Fransmart
Fransmart is a private franchise development consulting firm that helps emerging restaurant, retail, personal care, and entertainment brands scale into national franchise systems while connecting qualified entrepreneurs with franchise ownership across a 10-brand portfolio.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersAlexandria, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Fransmart does
Fransmart is a private franchise development consulting firm founded in 2000 by Dan Rowe, headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia with an additional office in Scottsdale, Arizona. The company operates a two-sided franchise development platform that helps emerging restaurant, retail, personal care, and entertainment brands scale into national and international franchise systems while connecting qualified entrepreneurs and multi-unit operators with franchise ownership opportunities. Its active brand portfolio spans 10 concepts across food and drink (Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, Curry Up Now, HB Protein Smoothies, Konala, Rise Biscuits & Chicken), personal care (GLO30 Skincare), entertainment (The Swing Bays), and retail (Natural Hounds, PayMore Electronics), with a claimed track record of more than 5,000 franchise units sold worldwide across 25+ years of operation and a CEO who has personally taken 10 brands to more than 100 locations each, including Five Guys and QDOBA.
The company's core product is a structured 10-step franchise development process covering inquiry, application, FDD review, discovery days, territory discussion, and agreement signing, augmented by operational support in real estate site selection, recruiting, training, sales, and marketing strategy. Revenue is generated primarily through franchise development fees and royalty participation on its portfolio brands, supplemented by a capital investment platform that deploys $50K-$1M equity into early-stage brands meeting a 40%+ four-wall ROI threshold. Fransmart has referral and co-investment relationships with Kitchen Fund (for $1M+ rounds) and Franinvest, and maintains industry association ties with the National Restaurant Association, International Franchise Association, and the Culinary Institute of America (via CEO Dan Rowe's March 2026 Board of Trustees appointment). The team of approximately 17 named individuals is led by Rowe, CMO Sara Schmillen, VP of Sales Al Rowe, VP of Franchise Development Nate Amacher, Financial Controller Bernice Hamm, and a board including Joe Essa and John Oswald.
Fransmart is not a technology platform; its product is consulting services, sales process expertise, and franchise network curation. The only AI-adjacent capability in the portfolio is the GLOria diagnostics platform owned by GLO30, a franchise brand in which Fransmart invested in 2025, not by Fransmart itself. The firm operates a "Smart Franchising With Fransmart" podcast (launched 2024, currently in Season 5) as a thought-leadership and lead-generation channel, and has an active social and content marketing presence across LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram. Fransmart is founder-owned and operated with no disclosed external institutional capital, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no public financial reporting.
Fransmart firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Fransmart
- Legal name
- Fransmart
- Website
- https://fransmart.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Fransmart is a private franchise development consulting firm that helps emerging restaurant, retail, personal care, and entertainment brands scale into national franchise systems while connecting qualified entrepreneurs with franchise ownership across a 10-brand portfolio.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Fransmart industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Franchise Development Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Franchise Resale & Franchise Brokerage (Transfers/Resales) (FSAEAIAG)
Keywords
Where Fransmart is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Alexandria
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Fransmart business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Franchise Development Services: Fransmart generates revenue by helping emerging brands develop practical franchise development expansion plans. They charge franchise fees and ongoing royalties from brands in their portfolio.
- Capital Investments: Fransmart invests equity funding from $50K to $1M into early-stage brands, targeting brands with strong unit economics (40%+ four-wall ROI) and real differentiation. They seek brands positioned to scale to hundreds of locations.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Brooklyn Dumpling Shop: $45,000 franchise fee, $508,278-$856,778 startup costs |
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Curry Up Now: $35,000 franchise fee, $416,450-$1,779,750 startup costs |
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Konala: $428,500-$750,500 startup costs |
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | PayMore Electronics: $131,750-$361,500 startup costs |
| One time/ perpetual license | Monthly | Rise Biscuits & Chicken: $35,000 franchise fee, $500K liquid capital, $1MM net worth |
| Subscription | Monthly | GLO30: 129 franchise units in development, 30 open locations/under construction |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Fransmart product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Fransmart is a franchise development company that helps emerging restaurant, retail, personal care, and entertainment brands scale into national and international franchise systems. It sells franchise rights in its portfolio of 10 brands (e.g., The Halal Guys, GLO30, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, Curry Up Now, PayMore Electronics, Rise Biscuits & Chicken) to qualified multi-unit operators and entrepreneurs, and provides end-to-end franchise development support including sales, marketing, real estate, operations, recruiting, training, and legal/compliance services through a proprietary 10-step process.
