Positive Adventures
Positive Adventures is a San Diego-based experiential education provider delivering customized multi-day outdoor programs for K-12 schools across California and the western United States, with supplementary summer camps and corporate retreats.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Positive Adventures does
Positive Adventures, LLC is a privately-held, San Diego-headquartered experiential education company delivering multi-day outdoor education programs to K-12 schools and school districts, primarily across California (Yosemite, Joshua Tree, Pinnacles, Big Bear, Idyllwild, Catalina, Big Sur, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz, Sequoia area) with extended backcountry operations in Utah and Nevada. Founded by Ryan Shortill and now led by CEO Melissa Lopez, the company serves students from 4th through 12th grade through residential camps, basecamp programs, coastal programs, and backcountry expeditions. Programs incorporate social-emotional learning, leadership development, environmental stewardship, and team building via activities such as hiking, rock climbing, ropes courses, and service learning. Group sizes of 50–200 students per program and a sequential curriculum framework (4th through 12th grade) anchor the core offering.
The core technology stack is operational rather than digital: a 150-page risk management policy manual with annual external audit, Cornerstone Safety Group membership, and alignment with Association for Experiential Education (AEE) standards. Staff are credentialed with Wilderness First Responder, Lifeguard, and AMGA certifications, with an internal Staff Portal supporting field operations. Distinct product lines include School Programs (custom quote-based), Summer Camps in San Diego (distributed via Active Network), ELOP Funded Programs (using California's Expanded Learning Opportunities Program funding), Custom Program Design, Youth Leadership Programs, and Corporate Retreats. Content marketing is supported by a HubSpot-hosted blog active from 2018–2025 and quarterly email newsletter.
Revenue is generated through professional services contracts: custom-quote, multi-day school programs (multi-year contracts, typically 3–5 days, groups of 13–15 within larger 50–200 student cohorts), San Diego summer camp registrations via the Active Network platform (pay-as-you-go), bespoke program design fees, and corporate/group retreats. Go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales to school administrators, conference/event presence, community-led referral from existing school partners, and content marketing. With 11–50 employees, Positive Adventures operates a relatively concentrated service delivery model where 80%+ seasonal staff retention and above-market compensation of $250/day for field facilitation function as the primary human-capital moat.
Positive Adventures firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Positive Adventures
- Legal name
- Positive Adventures, LLC
- Website
- https://positiveadventures.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Positive Adventures is a San Diego-based experiential education provider delivering customized multi-day outdoor programs for K-12 schools across California and the western United States, with supplementary summer camps and corporate retreats.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Positive Adventures industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Outdoor Education Services
- NAICS
- Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611), Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- School, University & NGO Outdoor Programs (Curriculum/Program Delivery) (THAAAOAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Educational Adventure Programs (Outdoor Education, Skill Development) (THAAAAAO), Youth Adventure Camps & Summer Programs (THAAAOAB), Corporate Outdoor Training & Team-Building Programs (Experiential Learning) (THAAAOAE), Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO), Outdoor Education & Adventure Programs (School-Run) (EDAJAJAJ)
Keywords
Where Positive Adventures is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Positive Adventures business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- School Outdoor Education Programs: Multi-day outdoor education programs for school groups (typically 3-5 days) sold directly to schools and school districts. Programs include residential camps, basecamp experiences, and backcountry expeditions. Revenue is generated through per-program fees based on group size, program duration, and location.
- Summer Camps: Summer camp programs in San Diego area sold through the Active Network registration platform (campscui.active.com). Camps offer daily adventure activities including surfing, hiking, and various outdoor experiences for youth participants.
- Custom Program Design: Bespoke outdoor education programming designed for specific school requirements, grade levels, and desired outcomes. Programs can be customized at various California locations including national parks, beaches, mountains, and retreat centers.
- Corporate and Group Retreats: Team building and leadership development programs for corporate groups and organizations beyond school settings.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Multi-year contract | School Program Pricing - Custom Quote |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Summer Camp Registration |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Field Staff Compensation - Starting Rate |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Positive Adventures product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Positive Adventures is California's premier experiential education company that designs and delivers multi-day outdoor education programs for K-12 schools and school districts across California and the western United States. Core offerings include school programs (residential camps, basecamp programs, and backcountry expeditions), summer camps in San Diego, ELOP-funded outdoor education, custom program design, and youth leadership development. Programs integrate social emotional learning, team building, environmental stewardship, and adventure activities such as hiking, rock climbing, and ropes courses.
