RV rental marketplace
Outdoorsy is launching a $30 million fund to provide financial assistance for
the purchase of upscale glamping tents.
The Oasis Fund is
intended for people that aspire to be “glamping entrepreneurs” – purchasing the modified tents and making them available for rent through Outdoorsy Stays, a new segment
of its marketplace that offers outdoor-focused accommodations such as tents,
cabins and tiny homes.
Outdoorsy said the
fund is being launched “in tandem with investors and banking partners,”
although it does not name those partners.
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Outdoorsy launched in
2015 as a peer-to-peer RV rental marketplace. The company said it now has RVs
available in 4,800 cities in the United States and Canada.
In 2022 the company
created its Outdoorsy Destination Network with the acquisition of two RV parks,
one near Yosemite National Park in California and one in Colorado.
The Colorado location –
Outdoorsy Bayfield – offers the glamping tents that the company is now making
available for sale through the new fund. Each tent is on an elevated platform and has air conditioning and
heating, a king bed, kitchenette, bathroom, furnishings and a
towable chassis for transport.
“When we purchased the Outdoorsy
Bayfield property, we quickly saw something very familiar to us – and what
initially led us to build Outdoorsy. Similar to the RV rental space, we noticed
the glamping space was dealing with a handful of pain points in need of
attention, innovation and improvement … so the timing is right to step in and
do what a startup does best: improve a space in need of a helping hand,” said
Jeff Cavins, Outdoorsy co-founder and CEO.
Outdoorsy said data from KOA shows the
global glamping category is expected to be worth $6 billion by 2030 and
approximately 10.5 million U.S. households went glamping last year, with the
average guests staying three to five nights and paying a higher nightly rate
than traditional hotels.
“Through the Oasis Fund, our objective
is to activate the glamping adventure and provide the means for both
individuals and those aspiring to manage short-term rentals to take ownership
of their own entrepreneurial endeavors,” Cavins said. "Our in-house financing
and the extensive reach of the Outdoorsy platform will equip glamping
entrepreneurs with the ability to establish, host and promote a product that's
seeing no slowdown in demand.”