Product overview
Fransmart is a franchise development company — not a unified software platform — that serves two sides: it helps emerging restaurant and retail brands scale through franchising, and it helps qualified entrepreneurs find and own franchise territories. Its core product is franchise development services (sales, marketing, real estate, operations, legal/compliance support), augmented by a capital investment platform for early-stage brand investment. The portfolio includes 10 active franchise brands across Food & Drink (Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, Curry Up Now, HB Protein Smoothies, Konala, Rise Biscuits & Chicken), Personal Care (GLO30 Skincare), Entertainment (The Swing Bays), and Retail (Natural Hounds, PayMore Electronics), plus the Smart Franchising With Fransmart podcast as a thought leadership sub-brand. Fransmart also maintains two office locations in Alexandria, VA and Scottsdale, AZ, and its brand portfolio has collectively generated more than 5,000 franchise units sold worldwide.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- HB Protein Smoothies: A simple operation with low labor in a fast-growing drink and protein segment.
- Rise Biscuits & Chicken
- Konala
- Brooklyn Dumpling Shop
- Curry Up Now
- The Swing Bays
- GLO30 Skincare
- Natural Hounds
- PayMore Electronics
Products and services
- Franchise Development Services Comprehensive franchise development services for emerging restaurant, retail, personal care, and entertainment brands. Includes franchise sales programs, marketing and lead generation, operating systems and technology partnerships, staffing assistance, brand networking connections, and compliance and legal services, delivered through a proprietary 10-step process from inquiry through grand opening.
- Capital Investment Platform (Franinvest) Fransmart's capital investment platform deploying $50,000 to $1,000,000 in equity into early-stage franchise brands with strong unit economics (40%+ four-wall ROI) and real differentiation, targeting brands positioned to scale to hundreds of locations. Managed alongside the Kitchen Fund for investments of $1 million or more.
- Brooklyn Dumpling Shop Franchise A 24-hour, contactless automat dumpling franchise offering 32 flavors of dumplings with touchless ordering and food locker pickup. Franchise fee $45,000; multi-unit startup costs $508,278–$856,778; 6% royalty; targeting 500 units in 5 years.
- Curry Up Now Franchise The largest and fastest-growing Indian fast casual restaurant chain in North America, serving innovative Indian street food with a modern twist. Franchise fee $35,000; startup costs $416,450–$1,779,750; minimum 2-unit development.
- HB Protein Smoothies Franchise A simple-operation protein smoothie and drink franchise in a fast-growing segment, featuring low labor requirements and high-protein offerings.
- Konala Franchise The first healthy fast food franchise — a small-footprint drive-thru concept serving global flavors in high-protein, 100% gluten-free bowls. Startup costs $428,500–$750,500; veteran discounts offered; no grills or fryers; 3–4 employees per shift.
- Rise Biscuits & Chicken Franchise A Southern breakfast and lunch franchise serving scratch-made biscuits and chicken with a tech-forward, take-out ready business model. Franchise fee $35,000; minimum 5-unit development; 6% royalty; $500K liquid capital; $1MM net worth.
- GLO30 Skincare Franchise A doctor-founded skincare studio franchise bridging day spas and med spas. Features a membership model with AI-powered diagnostics through the proprietary GLOria platform. 3,125% growth since franchise launch; 129 franchise units in development; 30 open/under construction.
- The Swing Bays Franchise An indoor golf and fitness franchise combining lessons, TrackMan data-driven training, club fitting, equipment repair, fitness, and social events. Memberships range from $35 to $595 per month; members return on average every 4.7 days.
- Natural Hounds Franchise A pet food franchise specializing in fresh, locally made dog food with a low-cost, high-margin model targeting the fresh dog food and pet wellness market.
