Sékr, a startup that provides a mobile app for outdoor enthusiasts and campers, is releasing a new AI tool for planning road trips. The new tool, called Copilot, is available on the startup's updated website and app, which are used by more than 100,000 users.
Sékr was founded in 2016 with the aim of helping the “vanlife” community find campsites that meet their needs, such as shower facilities, toilets, overnight van parking, free Wi-Fi, etc. The app also allows users to connect with fellow travelers who want to join in outdoor activities like rock climbing and skiing.
The startup is under new leadership after being acquired by van company Peace Vans in December 2023. Sékr and Peace Vans CEO Harley Sytner has been a user of the app for seven years but noticed it was dormant last year. He learned that despite having a strong user base, the startup's founders were looking to shut down the app due to a sudden change in the global funding environment in late 2022. Sytner, a former product manager at Microsoft, was approached about acquiring Sékr in November 2023.
Eight months later, the startup is aiming to help people better plan their journey to their destination, while at the same time updating the app with enhanced features that stay true to Sékr's original mission.
Sékr is a new AI-powered road trip planning tool that combines natural language processing with proprietary data from a community of users who have left reviews and ratings for specific locations. Copilot also references publicly available data when creating road trip itineraries. The tool is powered by OpenAI's GPT, Meta's Llama, and more.
Image credit: Sékr
“For the millions of people traveling in vans, cars and RVs this summer, Sēkr Copilot will help you eliminate hours of trip planning and provide better itineraries, faster,” Sytner said in a statement. “While AI won't create panoramic sunsets, it will overcome notorious planning obstacles, prepare you for serendipitous moments, and connect you to authentic road trip experiences co-created by Sēkr's amazing community of passionate users.”
Copilot can be accessed through the startup's website or a new “Trip Planning” tab in the app. When users open the tool, they're asked to answer a series of questions about their destination and what they're looking for. The tool then provides a trip plan with an editable itinerary that includes campsites, stops for meals and outdoor activities.
The idea behind Copilot is to help travelers discover unique places they would never have known about otherwise. For example, the tool encourages travelers to check out a taco truck parked on the side of a dusty road in Baja that users say serves better food than a five-star Denny's outside of Los Angeles. Or, the tool encourages users to explore scenic, remote, and unmarked areas on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land.
Sékr is available for iOS and Android. The basic features of the app are free to use, and users can access premium features like offline maps, event discount codes, unlimited messaging and search for $4.99 per month.
The startup previously raised $2.25 million in seed funding led by Storyteller Overland, with participation from Backstage Capital, Techstars, Ad Astra Ventures, Crescent Ridge Ventures and GoFundMe co-founder Andy Ballester.