KitSplit acquires CameraLends, becoming the largest camera rental marketplace
Deal follows both companies’ strong early growth serving the media industry
NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — KitSplit, the fastest-growing marketplace for camera rentals, today announced that they are acquiring CameraLends, another leader in online camera rentals. KitSplit, which has been called “The Airbnb of cameras” by Forbes and Fast Company, will manage the combined entity under the KitSplit brand from their headquarters at the Hearst Tower in New York. This makes KitSplit the largest camera rental marketplace, with tens of thousands of items including digital cinema cameras, drones and virtual reality rigs.
“There are more content creators today than ever before and they all need access to top quality, affordable gear. Since launching a little over a year ago, KitSplit has made huge improvements in gear rentals, making creative work and connecting with creators even easier and more affordable. The CameraLends acquisition will further our goals of democratizing access to great gear and empowering creators,” says KitSplit cofounder and CEO Lisbeth Kaufman.
“I’m very excited that CameraLends is joining the KitSplit family! The KitSplit founders are industry veterans who understand the pain points around equipment rentals. It’s a natural union, and I’m excited to see the community grow stronger,” said Adam Derewecki, founder of CameraLends.
CameraLends launched in 2013 in San Francisco. Like KitSplit, it focuses on empowering creators, broadening access to gear, and helping gear owners to safely make extra money renting it out. The acquisition follows very strong growth for both CameraLends and KitSplit, intensified by an explosion of visual content creation.
“We’re excited to be working with CameraLends’ forward-thinking founder Adam Derewecki, one of the innovators in the space. CameraLends has an impressive record, and this partnership is an exciting milestone for KitSplit and the creative community,” said Kristina Budelis, cofounder and President of KitSplit.
KitSplit launched in late 2015 in New York. The company’s users include thousands of filmmakers and creatives as well as several large media companies such as Hearst, NBC, and Vox. They raised money from investors including Hearst and Lorne Michael’s Broadway Video Ventures.
“We’re thrilled to welcome CameraLends members to the KitSplit community. KitSplit will now be able to reach more people and companies than ever in our quest to empower creatives and build the biggest and best community of creatives in the world,” said Lisbeth Kaufman, CEO of KitSplit.
Read more on KitSplit’s blog: http://bit.ly/KS-CL