Hipcamp#CaliParks
{{Short description|American online marketplace company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Hipcamp, Inc.
| logo = File:Hipcamp,_Inc's_official_company_logo.png
| logo_size = 300px
| image_alt = Hipcamp Logo
| image =
| image_caption =
| image_size = 250px
| type = Private
| founded = {{start date and age|2013|6}} in San Francisco, California{{cite web | url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-silicon-valley/how-hipcamp-became-the-airbnb-of-the-outdoors | title=How Hipcamp Became the Airbnb of the Outdoors |work=The New Yorker | date=January 2, 2019 }}
| founder = Alyssa Ravasio
| area_served = {{ubl|Australia|Canada|Europe|New Zealand|United States|United Kingdom|}}
| num_employees = 80
| services = {{ubl|Camping|Lodging|Hospitality}}
| industry = {{ubl|Mobile app|Online marketplace|Outdoor recreation|}}
| hq_location = San Francisco, California
| website = {{URL|hipcamp.com}}
}}
Hipcamp, Inc. is an American company operating an online marketplace for booking campsites, RV parks, glamping stays, and private land camping experiences via a mobile app and website.{{cite news | url=https://skift.com/2018/06/15/hipcamp-raises-9-5-million-for-campsite-booking-travel-startup-funding-this-week/ | title=Hipcamp Raises $9.5 Million for Campsite Booking: Travel Startup Funding This Week | work=Skift | date=June 15, 2018}} Landowners and campgrounds list tent sites, RV spots, and lodging directly to Hipcamp's marketplace for users to find and book based on their location, amenities, and activities offered.{{cite web | url=https://www.businessinsider.com/hipcamp-host-rents-backyard-to-campers-rvs-to-make-money-2024-9 | title=I let campers rent part of my backyard for $70 a night. It helps pay our high home maintenance costs. |work= Business Insider | date=September 30, 2024}}
History
Hipcamp was created by Alyssa Ravasio in 2013 prompted by her frustrating search for an available campsite near Big Sur, California. Ravasio built a platform that would aggregate available data for public campgrounds in one place.{{cite news |last1=Palamountain |first1=Olivia |title=Hipcamp is on a mission to become the 'Airbnb of the outdoors' |url=https://globetrender.com/2021/03/31/hipcamp-mission-become-airbnb-outdoors/ |access-date=21 April 2025 |work=Globetrender |date=31 March 2021}} Ravasio enrolled in Dev Bootcamp, a 12-week coding crash course in San Francisco, California to teach herself how to code and launched the first version of Hipcamp that same year.{{Cite news |last=Lewin |first=Tamar |date=2014-10-14 |title=Web-Era Trade Schools, Feeding a Need for Code |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/14/us/web-era-trade-schools-feeding-a-need-for-code.html |access-date=2023-02-17 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=2023-02-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230217120602/https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/14/us/web-era-trade-schools-feeding-a-need-for-code.html |url-status=live }}
In September 2014, Hipcamp raised $2 million in seed funding led by O'Reilly Media's AlphaTech Ventures and Slow Ventures, with participation from Dave Morin, Sam Shank, Gregg Brockway, AngelList's Syndicate Fund and Maiden Lane Ventures.{{Cite web |last=Crook |first=Jordan |date=2014-09-30 |title=Hipcamp Cooks Up $2M Seed To Get People Camping |url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/09/30/hipcamp-cooks-up-2m-seed-to-get-people-camping/ |access-date=2023-02-17 |website=TechCrunch |language=en-US |archive-date=2022-12-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221209035910/https://techcrunch.com/2014/09/30/hipcamp-cooks-up-2m-seed-to-get-people-camping/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Garland |first=Russ |title=Hipcamp Hits Trail With $2 Million, With Help From Path's Dave Morin |url=http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2014/09/30/hipcamp-hits-trail-with-2-million-with-help-from-paths-dave-morin/ |access-date=2023-02-17 |website=WSJ |language=en-US |archive-date=2020-07-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728085149/https://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2014/09/30/hipcamp-hits-trail-with-2-million-with-help-from-paths-dave-morin/ |url-status=live }}
Product
Hipcamp allows users to search for and book campsites and rv spots based on location, natural features (beach, waterfall, forest, etc.), activities (biking, hiking, rock climbing, etc.), and amenities.{{Cite web |last=Leo |first=Jen |date=2014-07-27 |title=Hipcamp.com wants to be handy for even inexperienced campers |url=https://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-tr-webbuzz-20140727-story.html |access-date=2023-04-24 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |archive-date=2023-04-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424084844/https://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/la-tr-webbuzz-20140727-story.html |url-status=live }}
The COVID-19 pandemic led to Hipcamp seeing substantial growth in 2020; that summer, they generated three times the leads that they did in 2019.{{Cite web|last=Kelso|first=Stirling|date=2021-03-09|title=Why Hipcamp is the most innovative travel company of 2021|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90600415/hipcamp-most-innovative-companies-2021|access-date=2021-10-31|website=Fast Company|language=en-US|archive-date=2021-10-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031142424/https://www.fastcompany.com/90600415/hipcamp-most-innovative-companies-2021|url-status=live}}
In May 2025, Hipcamp doubled the inventory on the platform, by adding thousands of RV parks, camping resorts, and public lands to reach a total of 565,000 campsites available via the Hipcamp website and mobile app.{{Cite web |last=Dreier |first=Frederick |date=2025-05-20 |title=Looking for a Campsite? Hipcamp Now Has Half a Million to Choose From. |url=https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/environment/hipcamp-doubles-campsites/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |website=Outside Online |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Woodalls Campground |date=2025-05-21 |title=‘Hipcamp’ Expansion to Help Grow Campground Bookings - Woodall's Campground Magazine |url=https://woodallscm.com/hipcamp-expansion-to-help-grow-campground-bookings/ |access-date=2025-06-02 |language=en-US}}
Mergers & Acquisitions
In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hipcamp expanded internationally by acquiring Youcamp, an Australian-based camping platform focused on private land campinghttps://skift.com/2020/08/27/u-s-based-hipcamp-acquires-australias-youcamp-as-travelers-heed-call-of-the-great-outdoors/https://www.broadsheet.com.au/national/travel/article/youcamp-lets-you-throw-outdoor-party-and-make-some-noise-without-disturbing-neighbours
In 2021, Hipcamp acquired Pitched, a Canadian online marketplace startup.https://www.newswire.ca/news-releases/with-canada-launch-hipcamp-creates-new-options-for-outdoor-stays-856705671.htmlhttps://marketingnewscanada.com/news-show/tegh-singh-bedi-hipcamp
In 2023, Hipcamp acquired Cool Camping, a United Kingdom-based camping platform focused on glamping.https://skift.com/2022/01/03/hipcamp-buys-uk-booking-brand-cool-camping/https://shorttermrentalz.com/news/hipcamp-uk-cool-camping-final/
In 2024, Hipcamp acquired BookOutdoors, a United States-based booking platform focused on RV resorts and holiday parks.https://rvbusiness.com/hipcamp-acquires-bookoutdoors-seeing-significant-growth/
References
{{reflist|30em}}
External links
- [http://www.hipcamp.com Hipcamp]
{{Platform economy}}