Launched in 2015, Dutch-founded Goboony has just raised €6 million funding led by Amsterdam-based venture capital firm No Such Ventures for its platform that connects motorhome owners and travellers.
Motorhomes have long been a popular way to travel in Europe – offering users freedom to hit the open road. While travel and tourism have been massively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, motorhomes have proven to be a safe way to travel as they are a naturally socially distanced option – and the industry has seen a boom over the past couple of years with increased interest in stay-at-home tourism.
The latest figures released by the NCC (National Caravan Council) reveal record numbers of motorhomes and campervans were sold in the UK in the 12 months from 1 July 2020 to the end of June 2021, thanks to a continued growth in demand for UK holidays. A total of 16,608 new motorhomes were registered with the DVLA, an 8.25 percent increase on the previous record of 15,342 in the same period in 2018/2019 (pre-COVID).
Inspired by Airbnb, Mark de Vos and Foppe Mijnlieff started the Goboony platform in 2015 to focus on the motorhome and camper van community. The platform allows motorhome owners to earn back what they spent to purchase and maintain their vehicles. We included the innovative company on our top ten startups from Utrecht to watch in 2020 list.
Mark de Vos, Goboony’s CEO, commented: “In the past two years alone, the business has experienced triple-digit supply growth (236%) as a result of a strong increase in motorhome ownership across Europe and the growing popularity of ‘van life’ amongst the younger generations. Our platform is an international community where motorhome enthusiasts – owners and travellers – are connecting and sharing their passion for having freedom and adventure on the open-road. It’s an incredibly exciting place to be.”
Goboony now has over 5,000 vehicles on its platform, and they have already sent more than 100,000 people on holiday from the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Italy and Belgium. Earlier this month, Goboony launched activities in Germany and France, and is currently working on the launch of a new range of products across all regions – including insurance policies.
The investment from No Such Ventures will enable the young company to continue to ‘share the freedom’ across Europe, and support the business to focus on further international expansion, with an ambition to cement themselves as Europe’s top sharing platform for motorhomes.