Roambler: Experience PA the local way
BIG IDEA Spotlight: Roambler
Editor’s Note: Designed to shine a spotlight on the variety of rural innovation bubbling up across the Pennsylvania Wilds, this article is part of a series that features six innovators who were named as finalists in the 2024 PA Wilds BIG IDEA Contest.
Growing up, Katie Caputo heard people complain that there was nothing to do in her beloved hometown of South Williamsport. She says that she wished that they could see what she saw, and have the experiences that she had—on the Susquehanna River, exploring the wildest parts of the PA Wilds. She wanted to connect people to the place she loved, and that was the river.
“I wanted to connect people with what I had when I grew up, spending time on the river. If I didn’t have that, I would feel different about my home town. I would hear others speak negatively about our hometown, but if they had what I had, they wouldn’t feel that way. There is such insane beauty here.”
In 2021, she started to turn her childhood dream of connecting people to the outdoor world she loved with a startup idea called Roambler: an online platform that matches local Pennsylvania guides with explorers.
“I had the idea of connecting more people in my town with guides, and I realized that my own community is really just a microcosm of everywhere else. I wanted to build a business that was able to scale and provide this everywhere in Pennsylvania, with a greater mission of providing better access to the outdoors,” she said.
The idea started with just pen and paper, and began to develop online. In 2021, the platform launched with 13 guided experiences, from boating to kayaking to Central PA mountain biking. And that is just the beginning. “The hope is to expand to the entire state of Pennsylvania with a large network of guides and guided experiences,” Caputo said.
Roambler offers a seamless experience for both guides and adventurers. “We have two customers,” Caputo said. “The first is the guide, who are able to offer their services without having to operate a brick-and-mortar business, pay rent, or scale down in the off-season. The second is the end user who wants to explore Pennsylvania’s outdoors and waterways but either lacks access or experience and skills to do so. Roambler does all of that: provides equipment and guidance to help people explore, sometimes for the first time.”
Roambler is not Caputo’s first innovation to help grow her local community. Before starting the platform, she and her brother had an idea for a ride-share program in their local community called Last Call. She says that her entrepreneurial pursuits are not only to benefit the PA Wilds and Pennsylvania, but also for her own family. “My two boys have been by my side throughout my entire journey and have gotten to see entrepreneurship from my point of view. I want to bring something good into the world for them.”
She says that the local ecosystem has helped support her as she grows Roambler. “The PA Wilds has been helpful, listing Roambler on their website as a member of the PA Wilds Cooperative. The Covation Center has been amazing throughout my business journey. Recently, I connected with our local SBDC for support with the Big Idea Contest application and their services were so helpful.”
She said that the Big Idea contest could make a huge impact on Roambler’s future. “So far, Roambler has been lean and bootstrapped. This could provide real funding to help market the brand and build onto the tools currently offered through the website. Winning would change everything.”
You can book your PA Wilds adventure at roambler.com.
About the PA Wilds BIG IDEA Contest Series: The PA Wilds BIG IDEA Contests were part of a three-year initiative funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Made possible by a collaboration between Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Central and Northern PA, PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program and Small Business Development Centers that serve the Pennsylvania Wilds, the contest took place annually, with each contest focusing on a different portion of the rural 13-county region and offering a chance to win up to $50,000. The 2022 contest included counties in the I-80 Frontier landscape, the 2023 contest included counties in the Allegheny National Forest & Surrounds and Elk Country landscapes, and the 2024 contest focused on counties in the Dark Skies and the Pine Creek Valley & PA Grand Canyon landscapes. After the three-year series concluded, more than $150,000 was invested in rural entrepreneurs, while participants who did not win cash prizes received invaluable technical assistance and business support. Additional details can be found at CNP.BenFranklin.org/BigIdea.
About Ben Franklin Technology Partners: The largest seed investor in our region, Ben Franklin Technology Partners (an initiative of the PA Department of Community & Economic Development and funded by the Ben Franklin Technology Development Authority) has been providing investment capital, business support services, and operational assistance to emerging tech-startups and small manufacturers for nearly 40 years. Since the start of the BIG IDEA contests, more than $3 million in cash prizes have been awarded throughout Ben Franklin’s 32-county footprint in central and northern Pennsylvania. The contest offers start-ups and entrepreneurs some much-needed seed funding, as well as business training, pitch experience, and industry contacts – often more valuable than the prize money itself. Learn more at www.CNP.BenFranklin.org. For more information, contact Karly Scala at karlyscala@cnp.benfranklin.org.
About the PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship: The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc., is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to integrate conservation and economic development in a way that inspires the communities of the Pennsylvania Wilds. The Pennsylvania Wilds is a 13-county region that includes the counties of Cameron, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Elk, Forest, Jefferson, Lycoming, McKean, Potter, Tioga, Warren, and northern Centre. The PA Wilds Center promotes the region and its 2+ million acres of public lands as a premier outdoor recreation destination as a way to diversify local economies, inspire stewardship, attract investment, retain population and improve quality of life. The PA Wilds Center’s core programs seek to help businesses leverage the PA Wilds brand and connect with new market opportunities, including: the Wilds Cooperative of PA, a network of more than 575 place-based businesses and organizations, and the PA Wilds Conservation Shop, a retail outlet primarily featuring products sourced from the WCO. For more information on the PA Wilds Center, visit www.PAWildsCenter.org. To learn more about the WCO, visit www.WildsCoPA.org. Explore the PA Wilds at www.PAWilds.com. Find regionally made products at www.ShopThePAWilds.com.
