Media
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 7, 2024
Start-up partners with District of Columbia to expand access to restrooms with locally developed smart Thrones.
Five portable, free public bathrooms coming to DC
March 4, 2024
DC News Now covers the basics of the District of Columbia’s new Public Restroom Pilot Program and gives a sneak peak into which DC neighborhoods may soon be getting a Throne.
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Riders find relief in our Throne public restrooms — what we learned from the first 100 days List Item
The Source
January 16, 2024
By Mey Lyn Mitteenn
Maria Mosquera chats with her 3-year-old daughter while waiting to enter the public restroom adjacent to the Westlake/MacArthur Park station. It’s not the first time she has used it. “My daughter goes to school around here and when I stayed in the area to wait for her, I know I have access to this bathroom,” says the 40-year-old mother who uses Metro buses to get around Los Angeles.
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Metro's Bathroom Project Offers Relief
KCRW Radio
November 13, 2023
by Jackson Cantrell
Riders at the Westlake/MacArthur Park station found the new restrooms clean and spacious. Each “Throne” is equipped with a sink, toilet, baby changing station, and an automatic exhaust fan. The vibe is boutique hotel meets mobile medical clinic: jungle-themed plant wallpaper, a vanity mirror with LED lights, a red sharps-disposal box mounted on the wall. One thing missing: handles or buttons of any kind. “The great thing about it is this: You don't have to touch anything,” said a commuter who gave his name as Jermaine, after visiting the Throne restroom.
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This DC-Area High-Tech Toilet Startup Wants to Solve the Public Bathroom Problem
The Washingtonian
August 24, 2022 (Digital)
October Issue (Print)by Grace Deng
It’s a familiar problem: You’re out and about, and you’ve got to go. But you can’t find anywhere to, you know, go.
The Brentwood, Maryland-based company Throne Labs is trying to solve this issue via a fleet of portable, high-tech public toilets. The company hopes to banish the days of holding your breath in a smelly park bathroom or trying to find a coffee shop that will let you use its restroom.
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Throne Labs aims to solve the public bathroom crisis
Open Mic | WUSA9 Washington
September 29, 2022
Adam Longo from WUSA9’s features Throne on this Mic’d Up. He talks with Shyanne Telfer, Throne’s General Manager, tours a Throne, gets a sneak peak at Throne’s public art play and debates the merits of the #throneselfie.
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Portable lavatories go upscale
Axios
December 9, 2022
by Jennifer A. Kingson
The COVID-19 pandemic raised our hygiene standards and expectations — and highlighted the critical shortage of public restrooms in the U.S., particularly in cities.
A slew of cutely-named startups has entered the luxury portable-potty business, responding both to consumer demand for nicer options and the alarming closure of reliable pit stops (in restaurants, gas stations, etc.) during the pandemic.
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Public Bathrooms of the Future Pop Up in DC
NBC4 Washington
March 20, 2022
News4’s Tommy McFly reports on the Throne bathrooms in D.C.
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Fight Colorectal Cancer and MiraLAX® Partner to Provide Bathroom on the National Mall for Colorectal Cancer Awareness
Yahoo Finance
March 15, 2023
National nonprofit Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC) and over-the-counter laxative, MiraLAX® are partnering this March, Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, to provide Throne, a bathroom on the National Mall. Now through March 23, 2023, Throne, a smart, self-monitoring, semi-permanent bathroom will be conveniently located near Fight CRC’s United in Blue flag installation on the National Mall. The installation spotlights that by 2030 colorectal cancer is projected to be the leading cause of cancer deaths for those under 50. The Throne is wrapped to showcase a colorectal cancer screening quiz, and bathroom users can scan a QR code to find more information on screening options and request resources.
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The science of the city: Two bets on public bathrooms
Hyattsville | Laurel | College Park
September 10, 2022
by Paul Ruffins
Hyattsville and Mount Rainier are experimenting with two radically different technologies to answer the ancient question “Where to find a bathroom?”
In September 2020, the Hyattsville City Council authorized $240,000 to purchase two Portland Loos for Heurich and Hyatt Parks.
And, right outside Mount Rainier City Hall, near 34st Street and Rhode Island Avenue, stands Maryland’s first semi-permanent test site for the Throne. The Throne is a solar-powered high-tech public toilet engineered in California, but manufactured in nearby Brentwood.
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Brentwood Company Seeks to Revolutionize Public Bathrooms
Hyattsville Wire
August 14, 2022
by Alison Beckwith
A Brentwood startup is using high-tech features to change the way public bathrooms work and they’ve already set up a pilot run on the Route 1 corridor.
Throne Labs makes a portable, solar-powered bathroom with flushable toilets, fresh water for washing your hands and robust ventilation systems. To enter, you send a text.
The tech aspect helps the company keep track of when the bathroom needs to be cleaned.
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DC startup Throne is bringing tech to portable bathrooms around the city
Technica.ly
August 1, 2022
by Michaela Althouse
For founders looking to get their footing, an accompanying song for their startup is probably not in the first-year goals.
But DC-based Throne CEO Fletcher Wilson had the luck of his uncle Bruce Higdon (musically backed by Andy Meginniss), who provided a track for the toilet tech company.
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App Based Public Toilets That Rate And Track People's Cleanliness Score
India Times
Sep 22, 2022
by Zoya Hussain
A Maryland-based startup business named 'Throne Labs' has unveiled a brand-new project: a high-tech public restroom that only allows entry with a QR code and traces visitors down if left unclean. They claim it is a better alternative to the outdated, filthy ones.
The 'Throne' smart bathroom, which is described as "a smart, self-monitoring, semi-permanent restroom that can be placed anywhere," can help.
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These startups are solving Amazon’s potty problem, helping delivery drivers find relief on the go
GeekWire
April 2, 2021
by John Cook
Amazon stepped into an unexpected public relations mess recently when company officials claimed that its workers would never have to resort to urinating in bottles.
In a rare apology issued late Friday night, Amazon apologized for its snarky tweets and pledged to address what it called a “long-standing, industry-wide issue.”
“We don’t yet know how, but will look for solutions,” the company wrote in its apology.
Well, help may just be around the corner for Amazon’s potty problem. Throne says it takes the “stress out of finding a clean bathroom in a few easy steps.”
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MiraLAX and Fight CRC offer a throne fit for a king (or queen) on National Mall
Medical Marketing + Media
March 15, 2023
by Jack O'Brien
MiraLAX and Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC) announced a partnership Wednesday morning to provide a smart bathroom on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
The two organizations are providing Throne, a self-monitoring, semi-permanent bathroom, through March 23 at a location near Fight CRC’s United in Blue flag installation on the Mall. The flag installation was established on Sunday ahead of a rally on Monday and will remain up until March 24.
Want to do a story on Throne?
Contact us at media@thronelabs.co
And here’s a little fun… Throne’s unsolicited and beloved theme song!
Uncle Bruce is known for having a song for every occasion. One day he learned about his nephew’s new company, Throne, and decided it needed a song.
With humor and a gift for lyrics, Uncle Bruce wrote “Thank the Lord for Throne Labs” in an afternoon and sent it over to his longtime musical collaborator, Andy Meginniss. The result speaks for itself.
Thank you, Bruce and Andy!
Uncle Bruce Higdon
Songwriter and Throne CEO, Fletcher Wilson’s uncle
Andy Meginniss
Vocals & guitar and all-around fun guy