Sēkr

Sēkr, a San Diego-based company, operates a mobile platform designed to simplify the outdoor travel experience for a growing community of campers, van-lifers, and RV enthusiasts. The company was co-founded in 2018 by Chief Executive Officer Breanne Acio and Chief Operating Officer Jessica Shisler, PhD. The founders' personal experiences with the challenges of van life, such as finding safe overnight parking and connecting with a community, directly inspired the creation of the platform. Acio, who has a background in academia and identifies as a queer woman of color, was driven to create a more inclusive and welcoming outdoor community. Shisler brings a strong scientific and business background to the venture, with a doctorate in biochemistry and experience as a startup consultant and advisor to biotech and pharmaceutical companies.

The Sēkr app addresses the primary pain points of road travel by providing a comprehensive, crowdsourced database of campsites, amenities, and resources. The platform boasts the largest national database of free and dispersed campsites, supplemented with public data from government sources and user-generated content. Users can filter campsite listings by various services, including Wi-Fi, water access, and shower facilities. The business generates revenue through a freemium model. While core features like campsite search and community forums are free, Sēkr offers a premium subscription, Sēkr+, for a monthly or annual fee. This subscription unlocks advanced functionalities such as offline map and campsite access, and premium map layers showing cell coverage from major carriers, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land, and U.S. Forest Service areas.

A significant aspect of Sēkr is its focus on community building. The app includes social features that allow users to connect with other travelers, participate in forums called SēkrHubs, and find or host events and meetups. This emphasis on connection aims to combat the isolation that travelers can experience on the road. The company also champions inclusivity in the outdoors through initiatives like Project Respect Outdoors (PRO), a coalition aimed at making the outdoor industry more accessible to women and minorities. In February 2022, Sēkr announced a $2.25 million seed funding round led by Storyteller Overland, with participation from Backstage Capital, Techstars, and GoFundMe co-founder Andy Ballester, to expand its reservable inventory and community initiatives.

Keywords: outdoor travel, van life, RV travel, camping app, campsite finder, road trip planner, boondocking, dispersed camping, digital nomad resources, travel community, mobile platform, freemium model, subscription service, outdoor recreation, campsite database, community forums, travel technology, inclusive outdoors, adventure travel, trip planning