Trailheads

While thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail in 2019, Sarah Berkeley grew frustrated that she couldn’t find a comfortable backpack made for women. After hiking, she contacted a few pack companies to suggest design changes but received little to no response. So, Berkeley took matters into her own hands, and in 2022, she launched Symbiosis Gear, which makes ultralight packs for women.

Before Berkeley launched her company, she was a website builder with an art background, so she possessed creative skills but had no formal training in product design. Plus, she had no experience with manufacturing or the many other steps required to build gear, bring it to market, and sell it successfully. Fortunately, she did have help from Founded Outdoors, a company that assists entrepreneurs in launching and growing outdoor businesses.

“They’ve been incredibly helpful,” says Berkeley. “They do a lot of educational training and networking events. They have peer-to-peer sessions where you can learn from people who are a little bit further ahead or have some knowledge you don’t have.”

Founded Outdoors works with about 500 brands and supports them through a Slack channel, online resource guides, virtual gatherings, accelerator programs, and in-person events. To access these resources, an entrepreneur must apply to join the Founded Outdoors community, and the applicant must be working at least five hours per month to build a business.

In addition, Founded Outdoors creates educational programming for REI’s Path Ahead Adventure Program, which supports BIPOC business owners. It also helps four U.S. states with programs benefitting entrepreneurs.

Increasing Access to the Outdoors

When Enhao Li and Katie Doherty launched Founded Outdoors in 2021, their mission was to increase access to outdoor recreation. “Outdoor business owners provide an important gateway to the outdoors,” says Doherty. “They introduce people to new activities and hobbies through knowledge, community, and equipment.” Li and Doherty believe emerging companies are critical in making the outdoors accessible because they identify unmet needs and speak to people who might not be traditional outdoor enthusiasts.

Earlier in their careers, Li and Doherty worked with start-ups in the tech industry. But they wanted to do something more aligned with their love of the outdoors. As they prepared to launch Founded Outdoors, they surveyed 100 outdoor industry members to see what resources were available for budding business owners. “We heard overwhelmingly that there was a real hunger for more community, for more industry connections, for more business building knowledge and expertise and mentorship,” says Doherty.

Providing Valuable Resources

Founded Outdoors first launched as a Slack group that included outdoor business owners across the country, and that platform remains a vital part of the organization. “Our Slack group is incredibly active,” says Li. “People are posting and answering questions on there all the time.”

“People share a lot of knowledge there,” says Berkeley of Symbiosis Gear. “It’s a great place to just post a question, and people respond.”

Another popular online offering is Founded Outdoors’ resource guide. “We gather all the information and learnings that have happened through previous events and things that other people have shared,” says Li.

To further assist entrepreneurs, Founded Outdoors also hosts a variety of virtual gatherings with business experts. During its Office Hours sessions, a subject matter expert will give advice on a particular topic, such as strategies for buying ads or the different options for financing a business. Sometimes, business owners will present Fireside Chats, where they share their history and journey to success.

During a virtual gathering, Berkeley met Lloyd Vogel, CEO of Garage Grown Gear. “I reached out and said, ‘Would you be interested in carrying this backpack?’ And he said, ‘Yes, we would.’ So that was huge,” says Berkeley.

While meeting CEOs and other experts is valuable, community members especially appreciate opportunities to interact with other people launching businesses. “During peer-to-peer opportunities, like roundtable discussions, they share their challenges and help each other solve problems,” says Li.

Through Founded Outdoors, Berkeley met another backpack manufacturer who introduced her to the owners of a factory. “Everybody’s just so supportive and willing to share resources,” says Berkeley.

Educating a Diverse Community

From its Slack channel to its roundtable gatherings, all of Founded Outdoors’ online offerings are free for community members. The organization can offer these things for free because it makes money through contracts with REI and a handful of states.

About 15 percent of the Founded Outdoors community comes from REI’s Path Ahead Ventures program for BIPOC entrepreneurs. Li and Doherty have partnered with REI to offer a month-long accelerator program that includes a cohort of people in the early stages of building businesses.

“The goal with those programs is to get the businesses to the next level,” says Doherty, noting that entrepreneurs learn how to understand their customers’ needs, build prototypes, acquire customers, and sustain the business financially.

About 5 percent of the Founded Outdoors community comes from state-sponsored education for business owners. “We’re seeing is that more state groups recognize the importance of supporting outdoor recreation businesses,” says Doherty, explaining that these companies help improve the population’s quality of life, create jobs, and drive the economy. Founded Outdoors has worked with state offices in Maine, Vermont, Michigan, and Alabama to educate owners of emerging companies.

While budding companies boost state economies, they also strengthen the broader outdoor industry.

“There’s recognition that small businesses drive the industry forward, especially when it comes to really knowing what customers need and want and bringing products to market quickly,” says Doherty. “Emerging brands play an important role in expanding the market.”