The Dyrt raises $11 million in Series B funding round

US: Portland-based camping app The Dyrt, which is designed to help users find tent pitches or RV parking spaces easily, has closed an $11 million Series B funding round led by private equity firm Realization Capital Partners.

The company, which is aiming to build an active community of tent campers, dispersed campers, RV renters and glampers, has crowd-sourced more than four million photos, reviews and tips of 44,000 campgrounds across the United States. It will now use the funding to increase its remote working team from 40 to 70 employees.

Kevin Iudicello of Realization Capital Partners, who will join The Dyrt’s board of directors, said: “The Dyrt was built by campers to solve issues they ran into; and as a result has built an incredibly engaged community of campers that contribute a continual stream of reviews and helpful content. The engagement shows in their data, and The Dyrt is uniquely positioned to win the camping vertical thanks to their awesome users.”

The Dyrt founder Sarah Smith said: “Our mission has always been to make it easier for anyone anywhere in the US to go camping. Our new open job postings across technology, marketing and support allow us to really scale up toward the realisation of our vision, this $11 million Series B funding marks the beginning of an exciting new chapter.”

Kevin Long, CEO of The Dyrt, said: “The camping industry is growing at a rapid pace, with over four million Americans who went camping for the first time this year. There are so many different reasons for this increase in popularity.

“People need breaks from the hustle culture, parents want their kids to have less screen time, there’s heightened awareness for the environment. And, of course, the effects of the pandemic have people just wanting to be outside more often,” he added.

Launched in 2013, The Dyrt claims to be the largest source of camping information and the Apple and Google Play App Stores’ number one-ranked camping app. It seeks to help campers find their ideal destinations by collecting reviews, photos and videos from fellow campers through the app.

Last February, the company launched its premium membership scheme – The Dyrt Pro – to give campers offline access to The Dyrt’s entire set of locations, reviews and tips, enabling them to better plan their road trips.

Iudicello said: “Both in what it does and how it does it, The Dyrt is an exciting company at the very forefront of the outdoors tech industry. The team Kevin and Sarah have built is truly phenomenal, and I can’t wait to see what they are able to accomplish with the talent they are currently adding.”