TripOutside
Meet SCAPE Cohort Company, TripOutside. This couple left the corporate world to embrace an outdoor lifestyle, learning first hand how to curate their online marketplace that connects outdoor enthusiasts with top-rated gear rental shops and guides for human-powered adventures.
Q: What’s your name, title, business?
A: Julie Singh, Co-Founder TripOutside; Reet Singh, Co-Founder TripOutside
Q: What does your business do?
A: TripOutside’s online marketplace connects outdoor enthusiasts with top-rated gear rental shops and guides for human-powered adventures. Users can research, compare, and book their adventures on TripOutside. Outfitters improve new customer reach and utilization rates while saving tasking time to focus on customer experience.
TripOutside’s mission is to get people outdoors responsibly, and minimize the impact on ecosystems while promoting conservation, leave no trace principles, inclusion and respect. TripOutside already features over 200 destinations with thousands of hike, bike, climb, paddle, and ski adventures provided through local outfitter partners and is adding more epic adventures every day.
Q: Tell us about your entrepreneurial journey.
A: Reet and I spent 15 years in Corporate America and traveled in our free time. We love outdoor adventure and are avid bikers, paddlers, and snowboarders. We took vacations to spend time doing what we loved but yearned to be able to get outdoors more. We saw an opportunity to make it easier for people to discover the outdoors and help them recreate responsibly and confidently. We left the corporate world, packed up our RV with our cat in tow, and spent the last 5 years traveling the country, exploring and curating outdoor adventures and building TripOutside.
Q: What was the most powerful lesson you learned on this journey?
A: Getting feedback early on was critical. We spent a lot of time talking to outfitters and activity providers through our journey to understand their challenges and the market. This was critical, and it even resulted in an early pivot in our business plan - from building a booking software to instead integrating with existing booking software already in the market.
Q: Why did you apply for the SCAPE Program?
A: We love that the SCAPE program is in our local community and works with local mentors and investors supporting startups in the Four Corners area. We are excited about the tailored approach SCAPE uses to help determine the best path for each company in the program.
Q: What companies inspire you the most (local, national, worldwide)?
A: 1) Outdoorsy - marketplace genius 2) Patagonia - leadership in sustainability and conservation 3) Strava - ability to build and grow an active community
Q: What do you love most about the Four Corners?
A: The spectacular outdoor adventure opportunities across some of the most beautiful landscapes in the US - from desert to high alpine - and the many historical and cultural treasures of the region.