Need A Drone? Have Customized Rental Of Equipment For Creative Folks

Every gadget lover knows that costs can be prohibitive and life spans for those latest "must have" sensations painfully short. Recently in the news there was a piece about Amazon.com using drones to make their deliveries. Now photgraphers and videographers can do the very same thing and rent  remote cameras and other high-tech gear for both freelance and personal projects.

Drone: Source: WesternJournalism

The gadget library created by Kitsplit allows entrepreneurs to rent out sound booths, drones and almost any kind of apparatus. This community-focused, streamlined, rental marketplace enables would-be industrialists to hire out and loan expensive, cutting-edge equipment via a crowdsourced  gadget library based on a model offered at the website, Airbnb.

Remaote Camera: Source: Wunc

What is Airbnb?

This social networking service is for people who choose to rent out lodging. Founded in 2008 and headquartered in San Francisco, California, this trusted community marketplace allows its many users to list, discover and book unique accomodations around the world either online or from a mobile phone. It boasts more than 800,000 listings in 33,000 cities and 192 countries. The gadget library was born from the success of this unique website.

The origins of Kitsplit

According to co-creator, Linda Kaufman: "One of the things that inspired us to start this company is that the creative community is already sort of in cpntact with each other about equipment, people rent to each other peer-to-peer... But we want to scale that, make it safer."

Kitsplit Logo: Source: Twitter

Kristine Budelis was a video producer for The New Yorker. After leaving the publication and going to grad school, she discovered a business niche when she herself needed to rent video equipment for occasional gigs. She met Kaufman through the INSITE Fellowship at New York University's Stern School, and the duo joined forces as a business to "help creatives throughut the country."

How does Kitsplit work?

Similar to Airbnb, users join for free by creating a Facebook or LinkedIn profile, which include a few personal details. All potential users are vetted through these accounts, which is how they connect to the outside world. If the user wishes to loan out their own equipment, the company charges a %15 cut on all rental fees.

The future of Kitsplit as a business alternative

Kitsplit is based primarily in the New York area, but its creators, Kristina Budelis and Lisbeth Kaufman, are hopeful that they can expand, not only into other regions of the nation but also into other services, including courier delivery and insurance. Curently in beta phase with a memebrship that is invite-only, the company is slated to streamline their process even further, and by the time of their public launch later this year, they are planning to introduce insurance paperwork instead of individual vetting.

 Kitsplit is a busines idea whose tiem has come. Is there any force more powerful?