"I Hiked to heal."
We use tech to track our steps, sleep, and screen time. What if we used tech to help us unplug? Now, there is an app for that.
Lestarya Molloy is the founder of Fridie Outdoors, an app designed to make camping know-how more accessible, especially for people who are new to the outdoors. “We partnered with fellow outdoor educators to create curriculum and straight-to-the-point guides on how to do the most common things,” said Molloy.
The app provides tips about everything from what to pack for an overnight outdoors to how to safely cook meals over a fire, all designed to work in an offline setting. “The moment of inspiration was seeing multiple people struggling to build their campfire or get their tent set up,” she says. “I kept hearing people say, ‘I thought I’d be able to look this up,’ while raising their phone to the sky in search of a signal.”
Lestarya’s relationship with the outdoors changed forever when her parents passed away within three years of each other. At just 11 years old, she moved to San Francisco to live with extended family. There, she was introduced to hiking. “That was an extremely tough time,” says Molloy. “I hiked to heal.”
Finding joy and happiness on trails and campsites became a core part of Lestarya’s dream to get more people to experience what she did. “Nature did wonders for my brain, my health, my happiness,” she said. “I thought about how I could make camping more accessible to millions of people, particularly people of color who need nature now more than ever.”
Molloy used her decade of tech industry expertise to develop her prototype. While participating in Embark, a program developed by REI Co-op Path Ahead Ventures and Founded Outdoors that provides resources and guidance to new and aspiring entrepreneurs of color, she got the validation she needed to build Fridie Outdoors full-time. “I felt uniquely positioned to create an outdoor tech company as a Black and Asian woman,” said Molloy. “It’s given me a different perspective from a cultural standpoint, and I have the background to scale it up.”
"Being Black is a compass for me..."
Fridie, named after her family, is a way to honor her roots. “It’s also a way to honor where we’re at and where we’re going,” Molloy says. “And with diversifying the outdoors, there’s so much meaning in a name.” Since launching in 2023, she has seen that change start to take place. “90% of people of color on our platform have shared that they are more confident going camping,” said Molloy. “75% are spending more time outside.” Molloy believes that as more people
give themselves the freedom to step onto a campground, they’ll find a liberation that they can’t get anywhere else.
“I realize there is a different history with the outdoors that we bring into our decision to go out into the woods,” says Molloy. “Being Black is a compass for me in how we are creating a different outdoor ed-tech platform.” Only about 1% of founders in the outdoor industry are founders of color, the same as the
tech industry.
Fair or not, Molloy acknowledges the pressure of being a Black founder in the outdoor industry. “It’s not just about Fridie Outdoors,” she says. “It’s about being one of many companies that will pave the way for even more Black founders to get into entrepreneurship.”
Lestarya continues to create pathways for others. Whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned adventurer, Fridie provides the knowledge and inspiration to make the outdoors a transformative experience that will feed your mind, body, and soul.
▪️ PHOTOS BY Sidnee Adler
Featured in Issue No. 6
In the "Outside Issue", we partnered with REI's Path Ahead Ventures to highlight entrepreneurs in the outdoor industry. Founders of color represent only an estimated 1% of outdoor entrepreneurs. We celebrate founders who are making waves and forging new paths for everyone.
