Bentonville startup graduates from Embark with strong networks, $10K grant
by May 12, 2024 7:46 am 456 views
Ales de la Fuente, left, and Jonathan de la Fuente, co-founders of Hightag.
In the startup world, some things are just as good as cash. Strong networks qualify.
That’s one of Bentonville entrepreneur Alex de la Fuente’s takeaways after graduating recently from Embark, a national accelerator program for outdoor recreation startups.
Embark is a three-month curriculum created to support founders of color as they turn their early-stage ideas into viable businesses. Path Ahead Ventures, the investment arm of Seattle-based outdoor retailer REI, and Founded Outdoors, a national platform for outdoor entrepreneurs, host the program, capped by a graduation ceremony on April 19 in Beaverton, Ore. Each of the 16 participating companies received a $10,000 equity-free grant.
“The biggest benefit for us is the lasting relationships on both sides,” De la Fuente told the Northwest Arkansas Business Journal. “We will lean on Founded Outdoors for advice and guidance, and the REI team has been amazing. There are ongoing benefits.”
De la Fuente is the co-founder and CEO of Hightag. He started the business with his brother Jonathan (CTO) nearly three years ago. They relocated to Bentonville from south Texas in January 2023 to access the city’s mountain biking scene.
Hightag is a system designed for action sports enthusiasts to capture and share photos and videos of themselves. Using RFID tags, cameras placed strategically along slopes or trails automatically capture photos and videos of riders as they pass by. The media files are accessible through the Hightag app on users’ phones.
In the fall of 2022, Hightag participated in several business accelerators, including a showcase in Bentonville for outdoor recreation startups hosted by Plug and Play Tech Center. That’s where the founders were first introduced to the Embark program.
“They have an incredible vision, a unique solution, and a desire for every outdoor recreator to capture themselves in action,” said Dan Kihanya, director of REI Path Ahead Ventures.
De la Fuente said expanding Hightag’s camera coverage in Northwest Arkansas and regionally is a company goal in 2024. Hightag recently installed cameras at Turkey Mountain Urban Wilderness Area in Tulsa.
“We’ve got 10 cameras live on Oz Trails [in Northwest Arkansas],” he said. “And that’s to cover 600 miles of mountain bike trail. So, it’s a drop in the bucket compared with where we want to be.”