Seekqua: Sharing Gear and Sharing Outdoor Passion

Michael Boles, an OSU-Cascades graduate, launches outdoor gear rental app to bridge the gap between locals and tourists

By Allie Noland

As Seekqua grows in Central Oregon, Boles said he’s excited to see it expand in other locations.

Just like Poshmark, Mercari and other popular rental apps, there is a small 10% markup on the rental side to pay for app services. If people fail to return or “steal” gear, they will be charged the market value price. This policy ensures protection for renters.

“It's been really tough, but I want to kind of break down this barrier between tourists and locals,” Boles said. “I see a lot of gatekeeping. And I understand that there's a time and a place for it, but people can be uncool about it. We're all people and we all want to live our best lives, so I just want to connect people through this.”

The app’s spring update will include a demo (rental) option and buy option. People can choose to rent out or sell their gear, offering users a way to try gear out before they spend the big bucks. The update is expected to launch at the beginning of April.

Boles sees the app as a connection to human interaction, to people’s stories, to uniting tourists and locals, to get outside, to explore.

“Seeing the trends of people's screen times going up, growing up as Generation Z, I’ve noticed that there needs to be a balance to that,” Boles said. “In my personal life, I've found the balance in outdoor recreation. I've seen trends grow in that as well, where I think other people also agree with me. You know, spend a whole day on your laptop or your phone. You need to balance that out and have like a real pure experience outside in nature. And I want to bring more people to have that option, have that accessibility to go outside and do cool things that are going to push them outside of their comfort zone. Show them just how to take risks and find friends and community in that sense.”

With his soft launch and quick success, Boles is looking for funding to expand his app, solidify a strong insurance plan and raise capital, he said. The Seekqua app is available at the App Store and Google Play.