1.5M+
rooftop tents in circulation globally
Installed base of rooftop tents creates a large potential rental supply.
Investor Overview
Roofwander
The rooftop tent marketplace shaping how people rent, experience, and decide.
Founded2025, 7 October
HeadquartersBrussels
Team3 founders
StageMarketplace live
Market Context
Rooftop tent travel is booming
Outdoor travel is accelerating. Rooftop tents are emerging as a flexible alternative to camper vans.
0× Search interest growth
Show chart
Source: Google Trends, 2016 – March 2026. Relative search interest (0–100).
Major outdoor brands entered over the last 5 years
A rooftop tent is a foldable sleeping system mounted on a vehicle's roof rack.
Typical characteristics:
- Price range: €1,200 – €4,000+
- Installed on vehicle roof bars
- Setup time typically under 5 minutes
- Allows sleeping anywhere while road-tripping
Two main categories:
Soft shell
- lighter
- lower price
- manual unfolding
Hard shell
- faster setup
- more durable
- higher price
AI makes it cheaper than ever to build marketplaces, but not to build liquidity.
The real opportunity is to move early, build supply and community, and create network effects before the category consolidates.
THE PROBLEM
Rooftop tents remain underutilized in a fragmented market
Rooftop tent demand is growing, but access, usage, and decision-making remain inefficient.
Idle assets
- Tents are used only 10 to 30 nights per year
- Owners hesitate to rent due to hassle and risk
- No simple, trusted way to monetize idle tents
Limited rental access
- Few rental operators
- Availability tied to specific locations and dates
- Limited tent models available for trial
Difficult purchase decisions
- Buyers rely mostly on specs and marketing
- Large price differences between models
- Hard to compare tents based on actual use
This creates a gap between unused rooftop tents and travelers who want to try rooftop camping. A gap few players are solving.
THE SOLUTION
A trusted rental marketplace powering smarter buying
Roofwander combines rentals, real-world reviews, and product discovery in one system.
Rental-first marketplace
- Owners and professional partners rent safely
- Roofwander handles bookings, payments, deposits, and insurance
↓
Real-world reviews
- Every rental generates feedback on the tent and the trip
- Reviews improve trust and product understanding
↓
Comparison-first buy side
- Users compare rooftop tents based on real-world experience
- Roofwander connects discovery to purchases through affiliate links
MARKET POSITIONING
Rooftop tent travel sits at the intersection of flexibility and affordability
It combines the advantages of vans and traditional rentals, without their main constraints.
Comfort / Convenience Flexibility / Freedom
Affordable Expensive
Rooftop tent travel overlaps with multiple existing travel options and can capture part of their demand depending on the use case.
THE SYSTEM
How Roofwander works as a system
From rooftop tent supply to rentals, product discovery, and affiliate purchases.
SEO
Content
Paid Ads
Partnerships
↓
Private Owners one or a few listings
Professional Partners shops, resellers, rental operators
↓
Listings structured listing data · availability · brand / model · compatibility · pricing
variants
↓
Search & Booking Marketplace search · filters · booking requests · payments · reviews
↓
Trips, Reviews & Usage Data real travel experiences · tent reviews · user-generated trust signals
↓
Product Discovery & Comparison brand pages · comparisons · guides · gear discovery
↓
Affiliate Purchases rooftop tent purchases · accessories · affiliate revenue
↓
Tracking
Analytics
Retargeting
Lifecycle Communication
MARKET SIZE
A growing global rooftop tent market
Rooftop tents sit at the intersection of outdoor travel, road trips, and overlanding culture.
7.5% – 9%
annual market growth
Driven by outdoor travel, road trips, and overlanding culture.
Anyone with a car
potential rooftop tent traveler
Weekend explorers, road-trippers, families, and first-time campers.
A large and expanding installed base with strong consumer appeal.
Rental demand
120k
high-intent rental searches
Indicates strong demand for rooftop tent rentals across Europe.
Purchase market
€64M
rooftop tent revenue
29K tents sold · €2,200 avg. selling price
Sources: Cognitive Market Research (purchase market, 2024) and Google Search data (rental demand, 2024).
