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§ Private Profile · 135 W 41st St 5th Floor, New York, New York 10036, US
UrbanUmbrella is a company.
UrbanUmbrella has raised $15.5M across 2 funding rounds.
Key people at UrbanUmbrella.
UrbanUmbrella was founded by Ben Krall (CEO, Co-Founder).
UrbanUmbrella has raised $15.5M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Urban Umbrella develops and supplies a patented, modular overhead protection system, serving as an alternative to conventional sidewalk scaffolding. This product enhances public safety around construction sites while significantly improving urban aesthetics. Its distinctive, arching design allows for greater light penetration and maintains open sightlines, offering a visually superior solution.
Founded in New York City in 2009, Urban Umbrella's early development was guided by James Arnason, who serves as President and CFO. The founding insight addressed the stagnant design of sidewalk scaffolding, recognizing a market need for an innovative solution that satisfied safety requirements while offering superior visual and environmental impact.
Urban Umbrella's systems are deployed across urban construction projects, including new developments and renovations, particularly where pedestrian flow and commercial visibility are paramount. The company envisions future construction sites integrating more seamlessly into urban environments, minimizing disruption and elevating public safety and aesthetic quality.
UrbanUmbrella has raised $15.5M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $6.5M Urban Umbrella - Debt in January 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 14, 2022 | $6.5M Debt Financing | Paul Anagnostopoulos | — | Announced |
| Oct 16, 2020 | $9M Debt Financing | — | — | Announced |
Key people at UrbanUmbrella.
UrbanUmbrella was founded by Ben Krall (CEO, Co-Founder).
UrbanUmbrella has raised $15.5M in total across 2 funding rounds.
UrbanUmbrella's investors include Paul Anagnostopoulos.
Urban Umbrella is a New York City-based urban design firm specializing in premium, patent-protected alternatives to traditional sidewalk scaffolding, overhead protection, modular event staging, pipe scaffolding, and roadway restaurant canopies. These products enhance pedestrian safety, aesthetics, and commercial visibility in urban construction projects while complying with strict city regulations, serving property owners, developers, contractors, and brands across North America and expanding into the UK.[1][3][4] With over 300 projects completed in 19 markets, the company has raised $18.18M–$19.1M in funding, including recent debt rounds, and reports $5.4M in revenue, demonstrating steady growth in reimagining urban infrastructure.[1][2]
Urban Umbrella emerged in 2009 as the winner of urbanSHED, an international design competition organized by the New York City Department of Buildings, beating over 260 entrants to create a safer, more attractive alternative to traditional "hunter green" scaffolding—the first new design approved in over 50–60 years.[1][2][3] Endorsed by Mayor Michael Bloomberg and former DOB Commissioner Robert LiMandri, the company's innovative white, transparent-roofed, arch-braced scaffolding gained exclusive NYC Building Code approval, later codified in Chapter 33 updates as of November 2022.[3][4] Founded amid NYC's construction boom, it evolved from a competition winner into a full-service firm by 2016 (per some records), expanding beyond scaffolding into events and custom installations, with recent leadership changes like appointing Andrew Gonnella as CEO and market entries like Houston.[1][2][4]
Urban Umbrella rides the wave of urban revitalization and smart city trends, where dense metropolises prioritize pedestrian-centric infrastructure amid booming construction from real estate development and post-pandemic outdoor dining initiatives like NYC's Dining Out.[1][4] Timing aligns with updated building codes (e.g., NYC Chapter 33, 2022) and mayoral pushes for aesthetic upgrades, capitalizing on market forces like aging infrastructure, safety regulations, and demand for non-disruptive solutions in high-growth cities like Houston and international hubs.[2][3][4] By influencing public space design, it sets standards for urban planning ecosystems, enabling developers to maintain commercial vitality during renovations and inspiring copycat regulations elsewhere.[3]
Urban Umbrella is poised for accelerated expansion with its monopoly-like NYC approvals, recent Texas and UK entries, and leadership refresh under new CEO Andrew Gonnella, potentially scaling to more global markets amid rising urban density and sustainability mandates.[1][2][4] Trends like AI-optimized city planning, climate-resilient infrastructure, and "15-minute cities" will amplify demand for its elegant, efficient solutions, evolving its role from niche innovator to standard-setter in urban construction tech. As cities crack down on outdated scaffolding, Urban Umbrella's design-forward approach—born from a landmark competition—will continue reimagining streets, blending safety with style for tomorrow's metropolises.[3][4]
