Campiri, the leading Czech digital caravan rental platform has today announced it has raised €4.64M to support its European expansion efforts. This investment totals €4.64M, inclusive of €2.7M comprising convertible loans complementing €1.3M in debt financing for the purchase of fleet vehicles and the Founders’ contribution of almost €640k.
This investment was led by Rockaway Ventures and Miton, which previously invested in Campiri alongside the angel investors Eva Janečková and Olda Bajer. The other major investor in this round is Purple Ventures. This investment comes just one year after its launch with the Campiri platform becoming a dominant player in the digitisation of caravanning in Czechia.
Renting campers on Campiri since 2021
Campiri is a web platform that builds on the RV rental boom taking place since the onslaught of the pandemic. It offers a wide range of motorhomes & caravans from rental companies and individual owners. Above all, Campiri’s key offering with its services is the promotion of sustainable travelling, advocating for eco-friendly driving, developing a sharing economy and eliminating the negative toll mass tourism `takes on the environment and local communities.
The primary beneficiaries of this platform are its users who enjoy independent travel as well as vehicle owners who can simply offer their unused caravans for rent, making money in the process. The startup was founded in 2020 by Lukáš Janoušek and Paul Tesar.
After just a single season of operation, the Campiri platform already boasts the largest fleet of RVs for rent in Czechia which is comprised of a broad selection of 400 vehicles in total. This sharp increase is a testament to how popular travelling with a caravan or motorhome has become recently. Year-end 2021 saw Campiri achieve a turnover of €820k with its customers spending over 5,000 nights in its cars and 20% of Czech rental companies partnering with the platform.
Extremely high demand during the summer also accelerated the peer-to-peer model for renting motorhomes from private owners. The expansion into Poland, Greece, and Slovakia at the beginning of 2022 was met with interest from campers and camper renters alike. Campiri is gaining pace, now offering more than 100 such rentals in Czechia and Poland with the aim of increasing the supply to 1,200 vehicles across all markets in 2022. The company’s private fleet of 25 vehicles, which will be further expanded, supported by the recently acquired investment, will also help to achieve this.
“We have bolder plans than just being a local player. The current investment gives us the opportunity to expand beyond the Czech borders. The majority of the funding is going to support our expansion and recruitment of senior staff. While we see great potential in Central Europe, we also see Eastern and Southern Europe as huge opportunities, and we believe it is the ideal time to enter these markets.” explained Campiri’s CEO Lukáš Janoušek.
Why investors strongly believe in Campiri
All three investors in Campiri’s Seed funding round are primarily strongly rooted in the regions Campiri is targeting its expansion into. Rockaway Capital’s portfolio brags one of the few Czech unicorns, Invia, which is a pan-European travel platform operating in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Germany, Austria and Switzerland as well as Productboard, a high promise startup. The Miton investment group primarily supports Czech tech companies such as the first Czech unicorn Rohlik.cz, whereas The Purple Ventures group focuses on tech and fintech startups such as Paypipes.
“What attracted us to Campiri was the digital business model that connects motorhome owners with those interested in renting them. The popularity of this form of travel is growing, and it has a demonstrably lower environmental impact. Sustainable projects in camping and caravanning are also in line with our ESG strategy, which is a key factor for us. Our investment in Campiri is a logical continuation of our recent investments in the digitisation of car rental and sales,” commented Rockaway Capital’s investment partner Dušan Zábrodský.
