Bad Axe Throwing
Bad Axe Throwing operates 17 urban axe throwing entertainment venues across Canada and the United States, serving consumer and corporate group customers with hatchet throwing, knife throwing, leagues, and team building events since 2014.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersBurlington, Canada
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Bad Axe Throwing does
Bad Axe Throwing is a Canadian-founded experiential entertainment company that operates urban axe throwing venues, founded in Fall 2014 by CEO Mario Zelaya in Burlington, Ontario. The company runs 17 company-owned locations across Canada (6) and the United States (11), offering hatchet throwing as the core product, with knife throwing and big axe throwing as paid add-ons. Each venue is equipped with WATL-spec standardized wooden targets and operates with trained on-site coaches who teach both one-handed and two-handed throwing techniques. The technology stack is fundamentally physical rather than digital: standardized target configurations (five vertical 2x10 cottonwood planks with bullseye and Killshot zones), proprietary coaching protocols based on blade-landing diagnostics, and modern cashless venue infrastructure.
The business operates a multi-tier go-to-market. Walk-in sessions start at $19.99/person with no reservation required, private lane bookings for groups of 4+ start at $39.99/person, and corporate team building events start at $450/lane. The only recurring revenue stream is an 8-week seasonal league subscription priced at $15-18.75/week, run in partnership with the World Axe Throwing League (WATL), of which Bad Axe is a founding member. Gift certificates in $50, $75, and $100 denominations are distributed electronically across all 17 locations. Customer segments are predominantly consumer and SMB — birthday parties, bachelor/bachelorette parties, corporate team building, date nights, and competitive league members — with no enterprise anchor contracts.
The company has reached 500,000+ cumulative throwers since founding, maintains a 4.9-star average across 10,000+ reviews, and has earned TripAdvisor #1 Fun & Games rankings in Toronto and Winnipeg. It is privately held with no disclosed institutional funding, suggesting founder-controlled, cash-flow-funded expansion. Recent moves include a 2023 Alexandria, Virginia opening and a 2019-announced entry into the UK market, though the UK launch has not been confirmed in subsequent data.
Bad Axe Throwing firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Bad Axe Throwing
- Legal name
- Bad Axe Throwing
- Website
- https://badaxethrowing.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Bad Axe Throwing operates 17 urban axe throwing entertainment venues across Canada and the United States, serving consumer and corporate group customers with hatchet throwing, knife throwing, leagues, and team building events since 2014.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where Bad Axe Throwing is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Burlington
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices18 records
Markets served
Bad Axe Throwing business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Walk-in Sessions: 30-60 minute casual sessions for individuals or small groups without reservation. Customers pay per person and share common lanes with other walk-in guests.
- Private Bookings: 1-1.5 hour fully private lane bookings for groups of 4+ (1 hour) or 6+ (1.5 hours). Includes dedicated coach and private lane. Add-ons available for knife throwing (+$5/pp) and Big Axe (+$10/pp combo).
- Team Building Events: 2-hour corporate team building events with specialized games and tournament formats. Flat event pricing starting at $450/lane with time extensions and full buyout options available.
- League Memberships: 8-week seasonal leagues (Spring, Winter, Fall) with weekly sessions. $15-18.75/week per participant. Includes coaching, competition, and WATL championship qualification.
- Gift Certificates: Electronic gift cards in $50 (Birthday Gift), $75 (Group Gift), and $100 (The Big One) denominations. Never expires, valid at all 17 locations. 10,000+ gift cards sent.
- Specialty Pricing Programs: Student rate at $27.75 (60 min, ID required) and Military rate at $33.99/pp any day (90 min, ID required). Birthday promotions offer free admission with 7+ friends booking.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Walk-In Session - Starting as low as $19.99/pp |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Social Lane - 1-3 people |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Private Booking (1.5 hours) - $39.99/pp |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Team Building Event - Starting at $450/lane |
| Subscription | Monthly | League Membership - $15-18.75/week |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels9 records
Bad Axe Throwing product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Bad Axe Throwing operates urban indoor axe throwing entertainment venues offering coached hatchet, knife, and big axe throwing sessions for walk-in guests, private groups, and competitive league play. The company runs 17 cashless locations across Canada and the US, with expert coaching included in every session, private lane bookings for groups, and WATL-affiliated league programs feeding into regional and world championship competitions.
