2020 saw the biggest spike in van conversions and van rentals in history. The global pandemic impacted most of the resources used by many campervan and RV travelers around the world: gyms closed down, public showers and campsites were no longer accessible, and even the National parks weren’t accepting visitors. A few companies created an alternative to fill these gaps. One start-up, out of Santa Cruz, is Vanly, where you can find and rent private parking spaces, most including amenities, all around the United States. Started in 2019, Vanly was developed by UCSC students to help their friends and classmates who lived in vans find safe and legal overnight parking. Today, Vanly is accessible to anyone traveling in their vehicle and any landowner willing to share their extra parking space. You can find unique listings in all 50 states in the US that, besides parking, offer different amenities like Wifi, pet play space, bathroom, shower, and even office space.

Every traveler knows that safe overnight parking can be hard to find in many areas. Private driveway spots offer a simple solution to avoiding parking tickets, loud retail parking lots, and angry knocks on your door telling you to buzz off. With Vanly, you’re given the comfort of knowing that you are allowed to park, and more importantly, welcomed by hosts all across the country.

To make the experience easier, Vanly just launched a mobile app on the Apple AppStore and Google Play Store. The Vanly app offers everything that our website offers in a more convenient mobile version. This means booking on-the-go is even easier than before. Many hosts offer instant booking, allowing you to secure your overnight parking space last minute and without delay. In reality, campsites fill up quickly, and scenic road trips require stops in not-so-scenic locations. Sometimes you need good WiFi, or to fill up your water tank, or plug into power for a day or two. Vanly is here to fill those gaps. We have listings around national parks, in rural areas with beautiful properties, and simple driveways in every major city in the United States. 

From campervans and RV travelers, to fire evacuees and people forced to live in their vehicles out of economic necessity, Vanly has been providing an extra resource for all those who live or travel in vehicles. Santa Cruz is one of the largest hubs in the US for campervans and RV travelers. Many factors have led to people living and traveling in their vehicles in the small beach town. This drove the city to make overnight parking illegal in most areas around the city. Vanly is a great solution for Santa Cruz and other cities that continue to struggle to accommodate vanlifers and vehicle dwellers who find themselves without safe parking or basic amenities.

Today, Vanly is about to kick off its seed round of funding to continue its growth and expand its userbase by boosting its marketing efforts. If you know of any early-stage investors that have marketplace experience and could be a good fit, you can reach out to the co-founder, Giulio Colleluori, at giulio@vanly.app.

Vanly is a participant in the 4th cohort of Santa Cruz Accelerates.

Vanly was a runner up in the 2019 Startup Challenge, Social Venture Division.