Off-grid cabin startup Unyoked raises $28 million to expand in Europe

Sustainable, nature-focused off-grid cabin startup Unyoked has raised $28 million to extend its immersive nature experiences throughout Europe and the United Kingdom.

Launched in 2017 by twin brothers Cam and Chris Grant, the Sydney-headquartered company currently operates more than 100 cabins in Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. The startup has hosted more than 35,000 overnight stays.

Unyoked builds tiny cabins on rented land in remote, wild areas a couple of hours outside major cities, and invites stressed city workers to unplug, digitally detox, and get back to nature.

The late noughties trend of disconnecting and getting away from it all became a global movement post COVID-lockdowns, and Unyoked has continued to grow exponentially in recent years.

Speaking to SmartCompany from an Airbnb in East London — and sadly not a cabin in the Scottish Highlands — co-founder Chris Grant spoke about Unyoked’s journey to this exciting new raise.

“From very early on, we built the company with the idea to solve a problem that we were experiencing ourselves. We were spending too much time in the city, and were feeling friction from modern life and technology and working too much.”

Unyoked co-founders and brothers Cam and Chris Grant. Source: Supplied.

“This was a solution to get us out to nature more often and escape the city. As soon as we started telling people, we found that other people had the same problem.”

“There was no ‘global domination’ plan but as soon as we found that the problem was a universal one, we realised we could provide the solution to as many people as possible as well.”

Unyoked had raised $10 million in venture capital prior to this raise, including a $6 million round in November 2021 led by GCI’s Leap Capital Fund. Early investors included Real Tech Ventures and Adam Schwab, co-founder of Luxury Escapes.

“Back in 2016 I was working at Commonwealth Bank in the strategy department and had two monitors,” said co-founder Cam Grant. “One had a spreadsheet up generally, and then the other was cabin p*** — epic cabins in epic locations on Instagram.”

“We were just looking for something that gave us those experiences, got us out to nature and away from the corporate world. It just sort of happened, and soon we were building a couple of cabins.”

“And the more people we talked to the more we realised that this desire to escape the city is a universal thing. We were certainly further up the adoption curve, but everyone is looking for nature. Getting into nature is a core part of the human operating system. You go outside and you will feel something you just can’t in the city.”

Visitors to Unyoked cabins find themselves in remote, rolling countryside, native bushland, and vast landscapes with breathtaking views. All locations are within easy reach of big cities to allow travellers to leave the stresses of everyday life behind while living conveniently in their own private cabin in the bush.

“We believe in a world where people see and use nature like they do the gym,” said Chris Grant.

“Spending time outdoors is an important balance to our lives in an increasingly noisy and hectic environment. Many of us still don’t understand just how powerful it can be. The current round of funding is an important step in our journey to help change that and make it easier for people to access the many benefits of nature more often.”

Unyoked’s locations are carefully hand-picked to be totally secluded and uniquely immersive to help maximise travellers’ ability to connect with the outdoors and leave the experience feeling refreshed, rejuvenated, and “unyoked”.

The Sydney startup’s unconventional approach to inspiring more people to access nature has led to a collaboration with Hollywood star Matthew McConaughey, vinyl releases with Future Classic, and a recently released intimacy course with sexual wellness start-up Normal.

Unyoked builds eco-friendly cabins unconnected to modern systems. The cabins measure around 9m x 3m and include a compact kitchen and bathroom. They use only solar power, are heated with a wood fire, and have their own rainwater tank and composting toilets.