Startup · 01
Space Campers
We started Space Campers in 2020, not long after Tesla announced the Cybertruck. The vehicle itself was a genuinely uncertain thing to build a business around. What Tesla first promised as a two-year timeline stretched to about four, slowed further by COVID-era supply chain problems, and the eventual launch landed into a politically charged moment for the brand. We started with a full wedge camper design, and when the challenges forced us to pivot, we built the truck shell into production instead. By the time we closed the business in 2026, we'd delivered twenty finished truck caps to twenty happy Cybertruck owners. Here's how the product ended up.
The Opportunity
Going after the Cybertruck wasn't just about the shape working well for a shell, it was strategic. A genuinely new geometry meant we could patent it early and effectively corner the market for that specific look before anyone else moved. The Cybertruck's subtle curvature and unique geometry also meant existing truck shell and camper companies couldn't just adapt their existing tooling, they'd have to start from scratch, which bought us time as a specialized new entrant.
Our Strategy
Tesla was also at the peak of its popularity, everyone wanted in on anything Tesla-adjacent, and we knew a well-built product in that space had real potential to go viral. Riding that attention was the whole strategy. We did the CAD design work, built a website, and opened presales for the wedge camper at a hundred dollars a reservation. More than 500 people signed up, representing about $12.5 million in potential orders, and a press release around the launch landed major headlines too.
Tesla Delays
We were ready to turn that presale momentum into a real fundraise and go after a seed round. Then Tesla announced the truck would be delayed by at least two more years, and we had to rethink our strategy. We stayed committed to the project. We'd already put too much into it to walk away, so we raised a small pre-seed round instead, about $100,000 from friends and family. We decided the best way to stay relevant during the wait was to build a full prototype wedge camper on a mock Cybertruck we built ourselves, mounted on a trailer, and use that prototype to fuel an even stronger seed round once the Cybertruck got closer to actually shipping.