European launch strategy
Roofwander launches in Europe starting with markets where rooftop tent demand and supply already exist.
Initial focus markets:
- Belgium
- France
These markets combine:
- growing rooftop tent adoption
- strong road-trip culture
- dense travel networks
Second expansion wave:
- Germany
Germany represents the largest rooftop tent market in Europe and anchors the next wave across the rest of the continent.
The platform expands region by region, building supply density and local liquidity before entering new markets.
Beyond Europe, the U.S. rooftop tent market is estimated to be around 1.5× the size of Europe, creating a meaningful long-term expansion opportunity once the European model is validated.
Now
Belgium & France
Launch markets with existing rooftop tent demand and supply.
Next
Germany & rest of Europe
Scale out from Germany into adjacent European markets as local liquidity and supply density grow.
Later
United States
Roughly 1.5× Europe in market size, unlocked once the European model is proven.
P2P platforms
e.g. Leboncoin, Facebook Marketplace
- fragmented listings across classifieds and forums
- no integrated booking system
- no trust infrastructure (payments, deposits, reviews)
Rental operators and resellers
- professional rental fleets
- limited locations and model selection
- inventory tied to physical shops
Brands
- strong product manufacturing
- single-brand perspective
- no rental marketplace or try-before-buy loop
Roofwander connects fragmented supply, adds trust and payments, and creates a discovery
layer where travelers can rent, compare, and eventually purchase rooftop tents.
PRODUCT ROADMAP
Product roadmap
Live today
P2P rentals
- Owners can create listings
- Travelers can search and request bookings
- Payments, deposits, and reviews are already handled through the platform
↓
Next step
Professional rentals (B2C)
- Outdoor shops and rental operators can list inventory directly on the platform
- This expands supply and improves booking availability
MVP ready: end of April · Full version: end of the year
↓
Then
Buy side
- Users compare rooftop tent models based on real-world rental experience
- Product discovery connects to purchases through affiliate links
- This converts rental demand into equipment sales
MVP ready: May
↓
Later
Pro Hub (B2B)
- Tools for professional partners and brands
- Examples: partner dashboards, booking analytics, operational insights
- MVP only when brands ask for it
Rental generates cheap traffic, trust, and real usage data that we monetize above just rental and it strengthens the platform over time.
1
Owner lists tent
Owners publish rooftop tents with photos, pricing, and availability.
→
2
Traveler books
Travelers search, select dates, and pay securely through Roofwander.
→
3
Trip happens
The trip takes place, with deposits and reviews handled by the platform.
→
4
Owner gets paid
Payouts are released after the trip, with disputes and support managed centrally.
Simple economics:
- owners set prices (typically €20–€60 / night)
- average booking value is around €200
- Roofwander takes ~15% commission per booking
Pro rentals
- lower CAC through B2C and B2B relationships
- more availability and model coverage
- strong inbound demand from outdoor shops and rental operators
Buy side
- comparison-first product discovery based on real trips
- ~10% affiliate commissions on rooftop tent sales
- ~€220 average revenue per sale
Pro Hub
- brands and resellers connect—quotes, product info, analytics
- tools and pro features; after marketplace validation
Non-rental revenue can reach ~50% of total revenue by Year 3.
TRACTION
Early traction across supply, usage, and discovery
Roofwander is already live, with early marketplace activity and growing visibility. Early opportunity—get in before the flywheel scales.
164
active tents
Sharetribe API
23
transactions
Sharetribe API
310
users
Sharetribe API
11
reviews
Sharetribe API
5
brand partners
6,451
unique visitors
PostHog API
Unique visitors — Live from PostHog
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Weekly visitors by channel
Top regions (GeoIP, unique visitors)
| Country | Visitors |
|---|
Users — Live from Sharetribe
Real-time user breakdown by type:
—
Owners
—
Renters
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Reviews — Live from Sharetribe
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How we grow:
Paid acquisition
- Test channels such as Google Search, paid social, and other targeted acquisition sources
- Focus on learning which channels bring the best intent and conversion quality
- Scale only the channels that prove efficient
SEO
- Continuously build location pages, brand pages, guides, and comparison content
- Let indexed pages compound over time into lower-cost traffic
Product improvement
- Improve the marketplace continuously based on user behavior and funnel data
- Strengthen conversion, trust, and retention as traffic scales
Closing note
The goal is not only to grow traffic, but to improve traffic quality, conversion, and marketplace efficiency over time.
