SHED RAIN Partners with The Henry Ford to Provide Scholarships for Youth Inventors

Every summer, hundreds of the top youth inventors from across the country are invited to The Henry Ford to participate in the RTX Invention Convention U.S. Nationals competition. Thanks to our latest partnership with SHED RAIN, even more students will have the opportunity to attend the event through scholarships provided by the company.

According to an article published by Medium, “for over 75 years, SHED RAIN has perfected the craftsmanship and expertise to produce clever, dependable weather protection built to last.” The company has continued to succeed by focusing on innovation and collaborating with partners and brands to offer unique, fashionable and reliable umbrellas. One such partnership is with 15-year-old Nathaniel Wellen, an alum of Invention Convention Worldwide and the inventor behind “The Duo,” the first-ever umbrella designed with two people in mind.

In 2022, Nathaniel participated in the California Invention Convention and was invited to compete at Invention Convention U.S. Nationals at The Henry Ford. He presented his patented invention—“The Dual Handle Umbrella for Use by an Adult and Child”—and earned second place in the seventh-grade category and the Originality Award in the Global Impact category.

Motivated to bring his invention to the world, Nathaniel reached out to several businesses in hopes of partnering with them. On one cold call, he piqued the interest of Jeff Blauer, president and CEO of SHED RAIN. Their conversations ultimately turned into a partnership, with SHED RAIN assisting with prototyping, manufacturing and distribution of his umbrella dubbed The Duo.

“At SHED RAIN, we remain committed to uplifting the next generation of innovators, so it goes without saying that our support for Nathaniel’s journey goes far beyond business. It’s about reminding young people that anything is possible,” said Blauer in a recent LinkedIn post.

With the support of SHED RAIN, Nathaniel auditioned and appeared on ABC’s Shark Tank in January of this year where he pitched The Duo and secured a deal with shark Robert Herjavec. Since then, Nathaniel has been working with Robert and the SHED RAIN team to bring The Duo to market.

SHED RAIN has been inspired by Nathaniel’s story and we’re thrilled to share that the company has now partnered with The Henry Ford to provide a percentage of the proceeds from every sale of The Duo to support student scholarships for inventors to attend Invention Convention U.S. Nationals. This scholarship assists with funding travel and lodging, as well as registration fees for the event.

Blauer states, “I related to Nathaniel in his quest, not only because it was an umbrella, but because I was a young entrepreneur as a kid, always dreaming about creating clever products. It’s important to me that all kids have an opportunity to share their inventions whether or not they have the financial means.”

The Duo is now available for purchase on SHED RAIN's website, Amazon, Target (online), Dillard’s (online), Nordstrom (online & in-store), Macy’s (online and in-store) and The Henry Ford Museum Store (online & in-store).