Recording of the Everything Marketplaces Group Chat #205 (1/20) with Alyssa Ravasio, who’s the Founder & CEO of Hipcamp. Hipcamp is the largest marketplace for booking campsites, RV parks, and unique outdoor stays. Hipcamp has also raised over $90M+ in capital from top investors like a16z, Benchmark, and Index Ventures.

‍0:05 intro
‍1:04 Alyssa's background
‍2:10 The founding story & first steps for starting Hipcamp
‍3:32 How Hipcamp solved the cold start problem
‍4:30 The role education initially played for users
‍5:32 Hipcamp's supply strategy
‍8:17 How Hipcamp has evolved & scaled
‍12:45 An overview of Hipcamp today
‍13:47 Expansion & growth for Hipcamp
16:04 Later stage challenges
‍18:42 How Hipcamp is leveraging AI
‍22:58 How Hipcamp has raised $90M+ in capital from top investors
‍24:59 Tips for early-stage marketplace founders
‍27:33 Group Q&A on marketplace trust & safety
‍29:21 Group Q&A on supply driving demand
‍32:08 Group Q&A on bootstrapping before raising venture capital
‍35:08 Group Q&A on early listing strategies
‍36:43 Group Q&A on network effects for Hipcamp
‍39:30 Group Q&A on user frequency
‍42:01 Parting marketplace advice
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Alyssa on Twitter/X: https://www.x.com/alyraz
Alyssa on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alyssa-ravasio-23114717
Hipcamp: https://www.hipcamp.com
Mike (Yoroomie) on Twitter/X: https://www.x.com/yoroomie
Mike (Yoroomie) on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yoroomie
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You can also find this group chat in audio format as an episode on our Everything Marketplaces podcast on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also connect with marketplace founders & leaders from our group chats in the Everything Marketplaces community.