BATON ROUGE – Mallard Bay, an online marketplace for booking guided hunting and fishing trips with vetted outfitters and charters, announces the closing of its $1.8 million funding round led mostly by angel investors.
“We are truly humbled to see such high-level traction for the platform with investors who believe in what we are doing,” said Logan Meaux, the startup’s co-founder and CEO, in a press release. “Their influence, expertise and funding will help us take Mallard Bay to the next level and establish ourselves as the go-to booking solution for guided hunting and fishing trips.”
This Louisiana State University student-founded company secured funding from major investors such as the Softeq Venture Studio, the Callais family, Varco Investments and the Rio Grande Valley Angel Network.
One of those angel investors is Chris Meaux, founder of Waitr (now ASAP) and chairman and co-CEO of BoomNation. “Mallard Bay is the answer to what has historically been a fragmented market for those looking to book trips with reputable outfitters and charters providing services, making this a unique investment opportunity. I relied on area investors to help turn Waitr into the publicly traded company it is today, so I know just how vital it is to support entrepreneurs in Louisiana.”
Mallard Bay is an Airbnb-style marketplace where sportsmen, sportswomen and guides can connect, transact and book hunting and fishing trips on a frictionless online platform. It also provides back-office solutions to help businesses showcase their trips, manage their books and accept payments in one place. Since launching in late November 2021, Mallard Bay has onboarded more than 230 outfitters and charters that offer hundreds of guided experiences across 35 states and seven countries.
“Our booking software is helping to streamline the process of booking directly with a guide while providing these guide services with an innovative new way to advertise and manage their available dates,” said Joel Moreau, Mallard Bay co-founder. “Additionally, we’ve found that more people are looking to go guided as the costs of owning and operating your own boat or hunting property continue to rise. We want to bring trust into the equation so that you can stress less about the details, focus more on the experience, and get the most bang for your buck.”
Earlier this year, Mallard Bay entered the 2022 Rice Business Plan Competition, an international student startup competition, and won $218,000 – the fourth most in investments and prizes. While attending LSU, Meaux and Moreau placed in the top three in the J Terrell Brown Venture Challenge.
