Calling All Outdoor Startups. We Want to Get Your Big Idea Funded

This summer’s Outside Summit and Festival includes a new pitch competition for outdoor industry and active lifestyle startups called Outside Ignite, providing support for the next generation of bright ideas.

Mel Strong, a founding partner of Next Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, was a moderator at the inaugural Outside Summit last year when she met an entrepreneur with a bold idea. His name was Matt Oesterle, and he was the CEO of a camping startup called Ramble, which aims to build full-service campgrounds in wild, natural settings, in contrast to the cramped, parking-lot-style RV parks that are now ubiquitous.

The two got to chatting and by the Summit’s end, Strong, who owns a campervan, was convinced Ramble had the potential to become the next big thing. So, she joined the board and added the startup to her firm’s investment portfolio. With that, the interaction between the two at an event designed to bring people in the outdoor industry together helped secure an investment in an up-and-coming business. Ramble now has two campground locations in Colorado, with more on the way.

All great outdoor brands start as a seed of an idea. An entrepreneurial spirit sees a problem or gap in the market and is willing to take a risk on a creative, out-of-the-box solution. But a startup can’t get going on its own. It needs support and funding. It needs a crowd willing to believe in the idea. That’s the concept behind Outside Ignite, a new startup pitch competition debuting at the Outside Summit this May in Denver, Colorado.

“For founders, it’s like hijacking the system,” Strong says. “Getting into a room of investors is really hard. But at Outside Ignite, you’ll have this diverse group of people ready and willing to solve big problems who are all united by a deep personal passion for the outdoors. We will all be rallying around this idea that we want to progress the outdoor industry, collectively.”

It’s all part of the 2025 Outside Festival and Summit, which combines the outdoor industry’s premiere networking and thought leadership event in the Summit with the fun-for-everyone Outside Festival, bringing outdoor films, major musical acts, and conversations with athletes and thought leaders to Denver’s Civic Center Park from May 29 through June 1.

To kick off day one of the Summit, Outside Ignite will bring together innovative founders from up to five startups with investors, VC partners, and other business leaders who can help take these early brands from seed to launch. The first place winner of the contest will receive a $100,000 valued prize and unique marketing opportunities. Awards will also be given out to a runner up and a People’s Choice Award, determined by a public vote.

The five startup founders who will pitch their ideas at Outside Ignite will be chosen from a rigorous selection process after an open call for applications that began in March. Finalists from that selection process will be announced in April for the chance to present their ideas in person at Outside Ignite on May 29. Those five finalists will receive support and pitch preparation help from REI Co-op Path Ahead Ventures, which offers full-scale assistance for rising entrepreneurs. Those finalists will then take to the stage in the recently revamped Denver Public Library for a chance to pitch their ideas to an esteemed panel of judges. The finalists and attendees will be led through the day’s events by emcee, entrepreneur, and former NFL linebacker Dhani Jones.

Judges for Outside Ignite have been curated from from every facet of what it takes to create a successful business, from branding and law to leadership and finance. The judges include Next Ventures’ Mel Strong, who will return to the Summit in a new role; Ariana Ferwerda, cofounder and CEO of apparel company Halfdays; Laura Medina, partner with global law firm Cooley LLP, who represents emerging growth companies; and additional judges who have yet to be announced.

“While only one company takes home the first prize, every participant in a pitch competition gains something valuable—potential customers, word-of-mouth exposure, and meaningful connections in the venture and investment space that can open doors to future opportunities,” says Ferwerda from Halfdays. “Networking is crucial in the early stages of a business, and the more you put your company and pitch in front of the right people, the greater your chances of success.”

So, what will it take to win? Judges say they’ll be looking for a promising startup that showcases industry innovation, market opportunity, financial viability, business feasibility, and a compelling pitch. They’ll be seeking big ideas and emerging possibilities in everything from AI and sustainable gear to the future of media and climate solutions, with concepts across travel, wellness, gear, and adventure tech.

“To exist in the outdoor industry, you have to be a different kind of thinker,” adds Strong. “I’m excited to meet those kinds of thinkers.”

Those looking to attend the Outside Ignite event will need to purchase a badge for the Outside Summit.