Rectech Roundup: Where Outdoor Recreation Technology Is Actually Getting Built
Well, this is a fun test. Here on my personal blog, I'm writing about my research in the Outdoor Rec industry. I have spent years traveling the country and meeting with Outdoor Recreation founders, investors and public program leaders. It felt like there was still a gap in the discussion that left out a comprehensive view Outdoor Recreation Technology “Rectech”. This is even more so the case here in Silicon Valley. So here is my best effort to provide a lay of the land. Rectech is:
Not a COVID blip.
Not just a DTC gear story.
Not just RV marketplaces.
A real, multi-vertical ecosystem sitting at the intersection of mobility, hospitality, hardware, software, and community.
Starting October 2024, I’ve been compiling public data on venture capital-backed Rectech companies across software, consumer, and commerce: including RV, marine, hospitality, trail running, and hook & bullet categories.
Here’s what the data shows.
The State-by-State Leaderboard
If you rank states by total venture capital raised and companies formed in Rectech, a few things become very clear.
1. California Is Still the Epicenter
California accounts for more than 70% of all Rectech venture dollars raised.
That’s not dominance - that’s gravitational pull.
It’s more than 10x the capital raised by the #2 state.
The reasons aren’t surprising:
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Deep venture networks
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Strong technical talent
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Founder density
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Largest outdoor recreation market
If you're building Rectech in California, you’re operating inside the capital center of gravity.
2. Michigan Is the Quiet Climber
Michigan might be the most interesting story in the dataset.
In 2014, it ranked #6 overall in Rectech startup activity.
Since then, it has made the largest relative push of any state in the U.S.
That’s not accidental.
Michigan sits at a powerful intersection:
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Mobility & manufacturing DNA
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Outdoor culture
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Engineering talent
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Consistent public sector support
Rectech is a natural extension of those strengths.
3. Washington Has Durable Strength
Washington consistently punches above its weight.
The state combines:
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Deep technical talent
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Proximity to outdoor culture
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Consumer and enterprise software strength
That combination has produced durable companies across multiple Rectech subcategories.
4. Colorado’s COVID Surge - and Reset
Colorado started strong — ranking #2 overall in 2014.
It experienced the largest surge of Rectech companies founded during the COVID-era outdoor boom (2020–2021).
But as capital and founder trends normalized, Colorado has since settled back to #5.
Still a major hub.
Just operating in a more competitive national field.
Deal Activity: Not a Blip
Rectech venture deals have steadily increased since 2017.
Two years stand out:
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2021
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2024
Both saw outsized funding rounds.
2021 also produced several of the largest Rectech exits in recent memory, which makes sense:
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Peak outdoor participation
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Abundant growth capital
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Open IPO and M&A windows
The key takeaway:
The category didn’t collapse post-COVID. It recalibrated - and continued maturing.
What Actually Counts as Rectech?
For this dataset, I focused on VC-backed companies across:
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RV platforms & infrastructure
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Marine & overlanding
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Outdoor marketplaces
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Hospitality & experience booking
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Trail & endurance tech
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Hook & bullet commerce
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Vertical SaaS supporting outdoor operators
This excludes:
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Bootstrapped companies
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Traditional gear brands without venture backing
There are many phenomenal outdoor companies outside the venture ecosystem, but this analysis is specifically about capital-backed scale plays.
Capital Concentration vs. Ecosystem Spread
Two trends are happening simultaneously:
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Capital concentration remains extreme (California dominates).
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Geographic participation is widening (Michigan and others are climbing).
That tension is healthy.
If you’re building Rectech outside California, capital access may be harder; but, that constraint often produces sharper operators and more durable businesses.
The broader story:
Rectech is no longer niche. It’s a sector.
It sits at the intersection of:
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Mobility
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Marketplaces
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Community-driven commerce
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AI and logistics
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Climate & sustainability
And those intersections tend to compound.
Final Thought
Every emerging category has a moment where it shifts from “niche trend” to “structural sector.”
Rectech has crossed that line.
The capital curves are real.
The geographic competition is real.
The exits are real.
Now the question is:
Which ecosystem climbs the leaderboard next?
If you're building in Rectech, I’d love to compare notes.
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