Loading live channel data…
| Channel | Visitors | Views |
|---|
UNIT ECONOMICS
Marketplace CAC is constrained by per-booking contribution margin
Both sides of the marketplace matter. We lay out our assumptions so you can stress-test them.
~€40
Margin per booking
€200 avg booking, 15% take rate, minus ops costs. Room to grow with insurance and affiliate.
2x / 20x
Bookings per user
A renter books ~2x. An owner hosts ~20x. One owner supports ~10 renters.
< €40
Max CAC per booking
Each booking must earn more than it costs to acquire. Current ceiling: €36/booking (renter), €4/booking (owner).
Renter acquisition
- SEO + paid search
- Referrals
Owner acquisition
- Community + direct outreach
- Referrals
CAC allocation shifts depending on the bottleneck: supply or demand.
- More listings and reviews improve conversion and trust
- SEO and content compound into organic traffic over time
- Referrals and brand awareness grow with usage
As liquidity and organic discovery improve, acquisition becomes cheaper and more predictable.
FINANCE
Forecast based on demand, capture rate & geographic rollout
Low fixed costs. Marketing is the main lever. Revenue scales with demand.
Rental activity (core marketplace)
Monetization
| Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| P2P bookings | 636 | 5.1k | 9.2k |
| Pro bookings | 0 | 563 | 2.3k |
| Affiliate sales (units) | 0 | 1k | 2.3k |
| Marketplace revenue (€) | €23k | €207k | €436k |
Rental activity
Bookings = search demand × capture rate, scaled by geographic rollout.
- Y1: BE, FR partial
- Y2: DE, NL, IT
- Y3: broader Europe
Capture rate: Y1 2.4% · Y2 7.3% · Y3 12.1%
Monetization
Affiliate sales come from two sources:
- ~10% of renters buy after trying
- Buy-side capture from search and comparison traffic
Buy-side capture rate: Y1 0% · Y2 0.56% · Y3 1.56%
Marketing is the biggest cost. Development is in-house (time + salaries), not cash burn.
- Marketing: paid acquisition, scales with demand
- Salaries: marketing, supply, ops
- COGS: payment processing, support (~4-9% of revenue)
- Development: in-house, maintenance + incremental
- G&A: admin, legal, tools
Variable-heavy: marketing and salaries drive growth; COGS and development stay lean.
| Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | Y5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cumulative Owners Acquired | 212 | 1,877 | 3,809 | 6,323 | 9,499 |
| Active Owner (year end) | 193 | 1,738 | 3,359 | 5,353 | 7,752 |
| Cumulative Travelers Acquired | 649 | 6,021 | 15,186 | 28,754 | 47,314 |
| Active Travelers (Year-End) | 384 | 3,062 | 5,741 | 8,655 | 12,105 |
| P2P bookings | 636 | 5,069 | 9,214 | 14,293 | 20,011 |
| Avg commission per Booking | €36 | €37 | €39 | €41 | €42 |
| P2P Annual Revenue | €23k | €189k | €358k | €579k | €848k |
| Pro bookings | — | 563 | 2,303 | 4,764 | 8,576 |
| Pro Avg commission | — | €32 | €34 | €36 | €37 |
| Pro Annual revenue | — | €18k | €78k | €169k | €320k |
Buy-side
| Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | Y5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rooftop Tents Sold (Units) | — | 687 | 1,507 | 3,918 | 5,734 |
| Avg Affiliate commission (tents) | — | €230 | €237 | €244 | €251 |
| Rooftop Tents Affiliate Revenue | — | €158k | €356k | €955k | €1.4M |
| Accessories Sold (Units) | — | 343 | 754 | 1,959 | 2,867 |
| Accessories Affiliate Revenue | — | €7k | €16k | €43k | €65k |
| Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | Y5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total revenue | €23k | €372k | €808k | €1.7M | €2.7M |
| Employees | 3 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| Revenue per Employee | €7.6k | €53k | €101k | €218k | €334k |
We assume entering the U.S. market in Year 4. We share full financials on demand.
