What Hownd does

Hownd, operating legally as Biggest FAN Holdings Inc. (formerly FetchRev), is a Mesa, Arizona-based promotional marketing platform founded in 2016 that helps local experience-based SMBs convert online interest into foot traffic and repeat visits. The core product is a cloud-based promotional marketing management system — branded under the FetchRev method — that lets merchants create offers once and distribute them across email, SMS, social media, website popups, the MyHownd consumer mobile app, and a partner syndication network. The platform includes prepaid "Buy Now" promos and gift cards that generate immediate merchant cash flow, automated email and birthday-drip campaigns, website popup overlays, a Promo Discovery Portal, and guest WiFi marketing (the last of which was added through the 2021 acquisition of Australian platform PoweredLocal). An Intercard integration allows promo redemption at the point of sale in amusement and attraction venues, and a patent-pending "Effortless Foot Traffic" method underpins the marketing IP.

Hownd makes money primarily through a flat monthly subscription (starting at $247/month for the FetchRev platform) plus an 8% transaction fee on promotional redemptions, with optional WiFi add-ons at $49–$97/month and bundled pricing for multi-location operators. The company serves three named verticals — "Fun" (family entertainment centers, attractions, arcades, trampoline parks), "Yum" (restaurants, breweries, cafes), and "Zen" (day spas, salons, wellness) — plus adjacent segments like retail communities and municipalities that aggregate merchant cohorts. Go-to-market combines a direct sales team, a self-serve onboarding flow (merchants can launch a campaign in under five minutes), and an unusually dense channel-partner network spanning municipalities (Tempe, Mesa, Tucson, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Winter Garden), chambers of commerce, the BBB, and the Hearst Newspapers joint marketing agreement; international operations exist in Australia and the UK. Customer outcome claims include a 14x average ROI, $23K+ in first-year new revenue per typical business, and over $100M in cumulative merchant revenue generated through the platform, though the company has not disclosed its own revenue. The only institutional capital is a $3M seed round in November 2019 led by SunChase Capital.

Name

Hownd

Legal name

Biggest FAN Holdings Inc.

Website

https://hownd.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hownd is a Mesa, Arizona-based promotional marketing SaaS platform that helps local experience-based SMBs in family entertainment, restaurants, and health/beauty convert online traffic into foot traffic via multi-channel promo distribution, prepaid gift cards, and guest WiFi marketing, monetized through a monthly subscription plus 8% transaction fee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tempe

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Monthly Subscription: Flat monthly subscription fee for platform access. Starting at $247/month for the FetchRev platform with unlimited campaigns. No contracts required. Includes unlimited gift card and Buy Now promo distribution, unlimited coupons and data collectors, birthday drip campaigns, and website popup integration.
2. Transaction Fees: 8% transaction fee on promotional redemptions. Includes card processing costs. This is a pay-for-results model where merchants only pay when promotions drive actual purchases.
3. WiFi Add-on: $49/month for restaurants or $97/month for attractions for guest WiFi access point. Collects visitor data and builds customer lists. Bundle pricing available for multiple access points.
4. Support Services: Done-for-you campaign management by in-house marketing specialists included in subscription. Account management and campaign optimization services provided.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hownd operates a cloud-based promotional marketing management system (also branded as FetchRev) that helps local experience-based merchants create, distribute, and track promotional campaigns across web, email, SMS, social media, and a consumer syndication network. The platform converts online traffic into foot traffic through prepaid gift cards, coupons, Buy Now promos, and a consumer-facing MyHownd mobile app, while collecting visitor data to drive repeat visits.

Product overview

Hownd operates as a unified promotional marketing platform combining multiple products and modules. The core offering is the Hownd Experience Promotion Platform, supplemented by the FetchRev done-for-you promotional marketing management system. Consumer engagement flows through the MyHownd mobile app and Promo Discovery Portal. Merchant-facing modules include Buy Now Promos (prepaid vouchers/gift cards), Automated Email Marketing with Birthday Drip Campaigns, Website Popups, Guest WiFi Marketing (acquired from PoweredLocal), and Hownd Screens for digital signage. The FetchRev method and legacy FetchRev branding continue as the flagship managed service. All products distribute through web, email, SMS, social media, and the Hownd consumer syndication network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• MyHownd: Consumer mobile app for discovering and redeeming local promotional offers
• FetchRev
• Promo Engine

