INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
If you’ve ever gone camping and found yourself thinking it kind of sucks, likely because you’re too close to other campers, you might be
interested to learn about Tentrr, a three-year-old, 47-person company that’s promising to make it “dirt simple” to enjoy the great
How: by striking deals with private landowners who are willing to host semi-permanent campsites on their property.What do these look like
Picture elevated decks with Adirondack chairs, canvas expedition tents, wood picnic tables and sun showers, not to mention a fire pit,
lanterns, dry food storage, cookware, a camping toilet and air mattresses that, courtesy of most hosts, will come with fresh linens.Venture
capitalists certainly appreciate the startup’s pitch
Tentrr — founded by one-time investment banker turned former NYSE managing director Michael D’Agostino — has raised $13 million to
date, including a newly closed $8 million Series A round led by West, a San Francisco-based venture studio that both funds startups and
helps them market their goods and services.No doubt the investors are looking at the overall market, whose numbers are compelling
According to one trade association, the outdoor recreation industry represents an $887 billion opportunity, with Americans shelling out $24
billion annually on campsites alone.Still, it’s easy to wonder how scalable the company will be
Tentrr had 100 campsites up and running in the Northeastern U.S
as of the end of last year
D’Agostino expects it will have 1,000 sites by year-end, including on the West Coast, where it will begin installing camps this summer
But this assumes that Tentrr can convince enough families with sufficiently large properties that partnering with the company is
worthwhile.D’Agostino says its landowner partners need to have 15 acres at least and that the average property on the platform currently
He also says these property owners keep 80 percent of whatever they decide to charge campers to stay on their grounds.For what it’s worth,
Tentrr doesn’t seem to have much in the way of direct competition if you exclude state campgrounds
Venture-backed Hipcamp, for example, which raised a small amount of seed funding back in 2014, partners with private landowners to help
arrange camping experiences, but it mostly acts as a search engine
A growing number of RV-focused startups have also sprung up, including Outdoorsy
But their customers are largely looking for adventure on the road, not in a secluded field.There’s always industry giant Airbnb to worry
But Airbnb, whose offerings include campsites, emphasizes unique experiences
Tentrr is largely about standardizing its process in order to leave fewer questions — and less doubt — about what to expect
(D’Agostino says that roughly 40 percent of Tentrr customers are first-time campers.)We know that if the service makes it way to
California, we’re likely to try it, having suffered through some fairly crummy camping experiences
If you’re also interested in learning more, you might check out our conversation with D’Agostino, edited for length
We chatted yesterday.TC: You were a banker, then you traveled around the country and world, trying to convince companies that they should
list on the NYSE instead of Nasdaq
How did this company come to passMD: When I was a little kid, we’d sometimes stay at a family friend’s farm in Litchfield, Connecticut
I assumed that every kid had a Litchfield farm where they could camp, which isn’t the case obviously
Meanwhile, working 100 hours a week as an investment banker, it just became harder and harder to get out of the city and have great
experiences.After a couple of disastrous camping trips at noisy, dirty campgrounds with my girlfriend and now wife, Eloise, we just realized
the idea [of camping as it’s known today] is stupid
It’s taking a bunch of people who are living on top of each other in a city and moving them to a campground where they’re living on top
of each other in flimsy tents.The legacy campground industry hasn’t changed since the Civil War
It’s run by the government — which I’m happy to compete with all day long
And these are just terrible businesspeople
We want to wipe away this infrastructure by distributing it among rural landowners.TC: So you’re building these semi-permanent camping
How standardized is the pricingMD: Pricing is variable and set by the landowner who keeps 80 percent of that fee
We keep 20 percent; we also charge a 15 percent fee on top of that nightly rate
Right now, the average price per night is $140, but we’re introducing more features for [hosts], including minimum-night stays, and
[surge] pricing if they have demand for a bunch of bookings at the same time.They can also offer extra amenities and experiences that will
allow you to have a personalized experience
For example, landowners, or “camp keepers” as we call them, can offer extra bundles of wood or luxury bedding or horseback riding or
It’s really only limited by the imagination
We’ll also soon allow third parties to provide curated activities so that when you log on to our app, you can book a whitewater rafting
trip or reservations at the best farm-to-table restaurant nearby.TC: What happens if something goes wrong Who insures whatMD: Every campsite
is covered by a $2 million commercial insurance policy
It’s a benefit not just in terms of liability but in making people feel more comfortable during these stays — both the hosts and
guests.TC: Where are you building these sites, exactly, and how long do you estimate that they will lastMD: We build them ourselves, right
now in places from southern Maine to eastern Pennsylvania.We get our tents from a family company in Colorado that’s been around for 90
years and that still receives requests to repair tents they’d built 30 years ago [meaning they’re durable]
We also use pressure-treated lumber and marine-grade plywood, so we expect they’ll last for 10 to 20 years.TC: You’re having to convince
people to let strangers onto their properties, sprawling as they may be
What does that sales process look likeMD: It used to look like me putting 45,000 miles on my Jeep Cherokee and explaining to families why
they should have a Tentrr campsite in their hayfields
[Laughs.] Today, direct mail campaigns work beautifully
[Hosts] are also hearing about us from other [hosts] and we make it easier for them to [apply] to join the platform
You click on a link that says “List my property” and you’re walked through a 20-point checklist, including about accessibility and how
Using that feedback, we know with 90 percent accuracy whether or not a property is appropriate
If we think it is, we’ll send out a scout.TC: Are there sometimes more than one campsite on a propertyMD: No, and we ensure the sites are
secluded from neighbors, as well as the landowners, as well as other possible distractions.TC: What does the clean-up process involveMD:
It’s relatively maintenance free
No worries about someone stealing silverware
Homeowners have to make sure there are no beer cans left behind, but we place a high priority on land stewardship and emphasize a
leave-no-trace approach when it comes to our guests.