Product overview
Positive Adventures offers a unified suite of outdoor education programs for youth, primarily focused on school-based programming and summer camps. The core offerings include School Programs (residential camps, basecamp programs, and backcountry expeditions), Summer Camps in San Diego, ELOP Funded Programs for California schools, and Custom Program Design services. Programs incorporate Social Emotional Learning, leadership development, environmental stewardship, and team building through activities such as hiking, rock climbing, ropes courses, environmental education, and service learning. The company operates across various California locations including national parks, coastal areas, and mountain retreat centers.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Staff retention rate exceeds 80%
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Positive Adventures
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Positive Adventures technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Positive Adventures partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Cornerstone Safety GroupcoreCornerstone Safety Group membership indicates Positive Adventures participates in third-party safety certification and industry safety standards. This membership provides external validation of the company's safety protocols and risk management practices, which is critical for school partnerships where student safety is paramount.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Positive Adventures competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Outward Bound USA: National nonprofit providing outdoor experiential education programs for schools, youth, and adults. Highly comparable to Positive Adventures in delivering multi-day adventure-based curricula focused on leadership, teamwork, and personal growth, with similar risk management intensity.
- NatureBridge: Operates residential environmental education programs in national parks (Yosemite, Olympic, etc.) for K-12 schools, with multi-day field science curricula. Closely comparable to Positive Adventures on school-based outdoor ed delivery, California footprint, and SEL/environmental stewardship integration.
- Project Adventure: Adventure-based experiential education organization providing programming, training, and curricula to schools and youth organizations, with emphasis on social-emotional learning, team building, and challenge-by-choice activities. Direct peer on pedagogy and youth market.
- Avid4 Adventure: Provides outdoor adventure summer camps and school programs (hiking, rock climbing, paddling, biking) for youth in multiple states. Comparable service mix, age range, and outdoor activity portfolio to Positive Adventures, with broader geographic reach.
- NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School): Premier wilderness education provider offering multi-day backcountry expeditions with rigorous risk management and instructor certifications. Comparable in curriculum depth, risk protocols, and youth/adult outdoor ed focus, though more expedition-oriented.
- The Road Less Traveled: Operates teen adventure travel and service learning programs nationally. Comparable on multi-day youth outdoor programming, community-led growth, and integration of service learning with adventure activities.
- Student Conservation Association: National organization offering youth outdoor service learning, conservation, and environmental stewardship programs. Highly comparable to Positive Adventures' environmental service learning and school-based programming tracks.
Regional players
- Aim High: Bay Area nonprofit running summer enrichment and outdoor education programs for public school students. Comparable on California K-12 audience, summer/after-school delivery, and SEL outcomes, with similar niche scale.
- Catalina Island Camps: Southern California-based residential summer camp offering multi-activity outdoor programming for youth. Comparable on California geography, residential camp model, and youth adventure activity mix, though summer-only.
Broad incumbents
- REI Co-op Experiences: National outdoor retailer operating guided outdoor experiences, classes, and school/youth programming through its co-op network. Broad incumbent overlap on outdoor instruction and youth programming, though not a dedicated school-program specialist.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Positive Adventures social profiles
Digital presencePositive Adventures financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Positive Adventures leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Positive Adventures funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Positive Adventures M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Positive Adventures
What does Positive Adventures do?
Positive Adventures is California's premier experiential education company that designs and delivers multi-day outdoor education programs for K-12 schools and school districts across California and the western United States. Core offerings include school programs (residential camps, basecamp programs, and backcountry expeditions), summer camps in San Diego, ELOP-funded outdoor education, custom program design, and youth leadership development. Programs integrate social emotional learning, team building, environmental stewardship, and adventure activities such as hiking, rock climbing, and ropes courses.
Is Positive Adventures a public or private company?
Positive Adventures is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Positive Adventures founded?
Positive Adventures was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Positive Adventures based?
Positive Adventures is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does Positive Adventures make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. School Outdoor Education Programs are the primary driver. The others are summer Camps, custom Program Design and corporate and Group Retreats.
Who are Positive Adventures's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Outward Bound USA, NatureBridge, Project Adventure, Avid4 Adventure, NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School), The Road Less Traveled and Student Conservation Association. Regional players are Aim High and Catalina Island Camps. REI Co-op Experiences is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Positive Adventures have an API?
No public API is recorded for Positive Adventures.
What industry is Positive Adventures in?
Positive Adventures's product category is Outdoor Education Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAAAOAD, School, University & NGO Outdoor Programs (Curriculum/Program Delivery), with a secondary code of THAAAAAO, Educational Adventure Programs (Outdoor Education, Skill Development). Its NAICS code is 611620 and its SIC code is 8200.