The Camplify team was successful in making the Jumpstart 2015 intake.

Justin Hales CEO of Campilfy came up with the idea based on his experiences on family holidays as a child.

“My family and I used to go caravaning with my extended family every holidays. On a return trip we were ran off the road and decided to sell our caravan. We never had that type of holiday again. In October my wife asked me to see about hiring a caravan for the Christmas holidays but I couldn’t find any out there. I thought that with all the caravans sitting in people’s front yards, surely I can come up with a solution that solves both problems,” Hales said.

Camplify allows owners to list their caravans or other recreational vehicles for hire. Just like Airbnb, owners can then chat with potential users and pick which they’re comfortable lending their vehicle to. The platform, which charges a booking fee, estimates that a caravan would be hired for an average of 6 weeks per year, giving owners a spare $3500.

“When we started all we had was an idea. Over the past three months Slingshot has assisted us in validating that idea and developing a full business around it,” Hales said.

“The biggest challenge is educating the market in this type of disruptive business. Once people understand the idea they love it.”

While a number of owners may be wary of handing over something as expensive as a caravan or RV to a stranger for weeks at a time, many others would surely jump at the chance to make some extra cash for something that goes unused for most of the year. This, and encouraging users to make connections and share tips and advice on their holidays, can help Camplify build a devoted community.

The NRMA connection will also help – with the Jumpstart program promising its startups access to the NRMA’s member base if the product fits, Hales believes Camplify is well-positioned to make the most of the connection.

“The NRMA and caravaning go together like footy and a meat pie. We are the perfect new business to introduce to NRMA members and offer them an additional service,” he said.

Since the program Camplify has made strong progress with a strong capital raising under their belt the Camplify team is continuing is strong test and learn ethic. The NRMA relationship has continued to be strong with mutual benefit for both parties. Camplify has now built a strong base in Australia and are looking to ramp up global expansion soon

Courtesy of Startupdaily.net