Camping technology startup Set Your Sites secures $500,000 in pre-seed funding round
Summary
Co-founder and CEO Stacy Dam said she and her team plan to use the cash infusion to continue product development, grow their staff in sales and marketing and expand their client reach across the United States.Dam said Invest Nebraska led the round with significant support contributed by Nelnet, MOVE Venture Capital, Nebraska Angels and other Nebraska-based investors.To get another couple of years to grow and build this business is pretty exciting, said Dam. Because we were just an idea on a page.Forming the LLC in 2023, Set Your Sites began by offering QR codes to allow campers to claim and pay for walk-up campsites without having to carry cash or physical checks. This solution also enabled campers and park workers alike to have real-time information on walk-up campsite availability that metal drop-off boxes and other traditional payment methods could not track effectively. So far the company has secured clients through a combination of cold calling prospects, leveraging connections across Nebraskas entrepreneurial ecosystem and networking at state tourism conferences.She added that Set Your Sites has a goal of integrating into 1,000 campsites by the end of this season.Dam said the leap to becoming an entrepreneur likely experienced by most startup founders was seeing a problem that impacted her and wanting to find a way to fix it.Originally a Spanish teacher with the ambition of pursuing a career in higher education administration, Dam said her family fell in love with camping during the COVID-19 pandemic. We havent had any complaints about the technology side of it.Its just been honestly one of the best things thats happening to our campground because it takes all the stress off of us, he added.Eric Gottschalk, general manager with the Lower Platte North NRD, agreed that Dam and her staff have been collaborative throughout the tech and service incorporation process listening to their needs.