New capital supports growth of platform connecting landowners and hunters nationwide
MINNEAPOLIS, June 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — HLRBO, a marketplace connecting landowners with hunters seeking private-land access, has closed a $2.5 million funding round led by Mairs & Power Venture Capital of St. Paul.
The funding, which includes support from individual and angel investors, will accelerate HLRBO’s expansion as a national platform for hunting leases, landowner income, and responsible private-land access.
Founded in 2015 in northern Minnesota, HLRBO has grown from a regional startup into a national platform with leases in all 50 states. The company has 14,000 paying subscribers, 225,000 total users, and 1.7 million acres of land leases on its platform.
“This funding helps us keep building the marketplace for landowners and hunters,” said Heath Schubert, founder and CEO of HLRBO. “Private-land access has always been fragmented. We are building the infrastructure to make it easier to navigate.”
The 2026 round follows earlier funding by Great North Ventures, Gopher Angels, and other investors. HLRBO raised $1 million in February 2024 and $600,000 in August 2024 before closing the latest $2.5 million round.
“We were impressed by HLRBO’s incredibly vibrant marketplace,” said Scott Burns, General Partner at Mairs & Power Venture Capital. “It caters to hundreds-of-thousands of hunters looking to gain access to the best hunting land across America.”
With its latest funding round, HLRBO will grow lease inventory, improve its web- and app-based platforms, and invest in marketing, partnerships, mapping, and AI-driven land intelligence.
HLRBO is investing in new technology, including parcel-level mapping, AI-powered land scoring, and a proprietary HLRBO “cinematic” view, which uses AI to transform a 2D property map into a realistic 3D drone flyover.
The company is also expanding its media and education efforts and publishing content for landowners and hunters, including a news blog, feature stories, and a printed newspaper mailed to landowners and field reps.
HLRBO is attending trade shows and industry events throughout 2026, building partnerships with outdoor product and hunting media companies, and investing in social media, creators, and video initiatives to drive engagement and grow its user base.
Together, these efforts position HLRBO to become the leading technology, media, and marketplace platform for private hunting access in North America.
ABOUT HLRBO:
HLRBO (Hunting Land Rentals By Owner) is the premier online marketplace for hunting leases, connecting private landowners with vetted hunters across the U.S. and Canada. Founded in 2015 in Brainerd MN, HLRBO serves a community of more than 225,000 users with tools for listing, discovery, secure payments, legal agreements, and integrated insurance — making it easier than ever to find the right land, or the right hunter, for any season. More at HLRBO’s blog: https://www.hlrbo.com/news.
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