and taking the advice of Dragon Peter Jones, Ejogo set up a new company without his original business partners, allowing him to start afresh.

Umbrolly

After the collapse of the deal in the ''Dragons' Den'', Ejogo began working with Seymour Powell to design, and launch a new smaller umbrella vending machine. In October 2007, he secured significant equity investment from Burlington Investment Partners to relaunch the business. Between 2008 and 2010, Ejogo grew the business nationally and internationally with significant growth in France, Germany, the Netherlands, the Republic of Ireland, and the US. In March 2010, the UK arm of the business ceased to trade, when it lost its UK operating partner,

Photo-Me International ME Group International plc, formerly Photo-Me International plc, () based in Epsom, Surrey is a vending machine operator. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index. History The company has i ...

, following the resignation of its CEO. The business still provides consultative services, and overseas sales of its products to new and existing customers.

Fraud Accusation

Ejogo later founded Fashion Week Internships, a UK-based company providing internships to students in conjunction with global fashion weeks in London, Paris, New York City, and other cities. Facing challenges in the pandemic, the company was dissolved in January 2021. Many clients reported never receiving a refund. Four days after the dissolution of the first company, Ejogo formed a new business entity with the same industry name of "Fashion Week Internships". The company claimed that because the previous business entity was dissolved, and a new one had been created, Fashion Week Internships was not required to provide reimbursements. That organization folded again in June 2022. Today, Fashion Week Internships is operated by yet another new entity, while dozens of clients are waiting for refunds.

Awards

Ejogo was awarded the "Innovator of the Year" award by the Department of Trade and Industry in 2006, winning the BT Vending "Innovation of the Year" award, in the same year. In 2007, his Umbrolly vending machines won runner-up in the "Product of the Year" category for Vending Magazine.

Public speaking

Ejogo has spoken at numerous public events including "Winners – The Rise and Rise of Black British Entrepreneurs" at the

British Library The British Library is the national library of the United Kingdom and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is estimated to contain between 170 and 200 million items from many countries. As a legal deposit library, the British ...

, and "Coffee, Croissants, and £2,000,000 Investment" in association with Grant Thornton. He also shared the speaking platform with Peter Jones at ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' Graduate Fair in 2008. He is a passionate supporter of youth and children's enterprise, speaking at the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

Bristol University , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...

, and numerous schools across the UK.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ejogo, Charles 1976 births Living people 21st-century British businesspeople 21st-century British inventors English people of Scottish descent People educated at London Oratory School People from Chelsea, London English people of Nigerian descent Alumni of Goldsmiths, University of London Alumni of Staffordshire University Merrill (company) people Deutsche Bank people