Indie Campers
 | |
| Industry | RV Rental |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2013 |
| Founders | Hugo Oliveira, Stefan Koeppl |
| Headquarters | Lisboa, Portugal |
Area served |
|
| Website | indiecampers |
Indie Campers is a campervan rental company based in Portugal and operates with a fleet of more than 2000 vehicles, distributed in over 39 locations across Europe, in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Belgium, Switzerland, Ireland, Iceland, Croatia, Sweden and Austria.[1][2]
History[]
Indie Campers was founded in Lisbon in 2013 by a Portuguese, Hugo Oliveira, who had the business idea after returning from a trip in Australia, in 2012. The business was launched alongside his Austrian friend, Stefan Koeppl with the guidance of the "Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs", sponsored by the European Union.[3] In 2014, to pursue a career as a venture capital investor, Stefan Koeppl sold his stake in Indie Campers, leaving Hugo Oliveria as the sole shareholder for the company.
In 2015, Indie Campers raised its first financing round (seed round), sponsored by Portugal Ventures at one hundred and forty thousand euros. The participation was reacquired in 2017 by the founder and CEO Hugo Oliveira, for seven hundred and fifty thousand euros, after the company's internationalization and growth objectives were achieved.[4]
Between 2015 and 2017, Indie Campers grew from 3 to 80 employees, headquartered in Portugal with multiple operational locations across Europe, and multiplied its turnover four times each year. In January 2018, they announced hiring of 150 new employees in areas of operations, customer support, marketing and finance.[5]
In 2020, Indie Campers was awarded a title as the fastest-growing Portuguese company in Europe between 2015 and 2018 according to FT1000 Europe's Fastest Growing Companies list published on the Financial Times. This ranking is based on the recorded increase rate of revenue growth, between 2015 and 2018. With the total growth of 2878% in the analyzed date range, and average annual growth of 210%. Indie Campers is ranked 37th place in the overall ranking.[6]
Business model[]
Indie Campers allows its customers to rent campervans through an online check-in system. This company presents a business model centered on the relocation of vans between their operational bases, according to the availability of each type of campervan and the demand for each location. This means that the company minimizes operating costs by offering its customers the possibility of booking one-way trips between the locations it serves. Subsequently, Indie Campers also started to create a market place for private motorhome owners and professionals to rent their vans through their platform and resources.[7]
The vans are, in general, a smaller size when compared to traditional motorhomes. And attic equipped with beds; storage areas; cooker; cooler chest; shower; cleaning kit; kitchen with sink; bathroom, among others. Several extra services may also be added such as Wi-Fi; bedding; bicycles; transfer to and from the airport; surfboards; outdoor tables and chairs, among others.[8]
In October 2020, the company announced the launch of a new subscription model enabling renters to hire their campervans and motorhomes at a fixed price for a month or a year. The program is available in all their 15 locations and includes insurance, road side assistance, maintenance of the vans and a set number of miles per booking.[9]
Serving locations[]
Indie Campers is based in the heart of Lisbon and has depots across all the countries it serves. The following locations are served by the company:[10]
Austria
Belgium
Croatia
Danemark
France
Germany
Iceland
Ireland
Italy
Netherlands
Portugal
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
United Kingdom
United States
Products[]
Indie Campers fleet is composed of six main types of campervans:
| Name | Model | Living Space | Beds | WC |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sporty | Fiat Ducato 30 CH2 2.0 Multijet 115 Diesel | 7.5 m2 (81 sq ft) | 2 Convertible Double Beds | Optional as extra |
| Active | Fiat Ducato 30 MH2 2.0 Multijet 115 Diesel | 8.4 m2 (90 sq ft) | 2 Fixed Double Beds | Integrated Bathroom with Shower |
| Califórnia | Volkswagen California BlueMotion Coast 2.0 TDI 102 | 7.5 m2 (81 sq ft) | 2 Convertible Double Beds | Optional as extra |
| Marco Polo | Mercedes V-Class Diesel, 2019 | 4 m2 (43 sq ft) | 2 Convertible Double Beds | Optional as extra |
| Atlas | Fiat Ducato Diesel, 2019 | 11.5 m2 (124 sq ft) | 2 Convertible Double Beds | Integrated Bathroom with Shower |
| Nomad | Fiat Ducato L2H2, 2.3 Multijet 130 Diesel | 8.4 m2 (90 sq ft) | 2 Convertible Double Beds | Integrated Bathroom with Shower |
References[]
- ^ Wise, Peter (2020-03-23). "Indie Campers hitches environmental ride with alternative to flying". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ Pimentel, Ana. "Já não são só autocaravanas. Indie Campers lança novos produtos e chega a mais 15 cidades na Europa". Observador (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ "O Erasmus também se faz nos negócios". Jornal Expresso (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ "Portugal Ventures sai da Indie Campers por 750 mil euros". Dinheiro Vivo (in Portuguese). 2017-10-02. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ Pimentel, Ana. "Portuguesa Indie Campers tem 150 vagas para estágios e empregos em 10 países". Observador (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ Kelly, Maxine (2020-03-02). "FT 1000: the fourth annual list of Europe's fastest-growing companies". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ Smith, Andrea. "This new service wants to help you rent out your campervan". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ "Indie Campers. O sonho americano numa carrinha de roadtrip". Dinheiro Vivo (in Portuguese). 2016-07-02. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
- ^ Chang, Brittany. "This camper van rental company will let you subscribe to book RVs for months or even years at a time — see how it works". Business Insider.
- ^ "Where We Are | Indie Campers".
External links[]
- Car rental companies
- 2013 establishments in Portugal