Acamp raises €2.5m for camping travel tech platform
Sweden: Stockholm-based camping travel tech platform Acamp has announced that it has raised €2.5 million in funding to accelerate its growth and expand into new markets, including in Norway and Denmark.
The round was led by Nordic venture capital fund Spintop Ventures, with participation from LRF Ventures and existing investor Centripetal Capital. It represents the largest investment round in the startup to date.
The marketplace says that it intends to “enable a simple and compelling way for campers to book a unique and sustainable place to camp with a local landowner”, making it easier for camping enthusiasts to explore and book places to camp.
Launched in 2020 with the idea to solve frustrations related to the booking of traditional campsites, Acamp wants to expand its camping community and expand into new markets so that more unused land can be rented out to campers. In doing so, its mission is to become the largest campsite marketplace in Northern Europe.
Acamp founder Öjje Holt told SHIFTER: “There are more than 1000 campsites around Norway that offer space for both tents, caravans and motorhomes. Which is good. At the same time, I know from personal experience that it is not always as easy to get a good place, and that many want to camp more privately.
“This is exactly what we are doing something with. Anyone with land can rent out space, and as a camper you can find unique and private places,” he added.
The next phase of Acamp’s development includes an expansion of the Clean Camping initiative, which has been developed in close cooperation with Håll Sverige Rent [Keep Sweden Tidy] and its sister organisations in Denmark and Norway, to fulfil the demand for sustainable, environmentally-friendly holidays in nature-based destinations.
Acamp’s funding strengthens its position in an already competitive field in Europe, where the likes of Campanyon, JetCamp, Holiday Fox and Campsited have all received funding in the last 12 months. Meanwhile, San Francisco-based outdoor stays booking platform Hipcamp recently acquired UK-based online camping brand Cool Camping for an undisclosed sum, capitalising on the surging interest in the camping segment since the pandemic.
Acamp founder Öjje Holt said: “We are thrilled by the surging popularity and interest for sustainable tourism, and are fully committed to connecting people with unique places to stay in nature.”
Martin Alexandersson, head of business development at LRF Ventures, said: “Acamp can attract hosts and at the same time provide exciting opportunities for LRF’s more than 130,000 members by creating new income streams by renting out land, as well as offering its products and services to campers.”
Isabel Nilson, investment manager at Spintop Ventures, said: “We are beyond impressed with the founders of Acamp who through their true passion for camping have built a rapidly growing platform with a highly engaged camper community. With the founders’ track record of scaling startups into global organisations, we envision Acamp becoming a game-changer for the campground industry.”
