Electric Outdoors Closes Initial $1.3M Seed Round to Bring Its Sustainable Glamping Platform to Market

DETROIT, Michigan, Sep 16, 2024 – Electric Outdoors, Inc., a Michigan-based startup building sustainable off-grid camping solutions, has successfully secured a $1.3M initial closing of a $3M priced seed round. The funding round was led by Veolectra, Inc., an advanced EV technology product development company. Veolectra was joined by Michigan Rise and the Michigan Outdoor Innovation Fund, among several notable investors, and the round was facilitated by Varnum LLP.

"We are extremely excited to be announcing the first phase of our seed fundraising,” said Josef Hjelmaker, CEO and founder of Electric Outdoors. “This initial closing aligns perfectly with the introduction of our sellable pilot units to the market and will continue to feed our data gathering, research, and testing efforts, preparing us for scale.”

Electric Outdoors’ flagship product, the EO Canopy, is a first-of-its-kind destination glamping platform fully powered by sustainable sources, making energy, water, waste handling, satellite internet, and Level 2 EV charging available completely off the grid. In late August, the company launched its first commercialized pilot unit in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. 

The funding will allow Electric Outdoors to ramp up unit production and pilot testing in critical markets and with strategic partners in Michigan and Colorado, as well as hire pivotal team members. “We are proud and humbled by the strong support of our investors, and this puts us on a strong path to complete our full $3 million round before the end of the year,” said Hjelmaker.

Supporting the company’s mission to revolutionize how people access the outdoors sustainably, the EO Canopy enables landowners to unlock new land and destinations and generate new revenue streams without the burden and cost of infrastructure development. 

“Veolectra is pleased to lead this round for Electric Outdoors and is confident of the impact that the Canopy system will make on the next generation of outdoor adventures,” said Michael Van Steenburg, CEO of Veolectra. “The Canopy unlocks destinations that are too far away from the utility infrastructure but are still close to our hearts.”

Additionally, the Canopy, which is powered on the back-end by an AWS IoT cloud platform and proprietary app, takes a unique approach to energy management in an exposed-weather environment, opening up endless potential use cases, including government, military, and emergency response scenarios. "Michigan Rise is excited to support Electric Outdoors in developing a mobile infrastructure platform that will transform the electric recreational experience,” said John Tran, investor at Michigan Rise.

“Electric Outdoors is at the forefront of innovation in the industry and has the ideal team to bring their product to market,” said Jim Tenzillo, co-managing director of the Michigan Outdoor Innovation Fund. 

As the world rapidly moves toward electric mobility, and the next generation demands more eco-conscious experiences, Electric Outdoors’ innovative solution fills a previously untapped gap in the market. 

About Electric Outdoors, Inc. 
Electric Outdoors, Inc. develops technology and manufacturing that helps revolutionize how people enjoy the great outdoors sustainably. Its EO Canopy is an off-grid camping platform powered entirely by sustainable energy sources, offering everything EV drivers and other campers need to get away, charge, and disconnect. For more information, visit www.electricoutdoors.tech.

Media Contact
Sanna Boman
sanna@electricoutdoors.tech