Bluesmart Inc. was a global travel technology company that developed and produced Internet of Things travel products. The brand launched a carry-onsuitcase, 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]
