This week it has been announced that Peer-to-Peer RV rental firm, ShareACamper, has raised a whopping $2m in seed funding, now boasting the money they need to make a real go of the alternative business. It has been rumoured that the majority of the investors in the platform have been from the tech or vehicle rental sector, obviously seeing something pretty unique in this niche business.
“RV rentals are expensive, in short supply, and traditional hire companies subscribe to a one-vehicle-fits-all approach yet around the world there are millions of vehicles sitting in driveways not being used for most of the year,” says Jan Bartel, the company’s co-founder and CEO.
With the internet injecting efficiency into the hire market this is just another example of how tech can help the consumer; making shopping, receiving quotes and making payments a true doddle.
“ShareACamper provides the owners of these vehicles a simple and secure way to hire their vehicle out to prospective travellers” the firm explains.
“We have owners of motorhomes that want to share the experience of travelling in an RV,” says Bartel, explaining the premise behind a peer-to-peer approach.
“They are excited to meet new people and to share their own ‘backyard’ with others. Owners tend to be a little older and more settled and have done lots of travelling themselves. We also have many owners that bought the camper van for a specific trip, often a gap year, and now use it sporadically, but nowhere near all year around”.
Planning to spend the money on product development, recruitment, and expansion into new markets this firm has their sights set high, wanting to grow its user numbers and create content that will educate on the subject of campervan rental.
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