The Screening

Make Me A Millionaire Inventor

The Screening

We were very excited on Sunday evening to watch Jenan and his KAZbrella aired on national TV on 'Make Me A Millionaire Inventor'. We shared the moment with family and friends who have been supporting Jenan in his pursuit to reinvent the umbrella for the past 10 years. 

Where we are now. 

The filming for Make Me A Millionaire Inventor began in summer 2012. Since then, Jenan has developed his prototype to a production level to be proud of. It is looking beautiful and functions well. The inside out umbrella has been branded 'KAZbrella', deriving from an amalgamation of the inventors name, Jenan Kazim and the familiar umbrella. For Jenan and his family the name 'KAZbrella' was coined in the early days when it only existed as an idea and sketches on napkins, envelopes or any other paper Jenan had to hand. 

The moment after the pitch when the KAZbrella won over the entire panel, Jenan knew that his invention was to become a reality for everyone. However, it was mutually agreed between Jenan and the Investor not to take the relationship any further. Ben from Firebox and Robert from Umbrella Heaven are on board and we look forward to working with them to launch and sell the KAZbrella. 

We have also decided to create a Kickstarter platform where we can raise funds and promote the much anticipated KAZbrella. We will let you know when our Kickstarter is live which will be towards the end of May. 

Thank you for all the encouraging messages we have received since the programme. Exciting times ahead.....

In the Press

In recents days KAZbrella has got the attention of the press. 

The Hertfordshire Review gave Jenan first page status when it published the article,

'Brolly good show as inventor stars on TV'

With the online article available via:  http://www.stalbansreview.co.uk/news/11147072.display/?ref=twtrec

On the Radio. 

It wasn't just the papers taking an interest in the KAZbrella. BBC Three Counties Radio wanted to capture this exciting story when they called KAZbrella and did a live radio interview with Riann Kazim, daughter of inventor Jenan and part of the KAZbrella team. Riann chatted to presenter, Roberto Perrone about her father's invention and the upcoming television programme 'Make Me A Millionaire Inventor' featuring Jenan.


As Jenan is currently away organising the manufacture of the KAZbrella it's exciting to see that back home his invention is grabbing the attention of the media and getting great support from the public.

When developing prototypes from the bottom of the garden this kind of encouragement goes a long way so THANK YOU!

Behind the scenes

The KAZbrella promotional shoot

TAKE 1

It was an exciting weekend for the KAZbrella team as they embarked on making their first promotional video to show just what the KAZbrella prototype is capable of in ACTION!

 And ACTION.....

Day 1 - KAZbrella Workshop.(Jenan at work)

Early morning start, it looked to be a glorious day, the sun was shining (not the KAZbrella's ideal weather but we're not ones to complain about the sun - after all the KAZbrella makes for a great sun canopy!).

The filmmakers Max Alexander and Shoaib Vali did a fantastic job of turning Jenan's chaotic workshop into a workable film set.

The men at work. 

Jenan enjoying the limelight. 

After a long and successful first day filming we packed up to get ready for the next day's shoot - this time it would be the KAZbrella in the limelight rather than Jenan.

Day 2 - Grayshott Surrey 
(KAZbrella at work)

Following a late night, the next morning we hit the road to Surrey where we were about to show off just how well the KAZbrella performs in contrast to a conventional umbrella.

Another sunny day required a little rain simulation. 

Tiziano, Wendy and actor Marco Biagiolo enjoy a coffee on set.

Thank you to Jenan's brother, Aziz at Frankie's Fish & Chips for the amazing catering and letting us take over their shop, best fish & chips ever!

We are now in the film editing stages - the creative fun continues....

We can't wait to share the video with you! 

The Inventor: How old is too old?

In today’s modern world it seems we focus on the young, the next generation for our ideas. Whilst I agree they are our future and we should encourage and pioneer young inventors, is it right to neglect the older generation when it comes to opportunities for championing new inventions?

One great way for any inventor to achieve recognition is through entering their design/product into competitions, and there are many design competitions out there. However, for a 50 something inventor there are very few competitions that don’t deem you ‘too old’ to enter.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not suggesting that a student competition should be open to any ages, competing against experience professionals with different means and resources. But what does seem unfair is when age limits of up to 40 years are applied. Who decides these age limits? And what message are they sending? Have we dismissed the older generation of inventors? How old is too old to invent?

