Into The Wild
SCU Into the Wild is a Santa Clara University student-run outdoor adventure club serving over 1,000 undergraduates annually with hiking, camping, rafting, and backpacking trips on a cost-recovery, grant-supported basis.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersSanta Clara, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Into The Wild does
Into The Wild (legally SCU Into the Wild) is a student-run outdoor adventure club at Santa Clara University, founded in 2009 and operating continuously for 16 years. The organization serves Santa Clara University undergraduate students through a portfolio of experiential offerings: multi-day Adventure Trips for incoming first-years held each September (9 trips of 12 students each), regularly scheduled overnight and day trips across each 10-week academic quarter (at least 30 trips per quarter), extended Spring Break trips to destinations such as Utah, Arizona, Hawaii, Grand Canyon, Zion, and Channel Islands, a free gear rental program covering backpacks, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, and tents, and a Leaders in Training (LIT) leadership development pipeline. Activities span day hikes, car camping, backpacking, rafting, mountain biking, kayaking, skiing, snowboarding, and surfing, with destinations concentrated in California (Yosemite, Big Sur, Sequoia, Point Reyes, Trinity Alps) and the broader Western United States.
The club operates on a strict cost-recovery basis without a profit motive, structured as an independent student organization led by an elected leadership team of approximately 26 students spanning President, Vice Presidents, Directors, Trip Leaders, and Leaders in Training. Revenue mechanics consist of per-trip ticket fees ranging from $40 for beginner camping to $120 for advanced rafting, supplemented by university grants that underwrite free Adventure Trips for incoming first-years and a confidential need-based Financial Aid Program that partially or fully covers ticket costs. Gear is provided free against a $60 refundable cash or credit-card deposit. Trip tickets are released weekly through the club's Squarespace-based website (Tuesdays at 8pm), with first-year Adventure Trip sign-ups using a hybrid lottery and first-come-first-served system opening in early July. There is no venture capital, private equity, or external ownership structure.
The organization has grown to serve over 1,000 undergraduate participants annually. Distribution occurs through Instagram (@scuintothewild), a weekly Monday email newsletter, in-person tabling at Benson Dining Hall, a Linktree hub, and word-of-mouth within the SCU community. All trip leaders complete Wilderness First Responder, Wilderness First Aid, and Mental Health First Aid certifications, with the LIT program underwriting certification costs. The club maintains minor mutual partnerships with SCU's Forge Garden and Center for Sustainability on environmental initiatives and runs collaboration trips with other campus organizations to broaden inclusivity and reach. The organization is headquartered in the ITW Office at Lower Benson Room 22 on the SCU campus.
Into The Wild firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Into The Wild
- Legal name
- SCU Into the Wild
- Website
- https://scuitw.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- SCU Into the Wild is a Santa Clara University student-run outdoor adventure club serving over 1,000 undergraduates annually with hiking, camping, rafting, and backpacking trips on a cost-recovery, grant-supported basis.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Into The Wild industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Outdoor Recreation and Adventure Services
- NAICS
- Recreational and Vacation Camps (except Campgrounds) (721214), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)
- SIC
- Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Outdoor Recreation & Adventure Programs (Trips, Climbing, Rentals) (EDALAIAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Youth Adventure Camps & Summer Programs (THAAAOAB), Life Skills & SEL Camps (Confidence, Executive Function, Social Skills) (EDAMALAO)
Keywords
Where Into The Wild is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Santa Clara
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Into The Wild business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Trip Participation Fees: Students pay ticket fees for individual trips ranging from $40 for beginner camping to $120 for advanced rafting trips. Pricing varies by trip duration, distance, and equipment requirements. Spring break and adventure trips are free for incoming first-years due to grant funding.
- Gear Rental Deposits: Free gear rentals secured with $60 refundable cash deposit or credit card authorization. Deposits returned upon timely gear return.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Beginner day trips and local excursions |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Intermediate backpacking and camping trips |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Advanced backpacking and rafting trips |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Gear rental with deposit |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
Into The Wild product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Into The Wild is a Santa Clara University student organization that plans and runs outdoor adventure trips for SCU students, including both single-day and multi-day excursions. The club also rents outdoor gear to students and runs a Leadership In Training (LIT) program to develop student trip leaders, supported by a Financial Aid Program to broaden access across the student body.
