Dutch tech startup Go Lemon raises 700K to sell you iPhones via pay per use

The Dutch startup Go Lemon, one of three nominees for the Shopping Awards (formerly known as Thuiswinkel Awards) later this month, raised close to 700k in funding from angel investors in ‘t Gooi, an affluent area in the centre of the Netherlands. They include Arnoud van Onna, a former member of the Endemol and World Online boards and partner to founder Bas van der Putten.

As of March 2019, Go Lemon now offers a fully flexible iPhone subscription, which can be terminated monthly. It is the first party enabling Apple devices to be used completely flexibly, without purchase or minimum-term subscription. Via Go Lemon, consumers can use the latest Apple devices at a fixed monthly fee, amounting to the most extreme form of pay-per-use in the telecom sector.

Credit Score Unaffected

Unlike the purchase of Apple products via telecom providers, an iPhone via Go Lemon does not affect a consumer’s credit score because Go Lemon continues to be the owner of the phone. Van der Putten states: “Of course, we carry out an extensive credit check beforehand. Users get a brand-new piece of equipment, insured and all. Should a device get damaged by accident, then we’ll immediately send a replacement. We want everybody to be able to use their favourite Apple gadget.”

Shopping Awards

Go Lemon joins a queue of successful start-ups that operate the pay-per-use model. Van der Putten comments: “It’s old-fashioned to be tied to a long-term contract. People not only want to watch and listen but also call however or whenever it suits them. In this respect, Go Lemon is a product of the times.”

Van der Putten’s company and proposition are attracting the attention of retail experts. On 28 March in the Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin in the seaside town of Noordwijk, Go Lemon will be in the running for the Best Start-up Award during the Shopping Awards Event, along with Beerwulf (a site for speciality beers, owned by Heineken) and Spiru (a webshop for spiritual products).

Go Lemon is a provider of Apple devices in a subscription format. In exchange for a fixed monthly fee, consumers can ‘lease’ an iPhone, iPad or Apple Watch. Go Lemon was set up in 2017 by Bas van der Putten, who in his search for an affordable way of acquiring the latest iPhone discovered that there were only limited options. So he came up with a solution himself. Since then, the company has attracted hundreds of subscribers.

— Press Release

Image credit: Stock photos from Framesira/Shutterstock

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