Aiming to get us all outside, HolidayFox raises £1.17 million in pre-seed funding

Aiming to get us all outside, and digitise the camping market in both the UK and across continental Europe, in the process, London-based HolidayFox has raised £1.17 million in pre-seed funding. The startup offers an end-to-end search platform for camping enthusiasts, as well as a listing platform for current and would-be campsite owners. The new funding is expected to help expand and scale the startup’s engineering and operations teams.

Warm beaches and sun-bleached landscapes have never been a specialty of the United Kingdom, and so, many a holidaymaker has regularly set off to shores afar. However, with the current, and ever-changing, rules and regulations surrounding international travel throwing a massive wrench into the typical summer holiday season, many UK residents have skipped the processes altogether and begun exploring their own island; by a margin of 307%.

Traditional hotel, bed and breakfast, and/or private dwelling accommodations might be, comparatively, rather easy to source, when looking to go a bit more off the beaten path, the options begin to diminish rather quickly.

Recognising this niche market and looking to do something about it, former colleagues and now co-founders Jason Green and Richard Hooker established HolidayFox.

“So many people now want to be outdoors, get back to nature, experience something new, and have a more eco-friendly and unique holiday,” says Green. “I’ve been camping and campervanning for many years, but always found the process of finding and booking a campsite for exactly what I wanted really difficult. We knew it was a problem that we could solve - and it was the right time to do it.”

HoldayFox offers campers a wide range of searchable options including amenities (playground, yurts), features (sea views, big groups), onsite or nearby activities (canoeing, biking), and personal likes (beach, mountains). On the flip side of the coin, as per UK government guidelines, anyone can open a campsite for up to 56 days per year, and HolidayFox provides a perfect platform for these new campsite owners to not only gain exposure but manage the entire process.

HolidayFox’s pre-seed funding round was led by Fuel Ventures and saw participation from Michael and Xochi Birch (Bebo), Redbus (Simon Franks, ex-Lovefilm), the Atomico Angel Fund, D Global Ventures, Shaan Puri, and Cathexis Ventures. The round also saw a number of angel investors from Monzo, Talentful, Deliveroo, Ski Famille and Blockfi all signing on.