Product overview
Bad Axe Throwing is an urban axe throwing entertainment venue operating 17 locations across Canada and the US. The core offering is hatchet throwing sessions with expert coaching, available as walk-in sessions (30-60 min, $19.99+) or private bookings (1.5 hours, $39.99+/person). Add-on experiences include knife throwing (+$5/person) and big axe throwing (+$10/person combo). The company also offers private event hosting for birthdays, bachelor/bachelorette parties, corporate events, and date nights (starting at $450/lane), as well as team building programs with tournaments ($450/event). Competitive axe throwing leagues run as 8-week programs under the World Axe Throwing League (WATL) framework. Gift cards are available in preset denominations ($50/$75/$100) valid at all locations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- 500,000+ throwers have experienced Bad Axe Throwing venues
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Bad Axe Throwing
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Bad Axe Throwing technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Bad Axe Throwing partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- World Axe Throwing League (WATL)coreBad Axe Throwing is a founding member of the World Axe Throwing League. WATL is the first global organization unifying the sport of axe throwing. Bad Axe hosts WATL championship tournaments and league members compete for WATL World Championship titles. WATL Hall of Fame recognition for regional champions. Joint development of standardized axe throwing rules, target designs, and competition formats.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Bad Axe Throwing competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Urban Axes: Urban Axes operates urban indoor axe-throwing venues across multiple US cities with private bookings, leagues, and walk-in sessions. Directly comparable to Bad Axe on category, target audience, and per-venue experience model.
- Lumberjaxe: Lumberjaxe runs axe-throwing entertainment venues with private events, leagues, and walk-in coaching. Operates in similar experiential-entertainment niche with comparable service offerings and group-oriented customer base.
- Kick Axe Throwing: Kick Axe Throwing is an axe-throwing venue operator offering leagues, corporate events, and walk-in experiences. Direct competitor in the urban axe-throwing category serving similar consumer and corporate group customers.
Broad incumbents
- Topgolf: Topgolf operates a large national network of tech-enabled golf entertainment venues with food, beverage, and event programming. Comparable as a scaled group-oriented experiential entertainment concept but at meaningfully greater footprint, ticket size, and demographic breadth than axe throwing.
- Dave & Buster's: Dave & Buster's runs a national chain of entertainment venues combining arcade gaming, sports viewing, and full food and beverage service. Comparable as a multi-revenue, group-occasion entertainment destination model that competes for the same group/event discretionary spend.
- Bowlero: Bowlero operates the largest chain of bowling entertainment centers in North America, offering leagues, private events, food and beverage, and arcade amenities. Comparable as a national experiential entertainment chain targeting similar group/corporate/league customer occasions.
- Main Event Entertainment: Main Event Entertainment is a family entertainment center chain featuring bowling, laser tag, karaoke, gravity ropes, and arcade games across multiple US locations. Comparable venue economics and group/corporate customer overlap with axe-throwing venues.
- Lucky Strike Entertainment: Lucky Strike Entertainment operates upscale bowling, dining, and nightlife entertainment venues across North America. Comparable as a premium experiential entertainment venue operator targeting social/group occasions and corporate events with leagues and private bookings.
Emerging players
- Andretti Indoor Karting & Games: Andretti Indoor Karting & Games operates large-format indoor entertainment venues with karting, arcade, laser tag, and food and beverage. Comparable as a premium-positioned indoor recreational venue targeting group outings, parties, and corporate events.
- iFLY Indoor Skydiving: iFLY operates a network of vertical wind tunnels offering indoor skydiving experiences, with private events, leagues-style programming, and franchise unit economics. Comparable experiential, urban, activity-based entertainment model with similar group-occasion customer and venue format.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Bad Axe Throwing social profiles
Digital presenceBad Axe Throwing financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Bad Axe Throwing leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Bad Axe Throwing funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Bad Axe Throwing 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 Bad Axe Throwing
What does Bad Axe Throwing do?
Bad Axe Throwing operates urban indoor axe throwing entertainment venues offering coached hatchet, knife, and big axe throwing sessions for walk-in guests, private groups, and competitive league play. The company runs 17 cashless locations across Canada and the US, with expert coaching included in every session, private lane bookings for groups, and WATL-affiliated league programs feeding into regional and world championship competitions.
Is Bad Axe Throwing a public or private company?
Bad Axe Throwing is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Bad Axe Throwing founded?
Bad Axe Throwing was founded in 2014. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Bad Axe Throwing based?
Bad Axe Throwing is headquartered in Burlington, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Bad Axe Throwing make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Walk-in Sessions are the primary driver. The others are private Bookings, team Building Events, league Memberships, gift Certificates and specialty Pricing Programs.
Who are Bad Axe Throwing's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Urban Axes, Lumberjaxe and Kick Axe Throwing. Broad incumbents are Topgolf, Dave & Buster's, Bowlero, Main Event Entertainment and Lucky Strike Entertainment. Emerging players are Andretti Indoor Karting & Games and iFLY Indoor Skydiving.
Does Bad Axe Throwing have an API?
Yes. The website contains API endpoints at /api/contact/ and /api/league/, indicating some API infrastructure exists. However, no public documentation, developer portal, SDK offerings, or description of what developers can build with the API is available on the website.