Product overview
Into The Wild is a Santa Clara University outdoor adventure club that provides students with outdoor experiences. The core offering consists of adventure trips for incoming first-years (September), regular weekend overnight and day trips throughout each academic quarter, and spring break trips. The club also operates a gear rental service (backpacks, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, tents) and a Leaders in Training (LIT) program for developing student outdoor leaders. A financial aid program supports students with financial barriers. The organization has been operating for 16 years and serves 1,000+ undergraduate participants annually.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Adventure Day Trips
- Multi-Day Adventure Trips
- Gear Rentals
- Leadership In Training (LIT) Program
Companies that use Into The Wild
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Into The Wild technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Into The Wild partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Forge GardenminorOn-campus sustainability partner. ITW collaborates with the Forge Garden to promote sustainable practices and environmental education among club members.
- Center for Sustainability (SCU)minorSCU's Center for Sustainability partners with ITW on environmental initiatives and sustainable outdoor practices education.
- Various SCU Campus GroupsminorITW leads collaboration trips with other student organizations on campus to reach students who may not otherwise opt to go on outdoor trips, promoting inclusivity and diversity.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Into The Wild competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School): NOLS is the leading wilderness education provider offering multi-day outdoor expeditions with strong safety and leadership training curricula, directly comparable to ITW's core trip and LIT programming but at a much larger, national scale.
- Backroads: Backroads runs active adventure trips (hiking, biking, rafting) for groups across the Western US, overlapping with ITW's destination mix (Yosemite, Zion, Grand Canyon) and target of experiential outdoor travelers.
- Outward Bound USA: Outward Bound runs outdoor adventure and education programs focused on character/leadership development with certified instructors, mirroring ITW's experiential leadership and life-skills training model for young participants.
- REI Co-op Experiences: REI offers guided outdoor trips and gear rentals across the US, directly overlapping with ITW's trip and gear rental services though REI serves a broader consumer audience.
Others
- Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics: Leave No Trace provides outdoor ethics education and trainer certification, closely aligned with ITW's partnerships with SCU's Center for Sustainability and its emphasis on sustainable outdoor practices.
Emerging players
- Avid4 Adventure: Avid4 Adventure provides outdoor multi-sport summer camps for youth covering hiking, kayaking, mountain biking, and skiing — overlapping ITW's activity mix and youth/college-age participant development focus.
- Adventure Treks: Adventure Treks runs multi-day teen adventure summer camps featuring backpacking, rafting, and mountain biking — a closely analogous youth-targeted outdoor adventure program with similar activities.
Direct peers
- Stanford Outdoor Outreach Program: Stanford's outdoor recreation program offers students gear rentals, day/overnight trips, and skill-based classes — a near-identical operating model to ITW but at a peer Bay Area university.
- UCLA Outdoor Adventures Center: UCLA's outdoor recreation program provides students with trips, gear rentals, and outdoor skills instruction, directly comparable to ITW's mix of adventure trips, gear rental, and training.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Into The Wild social profiles
Digital presenceInto The Wild financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Into The Wild leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Into The Wild funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Into The Wild 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 Into The Wild
What does Into The Wild do?
Into The Wild is a Santa Clara University student organization that plans and runs outdoor adventure trips for SCU students, including both single-day and multi-day excursions. The club also rents outdoor gear to students and runs a Leadership In Training (LIT) program to develop student trip leaders, supported by a Financial Aid Program to broaden access across the student body.
Is Into The Wild a public or private company?
Into The Wild is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Into The Wild founded?
Into The Wild was founded in 2009. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Into The Wild based?
Into The Wild is headquartered in Santa Clara, United States, in the North America region.
How does Into The Wild make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Trip Participation Fees are the primary driver. The others are gear Rental Deposits.
Who are Into The Wild's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School), Backroads, Outward Bound USA and REI Co-op Experiences. Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics is listed as an others. Emerging players are Avid4 Adventure and Adventure Treks. Direct peers are Stanford Outdoor Outreach Program and UCLA Outdoor Adventures Center.
Does Into The Wild have an API?
No public API is recorded for Into The Wild.
What industry is Into The Wild in?
Into The Wild's product category is Outdoor Recreation and Adventure Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDALAIAG, Outdoor Recreation & Adventure Programs (Trips, Climbing, Rentals), with a secondary code of THAAAOAB, Youth Adventure Camps & Summer Programs. Its NAICS code is 721214 and its SIC code is 7900.