- PayMore Electronics Franchise The first of its kind electronics resale franchise enabling safe transactions for buying, selling, and trading electronics with data wiping and instant cash. Startup costs $131,750–$361,500; 70% of sales online; 2 people per shift; 5.5-day work weeks; 100+ open locations; 500+ in development.
Quantifiable outcome
- More than 5,000 franchise units sold worldwide
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Fransmart
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Fransmart technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature1 record
Fransmart partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Culinary Institute of AmericacoreFransmart CEO Dan Rowe was appointed to The Culinary Institute of America's Board of Trustees to support the institute's growth and strategic initiatives as it celebrates its 80th year. The appointment brings extensive experience in business growth, hospitality, and franchise development.
- National Restaurant AssociationcoreFransmart maintains relationships with industry associations like the National Restaurant Association to advocate for franchisors and franchisees that are the backbone of their business.
- International Franchise AssociationcoreFransmart has relationships with the International Franchise Association to advocate for franchisors and franchisees, supporting industry growth and standards.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Fransmart competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- United Franchise Group: Large multi-brand franchise development and management organization with global brand portfolio. Comparable multi-brand franchise development capabilities but at much larger scale than Fransmart.
- Driven Brands: Public multi-brand automotive-services franchise holding company demonstrating large-scale franchise aggregation model. Useful comp for Fransmart's eventual multi-brand scaling ambitions.
- Neighborly: Multi-brand home-services franchise holding company with portfolio of 30+ brands. Analogous franchise-portfolio aggregation model, though focused on home services rather than Fransmart's verticals.
- Authority Brands: Multi-brand franchise holding company operating home-services franchise concepts. Comparable franchise-portfolio aggregation model though operating in different verticals than Fransmart's F&B-leaning mix.
Direct peers
- FranChoice: Franchise consulting firm specializing in matching prospective franchisees with emerging franchise brands — direct competitor in the franchisee-curation space.
- FranNet: Franchise consulting and matchmaking firm connecting aspiring franchisees with emerging and established brands. Most direct competitor to Fransmart's franchisee-recruitment and brand-development model.
- The Entrepreneur's Source: Large franchise coaching and consulting network focused on helping entrepreneurs identify and evaluate franchise opportunities — overlapping Fransmart's franchisee-matching service line.
- IFPG (International Franchise Professionals Group): Franchise consultant network and broker organization connecting franchise consultants, brokers, and brands. Comparable franchise-development intermediary model to Fransmart.
Others
- Roark Capital Group: Private equity firm specializing in franchise and multi-unit consumer businesses (owns Inspire Brands, Driven Brands). Adjacent capital provider and potential competitor/partner for Fransmart's portfolio brands.
Emerging players
- Franchise Business Review: Franchise research and benchmarking organization providing franchisee-satisfaction data and brand assessments. Adjacent service to Fransmart with partial overlap in franchisee due-diligence support.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Fransmart social profiles
Digital presenceFransmart financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Fransmart leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles17 records
Fransmart funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Fransmart M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Fransmart
What does Fransmart do?
Fransmart is a franchise development company that helps emerging restaurant, retail, personal care, and entertainment brands scale into national and international franchise systems. It sells franchise rights in its portfolio of 10 brands (e.g., The Halal Guys, GLO30, Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, Curry Up Now, PayMore Electronics, Rise Biscuits & Chicken) to qualified multi-unit operators and entrepreneurs, and provides end-to-end franchise development support including sales, marketing, real estate, operations, recruiting, training, and legal/compliance services through a proprietary 10-step process.
Is Fransmart a public or private company?
Fransmart is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Fransmart founded?
Fransmart was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Fransmart based?
Fransmart is headquartered in Alexandria, United States, in the North America region.
How does Fransmart make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Franchise Development Services are the primary driver. The others are capital Investments.
Who are Fransmart's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are United Franchise Group, Driven Brands, Neighborly and Authority Brands. Direct peers are FranChoice, FranNet, The Entrepreneur's Source and IFPG (International Franchise Professionals Group). Roark Capital Group is listed as an others. Franchise Business Review is listed as an emerging player.
Does Fransmart have an API?
No public API is recorded for Fransmart.
What industry is Fransmart in?
Fransmart's product category is Franchise Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAEAIAG, Franchise Resale & Franchise Brokerage (Transfers/Resales).