Lightship is the Future of RVs
HyperGuap Deal #2 - Electrifying & Modernizing the RV Industry
HyperGuap’s Versatility
When the HyperGuap VC syndicate was started, it was designed to broadly invest in a better future for humanity regardless of the company’s stage.
Our first deal at HyperGuap was a $10M investment into Carta through a secondary market transaction.
On the heels of that deal, HyperGuap demonstrated our versatility by swimming upstream to invest $250K in the pre-seed round of Lightship.
Lightship, is a company started by ex-Tesla engineers and early employees to bring RVs to the electric age.
A Modern Approach to RV Life
The irony of exploring nature while destroying it, has held the RV industry back for decades.
Lightship will be one of the world’s first electric RVs.
The Lightship RV will be designed like an EV — it’s aerodynamic, all electric, the inside is modern and connected with a big beautiful touch display, and on the roof, nothing but solar.
Lightship’s tech driven approach to the RV industry will be a market expanding opportunity in an industry that hasn’t had an innovative new entrant in decades.
The Time for Lightship is Now
Lightship is capitalizing on a convergence of trends including remote work, the electric vehicle revolution, and the desire for new travel experiences.
Starlink: SpaceX will soon deploy enough Starlink satellites to offer high-speed internet throughout the US with connectivity while moving. This will allow Lightships to always be connected.
Working remote: With the COVID-19 pandemic, people are used to living and working remotely. This trend will continue and people will look to find fun and novel ways to live and work on the go.
Battery technology & cost improvements: It’s finally feasible to build a relatively affordable ~200 mile range EV, with a towable RV solution.
Enjoy nature guilt free. No smelly, loud gas generator that forces you to pollute while you explore the outdoors. The fact that all RV solutions require fossil fuels has limited the market’s appeal to millennials and Gen Z. Lightship is changing that.
Right People to Build Lightship
The founders of Lightship, Toby and Ben, not only come from the leader in EVs, Tesla, but they are RV enthusiasts and users.
Toby and Ben took an aerodynamic RV from Colorado to California on the back of their Tesla, and had to stop at every charging station they could.
At one point, they even had to drop the trailer and come back and get it after they went ahead to charge their Tesla to avoid running out of battery.
By testing the current RV product with an EV, they are understanding the problems in the market and how Lightship can be the solution for the modern, electric age.
HyperGuap + Lightship
Many HyperGuap syndicate members were early investors in Tesla and are huge advocates for a green economy.
When we shared the Lightship deal with the HyperGuap syndicate, we received insane demand to invest in Lightship. In fact, we were so oversubscribed that we unfortunately had to turn away many investors given we only had $250K in allocation. This was with capping all HyperGuap investors at a $5K investment.
Gali had the chance to sit down with the Lightship CEO Ben Parker for a full day before proceeding with the investment. After the meeting, Gali was convinced that this scrappy engineer would build the necessary team to bring the Lightship to life.
We imagine a future with hundreds of Lightships on the road, traveling to National Parks, and changing the way we work and live.
Many HyperGuap members will be early adopters of this product.
This is a nod to the HyperGuap mantra of,
Invest in the future you believe in.
I know I want to use the Lightship product as soon as it’s ready.
Next Steps for You, the Reader
If you’re interested in pioneering a fun, electric, RV future — Lightship is hiring across several positions.
Or, if you’re simply interested in seeing the Lightship product come to life, you can subscribe to their newsletter on the Lightship website.
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If you have any questions or thoughts, please put it in the comments.
Very looking fwd to and interested in this! Definitely the future.