After operating in Australia and New Zealand, Unyoked, a nature-focused hospitality startup has kept its eye on the United Kingdom as it looks to expand across the UK.
The Australia-based company, which places fully off-grid hideaways in the most beautiful pieces of nature and are hand-picked by the team, always within a 2-hour distance from major cities has secured EUR 18M in funding led by SURPLUS Equity Partners GmbH and Realside Financial Group.
The money will be used to extend the company’s presence in Europe and add new sites to its service in the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. This expansion will be prioritised in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, Germany, BeneLux, Austria, and Switzerland.
“We believe in a world where people see and use nature like they do the gym. Spending time outdoors is an important balance to our lives in an increasingly noisy and hectic environment. Many of us still don’t understand just how powerful it can be,” said Chris Grant, Co-founder, Unyoked. “The current round of funding is an important step in our journey to help change that and make it easier for people to access the many benefits of nature more often.”
Unyoked’s venues are deliberately hand-picked to be utterly private and highly immersive to help enhance guests’ capacity to connect with the outdoors. “Unyoked cabins are located in secluded, rolling countryside, historic woodlands, and expansive vistas with breathtaking views. All places are easily accessible from densely crowded cities, allowing visitors to leave the worries of everyday life behind while living comfortably in their own little cabin in the forest,” the company said in a statement.
Unyoked was created in 2016 by Chris and Cam Grant and now maintains over 100 off-grid cabins across Australia, New Zealand, and, since its successful launch in 2022, the United Kingdom. The cabins are around 3m x 9m in size, are made of high-quality materials, and include a small kitchen and a polished bathroom. They are customised for each target market and adaptable to various climatic and weather conditions.
The hideaways rely solely on solar electricity, making them “off-grid,” and have their own rainwater tank, wood fire, and composting toilets, all with a low environmental impact. The booking process is supported by an in-house created back-end technology, and housekeeping routines and quality controls are digitally tracked.
Sebastian A. Lüdke, CEO of SEP, said, “Sustainable travel in the post-Covid world is an important investment hypothesis for us. We are convinced that travel will become more regional and sustainable. This is exactly what Unyoked offers. The company is very successfully addressing a trend that is becoming increasingly popular, especially among 25-45-year-olds with a heavy workload: spending time in nature has a positive effect on the psyche, the body, and creativity. The occupancy and customer loyalty show that Unyoked has found the right approach to meet the growing demand for outdoor experiences.”
Chris and Cam Grant resigned from their professions to pursue Unyoked some years ago, after becoming dissatisfied with the 9-to-5 grind.
Cam worked in the Commonwealth Bank’s strategy department in Sydney, while Chris was the regional sales manager for professional education company General Assembly in Singapore.