To use one of the UK’s greatest inventors, Dyson, as an example, if he had given up after 40 we would not have the world famous bagless vacuum cleaner today and many more Dyson innovations. He is a prime example that hitting your 40s is no time to give up but time to use those valuable learnt lessons and continue to turn your idea into a reality.  Aged 46, Dyson launched the DC01 in Britain in 1993 and it became the best selling vacuum cleaner ever produced. Now aged 66 he shows no signs of slowing down and the Dyson Foundation continues to introduce new inventions using his patented technology. In 2006, Dyson launched the Dyson Airblade (a fast hand dryer) and more recently the Air Multiplier (fan without external blades).

Having achieved success, Dyson set up The James Dyson Award, an international student design award running in 18 countries. It is run by the James Dyson Foundation, James Dyson’s charitable trust, as part of its mission to encourage the next generation of design engineers to be creative, challenge and invent. The international winner of the James Dyson award receives £30,000 for themselves and £10,000 for their university. This is fantastic and I am sure Dyson wished someone had offered him such an opportunity when he was starting out. But again, who is going to champion the new innovators of his own generation?

A study carried out by Benjamin Jones at the National Bureau of Economic Research, shows “Over the past century the average age at which individuals produce notable inventions and ideas has increased steadily." In 'Age and Great Invention' (NBER Working Paper No. 11359), Jones considers data on Nobel Prize winners in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, and Economics over the past 100 years, and on outstanding technological innovations over the same period. Jones suggests that one explanation for this increase in older inventors may be “simply because innovators are living longer. If we accept that raw ability declines over the life cycle while experience increases, then the shift in the distribution may indicate the rising importance of experience over ability. Alternatively, improved health care may spell increased ability and effort at later ages.” [1]

So, we have to wonder how many 40 plus inventors are out there with genius, life changing ideas sitting on the drawing board unable to get them off the ground because they are no longer offered the platform for recognition, they are not eligible. We all need stimulating and design awards should not be about age, it should be about acknowledgement and prestige of the innovation itself.

If anyone knows of a design competition for the ‘older inventor’ please, let me know. 

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[1] http://www.nber.org/digest/dec05/w11359.html

KAZbrella - No gimmicks, pure engineering.

KAZbrella

INSIDE OUT

Many have tried to solve the problems we encounter with the 3000 year old umbrella design but none have succeeded to do so without compromising on aesthetics and usability of the conventional umbrella.....UNTIL NOW:

Aeronautical Engineer, Jenan Kazim has been working on perfecting the design of the KAZbrella, for over 10 years to ensure he does not bring another gimmicky umbrella to the market. The Inside Out KAZbrella is the long awaited innovation which solves the problems of the conventional umbrella. With clever and precise engineering and numerous patented features, it revolutionises the way the umbrella opens and closes, turning it inside out whilst preserving the look of an umbrella. By maintaining the curvature and canopy tension of the original umbrella design, the KAZbrella succeeds in retaining all the benefits of existing umbrellas. The familiar curved shape is an important design element to protect the user from rain and the elements. With many inventive features hidden away the user can operate the umbrella in a conventional manner.

To list just a few of the drawbacks of conventional umbrella which the KAZbrella resolves:

• Umbrellas open upwards towards our face and can poke us, or other people near us in the face.  

• A conventional umbrella cannot be opened or closed in confined spaces.

• Whilst closing the umbrella, you have to handle the wet side of the canopy.

• The wet canopy drips water on the floor creating a safety hazard and a nuisance.

• When getting into your car, you need to close the umbrella first exposing yourself to the rain.  Once in your car you have a dripping wet umbrella inside with you.

And if that wasn’t enough - It also performs better in the wind than a conventional umbrella!

“This has been my passion to solve the age old problem ever since my Mother-In-Law walked into her house complaining about water dripping from her umbrella onto her floor. We all have inventive ideas. Inventors are those who have the perseverance to nurture them to life.” (Jenan Kazim)

The KAZbrella was discovered by SkyVision in their TV series ‘Make Me A Millionaire Inventor’

The series delves into the UK patent archives in search of brilliant inventions yet to come to market. The KAZbrella was selected out of thousands of patents and the two presenters were excited by this innovative way of solving the issues with the current umbrella design.  Presenter, Jem Stansfield (Bang Goes the Theory)  paid Jenan Kazim a visit in summer 2012 when filming began following Jenan as he developed his prototype and finally pitched his idea to a panel of investors and industry buyers. 

The series was aired in Europe, South Korea and the Middle East from September 2013; it is due to air in the UK on SkyOne in the New Year.

The KAZbrella is set to launch into the market in 2014.

www.kazbrella.com 

KAZbrella - Closed

KAZbrella - Semi Closed

KAZbrella - Open