Today we’d like to introduce you to Breanne Acio.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Breanne. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
In 2017, my wife and I decided to buy a cargo van and renovate it into a beautiful tiny house on wheels. During that project and the adventures we began to take, we fell in love with road travel and the community of people who did it as well. However, we soon noticed several challenges. 1.) Campervan conversions were financially inaccessible to most people — at the time, they started around $60k, plus the vehicle. 2.) Road travel was lonely — constantly being in a new place, away from family and friends and 3). Finding legal places to camp that wasn’t a Walmart parking lot or $50/night was extremely difficult.
And so, my entrepreneurial journey began! I began building a technology solution to solve for the challenges of finding safe destinations to camp overnight and loneliness from lack of connection to community. In 2018, I met my business partner, Jess — we were both ambitious problem solvers and we worked really well together. Since our launch in 2018, we have built a complete resource application for life on the road to help vanlifers find community, resources and a home for the night.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Jess and I brought the business out from grave. When we launched, we had a massive audience. People were really excited about the app. We raised $70k from investors and interviewed a dozen development companies to make sure we selected the best partner. Unfortunately, the one we selected initially burned through our entire $70k and left us with a product that didn’t work. It was the worst belly flop. We had no more resources and felt defeated. We are not developers and could not fix it. We got into Techstars, one of the largest and most popular startup accelerators in the country, and that is the thing that changed us! After an entire year of being powerless, we have really turned the product around.
Please tell us about Sēkr.
Sēkr is a community brand, serving tens of thousands of users through a subscription and marketplace platform for outdoor travel destinations. Whether users are camping for the weekend, going on an epic road trip, or living full-time in an RV, Sēkr helps them find their way to campsites, amenities and community in the outdoors. Outdoor travel adventurers use up to 16 different platforms and still can’t find what they need in most cases. With resources like freecampsites.net, Hipcamp, All Stays, Meetup.com, Couchsurfing, Google, and many more, consumers must dig for tidbits that should be easily accessible. There is no single platform that addresses this market’s needs until Sēkr! We have been able to mobilize tens of thousands of people to get outdoors which is a very cool accomplishment. We have helped change the way people live and helped prioritize happiness. When people realize for the first time, there are other people like them and they have a sense of community to belong to, they get emotional. I am proud of that!
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
The outdoor travel industry has grown a lot in recent years, but COVID-19 has actually accelerated that growth because it is a safe alternative to traditional air and hotel travel. I, like many others, am bullish on the continued rise of the outdoor travel industry for many years to come. The problem will lie in maintaining so many public recreation areas that are already overcrowded and underfunded. This is why we are partnered with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics to help give people the resources and knowledge needed to recreate responsibly.
Contact Info:
- Address: 4901 Morena Blvd
Suite #314
San Diego, CA 92117 - Website: https://www.thevanlifeapp.com/
- Phone: 619.992.3860
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thevanlifeapp/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thevanlifeapp/
Image Credit:
Sēkr
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