Products and services

• Hownd (The Experience Promotion Platform) An automated promotional marketing SaaS platform that distributes promotions, converts online traffic into foot traffic, and collects consumer data to drive repeat visits for merchants in the Fun (attractions), Yum (restaurants), and Zen (health and beauty) industries.
• FetchRev Promotional Marketing Management System A done-for-you Promotional Marketing Management System that drives revenue for local businesses by leveraging existing customers and website visitors, combining automated software with in-house marketing specialists.
• MyHownd Mobile App A consumer-facing iOS and Android mobile application that lets users discover, claim, and redeem promotional offers, gift cards, and coupons at participating Hownd merchant locations.
• Buy Now Promos Prepaid promotional offers (gift cards and vouchers) that allow consumers to purchase discounted offers in advance for later redemption, generating immediate cash flow for merchants.
• Guest WiFi Marketing WiFi access point solution that provides free guest internet to visitors while collecting customer data (email addresses, device information) for merchant marketing purposes, including mesh network capabilities.
• Fetch That Deal Card A universal gift card product that can be redeemed at any participating Hownd merchant location, expanding distribution across the merchant network.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $100 million in ancillary revenue generated for businesses through the FetchRev method
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature10 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• IntercardcoreTechnology or Integration · 15 November 2021Integration with Intercard's cashless technology enables consumers to redeem Hownd promos on Intercard self-service kiosks and point-of-sale (POS) systems. Intercard is the world leader in cashless technology for the Amusements & Attractions industry.
• Hearst NewspaperscoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 October 2021Joint marketing agreement bridging print and digital advertising. Consumers may learn of merchant promotions via print advertising in Hearst publications and complete their visit on the Hownd platform, providing trackable advertising across media types.
• PoweredLocal (Acquired)coreTechnology or Integration · 23 March 2021Acquisition of Australian guest WiFi platform PoweredLocal adds new capabilities to Hownd's platform, increases customer base of local merchants, and accelerates international expansion. PoweredLocal solutions rebranded as MyHownd WiFi.
• Elev8 Advisors GroupminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 January 2021Partnership focused on underserved business owners at risk of not receiving PPP funds due to banks prioritizing larger businesses. Elev8 is a financial services consulting company in Mesa, AZ.
• Business WarriorminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 January 2021Partnership in common goal to bring more customers to small businesses. Business Warrior helps small business owners simplify and prioritize daily decisions to improve profitability.
• Town of Gilbert, AZcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 November 2020Partnership aligned with #GilbertTogether Business Recovery Program to support local businesses during pandemic and beyond by accelerating reopenings with more customers and revenue.
• Talking Stick Entertainment DistrictcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 October 2020Partnership with Winter Garden as part of city's 'Love Local' program. Partnership designed to support businesses during pandemic.
• City of Winter Garden, FLcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 September 2020Partnership as part of city's 'Love Local' program to support businesses during pandemic by stimulating awareness and increasing customer foot traffic.
• City of MesacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 26 August 2020Known as 'Shop Mesa' program - economic development partnership to help local businesses survive the pandemic and accelerate reopenings.
• Town of Queen CreekcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 July 2020Partnership as part of municipality's 'Shop Queen Creek' initiative designed to stimulate success of local businesses.
• City of Tucson and Pima CountycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 June 2020Launched 'Shop Our Local Deals' initiative based on successful partnership model with City of Tempe. Second largest city in Arizona and second largest county in Arizona partnering with Hownd.
• City of TempecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 March 2020First municipality partnership during COVID-19 pandemic. City of Tempe covered 'Pay-Per-Visit' fees for anticipated $250,000 in revenue for Tempe small businesses.
• Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 2 January 2020Selected as one of four Arizona software companies accepted into GPEC Global Export Program using UK as starting point into Europe.
• Better Business Bureau Serving Pacific SouthwestcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 December 2019BBB Accredited Businesses can sign up for free, zero-risk Hownd account and only pay when Hownd brings customers. 10% BBB discount on Essentials and Plus plans for members.
• Virtuix and Omni ArenaminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2019Partnership to drive incremental player traffic to Omni Arena operators through Hownd's promotional marketing platform. Omni Arena is a virtual reality esports attraction.
• Tempe Chamber of CommercecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 29 October 2019Inaugural Affinity Partnership bringing Effortless Foot Traffic generation platform to chamber members with advantageous pricing.
• Local First ArizonacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 18 October 2019Legacy partnership providing organization members with advantageous pricing and making members' promotions available to consumers at Local First Arizona events including the Fall Festival.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Groupon: Groupon pioneered the daily-deal promotional model that drives local foot traffic through discounted offers. Hownd explicitly positions against Groupon-style sites, targeting the same SMB merchants and local consumer deal-seekers with a different distribution and merchant-terms model.
• Fivestars: Fivestars provides a customer loyalty and marketing automation platform for local SMBs (restaurants, retailers, services), competing head-to-head with Hownd's FetchRev/Foot Traffic focus on driving repeat visits through promotions and digital punchcards.
• Punchh: Punchh is a loyalty and offers platform purpose-built for multi-unit restaurants and convenience stores. It overlaps directly with Hownd's Yum vertical and similar promotional campaign capabilities for driving repeat visits.
• Thanx: Thanx is a digital loyalty and marketing platform for restaurants and retailers that captures guest data and runs promotional campaigns. It competes in the same merchant segments and use cases (repeat visit, gift card, birthday/anniversary) as Hownd.

Broad incumbents

• Square (Block) Marketing: Square offers built-in email marketing, customer engagement, and loyalty tools as part of its payments/POS suite for SMBs. As a broad incumbent with massive distribution, Square is the most likely platform-level competitor to Hownd's foot-traffic marketing proposition.
• Yelp Advertising: Yelp connects local merchants with high-intent consumers searching for nearby services, and offers advertising/promotional placements. It is a broad incumbent in local business marketing that touches the same merchant-customer foot-traffic loop Hownd targets.
• Constant Contact: Constant Contact is a longstanding SMB email marketing and automation platform. While it does not focus on foot traffic or gift cards, it overlaps with Hownd's automated email and customer-list building capabilities for the same SMB audience.
• Mailchimp: Mailchimp is a leading marketing automation platform widely used by SMBs for email, social posting, and basic promotional campaigns. It competes with Hownd's email and list-building modules from a much broader, less vertical-specialized position.

Emerging players

• Belly: Belly is a digital loyalty and rewards platform for small and mid-sized local businesses (retail, restaurants, services). It overlaps with Hownd's data-capture, list-building, and reward-driven repeat-visit use cases, particularly for the Zen/retail segment.
• Yotpo: Yotpo provides a marketing platform spanning reviews, loyalty, SMS marketing, and referrals, primarily for e-commerce and retail brands. It is an emerging adjacent player in the customer-engagement/loyalty space where Hownd competes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HowndInc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCn1zc6v4fI4tQME6E8nzHXQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/HowndInc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hownd
• Instagraminstagram.com/howndinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hownd