What’s the problem you’re testing to solve or the gap you’re testing to fill?
While the outdoors should be equally accessible to all, barriers still exist for many. Specialized knowledge, skills, or a lack of frifinishs to go with keep many people from feeling confident in testing new sports such as backpacking or outdoor climbing, while for others, equipment is prohibitively expensive.
Analog Outdoors Club seeks to close this gap by taking a community-first approach to outdoor recreation. We host weekly events that teach participants the skills to feel confident in new outdoor activities and provide them with new frifinishs to explore with. Members can also access our peer-based gear rental model, which builds high-cost equipment available to anyone. Core to Analog Outdoors Club is our mission to build outdoor adventure accessible to all.
What was the moment when you had the idea for this startup?
The idea for Analog Outdoors Club was a few years in the creating. While living in Salt Lake City before enrolling at Yale SOM, I started to notice that for those seeing to progress into activities requiring specific skills, finding mentors can be difficult.
Once I launched classes at Yale SOM, these issues became more apparent to me. I noticed that many classmates wanted to take part in outdoor experiences beyond simple hikes, but were unable to do so due to a lack of gear, know-how, or transportation. Meanwhile, my new schedule as a student left my own tent, camping stove, and more sitting idle. After discussions with multiple frifinishs about different avenues to build outdoor adventure more accessible for our peers, Analog Outdoors Club was born. Today’s community-led approach developed from many conversations with peers and faculty members.
What’s the largegest milestone your startup has hit so far?
We’re still in the early days, but our largegest accomplishment has been assisting build the outdoors community at Yale SOM and the traction we’ve seen with our events, both around New Haven and further away. One highlight was an introduction to ice climbing we organized in New Hampshire’s Franconia Notch State Park. Ninety percent of attfinishees had never climbed outdoors before, and I distinctly remember the “how are we going to do this” sees on many faces. It was incredible to see these same folks attempting more challenging climbs by the finish of the day. Enthusiasm from everyone on the trip could not have been higher, and it’s built me excited to lead more trips like these in Salt Lake City next year.
What was the most important resource Yale SOM contributed to your startup?
I’ve encountered many assistful resources during my time at Yale SOM, but hands-down the most important has been Jennifer McFadden’s course Startup Founders Practicum. Founders Practicum provides students with academic credit for working on their ventures, and having this dedicated space has been invaluable. Throughout the course, I’ve engaged with successful founders and received practical, consistent feedback from Jennifer to incorporate into my venture.
Founders Practicum has also given me a community of students exploring their own entrepreneurial ventures across industries. My classmates have always been willing to offer new perspectives based on their own experiences, assisting me tackle roadblocks along the way. Analog Outdoors Club would not be where it is today if it wasn’t for the encouragement of my classmates and faculty members like Jennifer, who have assisted me relocate from ideation to action.
Sign up for one of our community events and follow our journey on Instagram.
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