Guita Yazdani is the CEO of Campertunity in Vancouver, BC. Campertunity is like Airbnb but for camping—offering an online marketplace where users can book a unique campsite on private land.
After a challenging climb, six companies, including Campertunity, are now moving onward and upward to the 2022 OKGN Angel Summit Finale on March 16th. We connected with each of the finalists to learn what they would do with the investment, why they think they are the right choice for the investors and hear their insights on the Summit program.
What problem were you trying to solve when you started Campertunity?
Crowded campgrounds, lack of campsites, and expensive re-sales are pain points that we solve by inviting private landowners to list their property for campers to book short-term stays. For those hosts, it’s an opportunity to earn thousands of dollars just by welcoming campers to their property.
What makes you and your team the best ones to solve this problem?
We’re real estate investors, serial entrepreneurs, and individuals with backgrounds in tourism. And above all else, we love to camp. With this team, we have successfully built a double-sided marketplace and are ready to grow. We have achieved major milestones including proven traction, a 100% increase in hosts and bookings year-over-year, and established trust and credibility all on a bootstrapped budget.
Why should the investors be interested in your Campertunity?
Campsite bookings are a billion-dollar industry and Campertunity is at an inflection point in Canada’s land-grab opportunity. We are interested in fast and extreme growth, as we’ve already been approached by our competitor for acquisition. We have a strong and well-thought-out go-to-market strategy that will lead us to our next growth milestones, including significant growth across Canada by 2023.
What do you feel has contributed most to you reaching the Top 6?
Being personable. A company’s values, business model, market validation, etc are important and good to know, but knowing who’s running the business is key. Being personable can help a lot when looking for investors who can complement you and your team.
What advice would you give to the participants of next year’s Summit?
Relax, do your best, have fun. Whether you win or not, be proud of how far you’ve come. Also, be in touch with those you meet even when the summit is all over. You never know where they can lead you in the future.
If you are just learning about our OKGN Angel Summit, it is a 10-week program where accredited investors and startup founders are introduced to the world of angel investing through a guided, hands-on process with multiple pitch events and training activities. This process provides participating companies with a chance to learn how businesses are vetted, complete due diligence, and make improvements to their pitch. At the end of the program, during a live public pitch event on March 16th, the investors will decide which company receives the $150K investment from the fund.
Who will take home the big investment? Find out at the 2022 OKGN Angel Summit Finale on March 16! You can register for the Finale now on Eventbrite. Tickets are free for students and members of Accelerate Okanagan.