| Y1 | Y2 | Y3 | Y4 | Y5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P2P Revenue | €23k | €189k | €358k | €579k | €848k |
| Affiliate Revenue | — | €165k | €373k | €999k | €1.5M |
| Pro Revenue | — | €18k | €78k | €169k | €320k |
| Total Sales | €23k | €372k | €808k | €1.7M | €2.7M |
| COGS | €2k | €19k | €43k | €76k | €123k |
| Gross Margin | €21k | €353k | €766k | €1.7M | €2.6M |
| Operating Expenses | €95k | €527k | €779k | €961k | €1.2M |
| Net Income | €(74k) | €(175k) | €(13k) | €532k | €1M |
| EBITDA | €(74k) | €(175k) | €(13k) | €710k | €1.4M |
TEAM
Team
Our team has complementary skills and a shared passion for outdoor travel.
Sebastian drives strategy, finances, SEO, and operations.
Sebastian de Biolley
CEO & Co-Founder
Samuele leads product development, infrastructure, and technical planning.
Samuele Lensi
CTO & Co-Founder
Lucas leads business development, partnerships, and marketing.
Lucas Darde
COO & Co-Founder
Disciplined execution, fast learning, and early risk testing
All founders are 100% dedicated, set weekly objectives Sunday, align every Monday, and proactively test capabilities ahead of need to understand limits early and avoid bottlenecks.
Tech ownership as a structural advantage
We own and build the marketplace features ourselves, enabling continuous data-driven UX improvement at no marginal cost, unlike competitors who outsource technology.
Clear ownership and proven founder commitment
Each founder owns a clear domain end-to-end and is accountable for outcomes, with the team working together full-time for 8 months without salaries, showing strong alignment and long-term commitment.
THE ASK
The Ask
Raising a pre-seed round. Amount and terms will be available in July 2026.
Use of Funds
Click segments for details
Team & Execution
60%
Salaries, customer support, part of development. Main driver of execution.
Growth & Liquidity
25%
Paid marketing, events, materials. Build liquidity in core markets.
Product & Development (Tools + Infra)
10%
Hosting, tools, infra. Most dev is in salaries.
Admin & G&A
5%
Legal, accounting.
No equity or debt included; cash deficit indicates required funding. Financial plan — Roofwander. For the year ended December 31.
| 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cash at Beginning of Period | €— | €(60.6k) | €(259.3k) | €(355.2k) | €107.5k |
| Cash From Sales | 22.7k | 347.5k | 725.3k | 1,544.2k | 2,332.4k |
| Cash paid for Direct Expenses | (2.0k) | (19.0k) | (42.9k) | (76.2k) | (122.8k) |
| Cash paid for Marketing | (21.5k) | (158.8k) | (223.8k) | (272.4k) | (366.8k) |
| Cash paid for G&A | (5.0k) | (22.3k) | (48.5k) | (87.4k) | (133.7k) |
| Cash paid for Development | (8.1k) | (22.3k) | (48.5k) | (69.9k) | (80.2k) |
| Cash paid for Customer support | — | (18.6k) | (40.4k) | (87.4k) | (133.7k) |
| Cash paid for Salaries | (59.9k) | (305.1k) | (417.1k) | (444.0k) | (472.8k) |
| Cash paid for Loan Interest | — | — | — | — | — |
| Cash paid for Income Tax | — | — | — | (44.4k) | (218.3k) |
| Net Cash from Operating | €(73.8k) | €(198.6k) | €(95.9k) | €462.7k | €804.2k |
| Cash from New Investments | 15.0k | — | — | — | — |
| Cash paid for Fixed Assets | (1.8k) | — | — | — | — |
| Net Cash from Financing | €13.2k | €— | €— | €— | €— |
| Cash at End of Period | €(60.6k) | €(259.3k) | €(355.2k) | €107.5k | €911.7k |