Written by HLRBO Staff|
Last updated
From a humble porch in Minnesota to 5,600 listings, this is the story of HLRBO.
It started with a conversation between two brothers. Heath Schubert and his brother, both lifelong hunters, were talking about how it had become hard to find places to hunt.
“My brother had just lost access to a property he’d hunted for years,” Heath said. “He looked at me and said, ‘I wish I could just go online and find land.’”
That was the spark.
Heath had a computer science degree from the University of Minnesota and a deep connection to the outdoors. Soon, he was sketching out what would become HLRBO, or Hunting Land Rentals by Owner.
The vision was a digital platform where hunters could lease land directly from property owners, with no middlemen or hidden fees.
The year was 2015. Heath realized he could not build alone. He teamed up with friends Cookie Lithyouvong and Matt Simon to turn the concept into reality.
The early days were scrappy. No users, no bookings, and no track record yet. It was time to go from zero to one.
Landowners were skeptical. “We kept hearing, ‘If it’s free, what’s the catch?’” Heath recalled.
HLRBO’s first listing came from Lake County, Minnesota. The page read simply “Wilderness Hunting Land.” That 20 acres was the start of it all.
Time to Build
Heath put his head down to work. With Matt and Cookie, the small team built the HLRBO airplane as it flew.
They bootstrapped the startup, using their own funds to pay for servers as well as postcards they would hand-write and send to landowners. It was a slow, grassroots effort to grow.
But the concept started to catch on. More landowners were listing, and more people were finding properties to hunt. They broke 100 listings by 2018.
A bigger vision for HLRBO motivated Heath to look for funding. “We needed more money and an investment partner to get to a next level in growth.”
Startup Growth
In 2024, nearly a decade after its founding, HLRBO closed a $1 million investment round led by Great North Ventures.
“Heath is among the scrappiest and most resourceful founders I’ve come across,” said Rob Weber, managing partner at Great North Ventures.
The infusion of capital marked a turning point for the Brainerd, Minn.-based startup.
With funding in hand, Heath and his team launched a nationwide Field Rep Program. The reps walk properties, verify listings, and assist new landowners navigating the HLRBO process for the first time.
HLRBO also released its first mobile app, making it easier for hunters to search, message, and lease properties from their phones.
2025 and Beyond
Today, the platform hosts more than 12,000 land listings across 40 states and provinces. Hunters can filter by game species, terrain type, acreage, or region. Landowners control pricing, set terms, and often earn thousands annually in passive income.
In 2025, the company is expanding its scope with AI-powered tools, a national network of trail cameras, and integrations including high-resolution satellite imagery and thermal drone footage.
Finally, a partnership with the Natural Capital Exchange (NCX) is pushing the business beyond hunting into hiking, wildlife photography, and general outdoor access.
What started as a back-porch idea between brothers has grown into a national platform. But the same basic premise to connect hunters and the public with landowners remains the same.
