Oslo-based nature travel startup, Campanyon (campanyon.com), has raised more than €1.5 million (NOK 15.5 million) in funding for the goal to make nature accessible to all travellers. Their accommodation booking platform is of the belief that incredible adventures start with local, sustainable, authentic, and easy travel opportunities, including glamping.
The announcement was made less than a year after the travel tech startup closed a €499,000 (NOK 5 million) seed round and less than two years after Campanyon was formed.
Schibsted Ventures (schibsted.com) has become the largest external investor in Campanyon, and joins existing investors such as Eirik Frøyland Ribe (tisegroup.com), Even Heggernes (nabobil.no), Trond Riber Knudsen, Odd Reidar Øie, Aleksander Gamme, Jan Grønbech (former Google Norway country manager), Stratel (stratel.no) and Startuplab (startuplab.no) in investing in the company.
The investment manager of Schibsted Ventures, Christian Horn-Hanssen, concurs, saying: “There is a growing market for sustainable tourism with proximity to good nature experiences. There is a broad agreement on whether these are trends we know will be even stronger in the years to come, and Schibsted Ventures is of course pleased to be early in a platform like this.”
Campanyon’s digital marketplace enables campers and adventurers to explore new destinations and book a range of nature travel experiences, such as camping, glamping, hammocks, cabin rentals, motorhome parks and farms. Both travellers and hosts are actively encouraged to interact before the trip and share tips and knowledge about how to get the most out of the experience and protect the environment.
In just two years, the startup has expanded into 16 countries, attracted over 400 hosts and created 900 listings. Campanyon already claims to have reached several thousand users and is aiming to hit 100,000 users in 2022.
Co-founder Alexander Raknes says, “Campanyon is primed to offer a new travel proposition across Europe and globally, given the increasing awareness of nature travel and the potential for rapid growth in the future.” He continues, “Many have opened their eyes to camping, outdoor life and various types of farm tourism in recent years, and this market has enormous potential. Think of all those who sit on a gem, but who do not quite know how to organise a rental.”
Campanyon’s newly developed app also launched in January 2022, to help them reach even more traveller demographics across the continent.
Their goal is to continue growing their community and offer more local and sustainable tourism opportunities, and plans to use the latest investment to fund resources for marketing, sales and development in both new and existing markets.
