Fayetteville startup automates access for hunting, fishing trips
by December 26, 2021 2:49 pm 4,283 views
People prepare to board an airplane at Springdale Municipal Airport that's bound for a duck hunting trip in Stuttgart. Fayetteville-based startup American Hunt lists on its website various hunting trips and land leases.
Nick Olano, co-founder and CEO of Fayetteville-based startup American Hunt Inc., had struggled with the high cost to lease hunting spots while living in Louisiana and the lack of websites offering spots for day access after he moved to Arkansas.
Olano recently launched website americanhunt.com that allows hunters and anglers to purchase guided outdoor adventures and day-use land access across the United States.
“I grew up in northern California duck hunting with my dad,” he said. “I took for granted access to hunting spots.”
The challenges he faced to find hunting spots in Louisiana and Arkansas led him to establish the company, and he started it with the help of business partner and co-founder Jared Edwards and a team of engineers. Other co-founders include Justin Conner and Peter Tennyson. The company recently restructured from American Land Hunt LLC, released version No. 2 and partnered with nonprofit Pope & Young.
Olano pointed to cultural differences between Silicon Valley and the outdoor world for the lack of companies like his.
“There’s the outdoor world, and then there’s Silicon Valley. And they don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye,” he explained. “So they completely overlook each other.”
He said the company’s goal is to stimulate rural economies. He noted that small towns struggling after a factory closure have land that people want to use for hunting, fishing, off-roading, mountain biking and foraging.
“They want to go out there,” he added. “They just don’t know where to go. You can’t simply Google private land and find a lot of things. There’s not an easy service until right now.”
The company also offers hunting and fishing guides an automated website that handles payments for their services. Website offerings range from $75 for a day-use land lease, a $5,500 duck hunt in Stuttgart that includes flights from Springdale Municipal Airport or a $9,500 alligator hunt in Louisiana including lodging and meals. Listings comprise land in Arkansas, Arizona, Illinois and Oklahoma.
He looks to expand listings to 1,000 private properties and 1,000 guided services. The company is pre-revenue, but its 2026 revenue projection is $190 million and is based on capturing a 10% share of the $9.5 billion spent on renting or leasing land for hunting, fishing and wildlife watching. The startup charges a 10% fee for both sides of each transaction.
Along with the company’s five co-founders, it has two employees.