A construction company needs a trailer for transporting equipment. A contractor needs an excavator for an upcoming project. Another business needs a dumpster for a renovation job.
Finding the right equipment should be straightforward. Yet, in the United States, renting equipment has traditionally involved phone calls, scattered supplier websites, manual quotes, paperwork, and repeated follow-ups.
For independent rental businesses, the challenges are just as significant. Many operate with limited digital infrastructure, outdated booking systems, and spreadsheets to manage their equipment. Even when they have available inventory, reaching new customers and converting inquiries into confirmed bookings can be difficult.
This disconnect between equipment availability and customer demand creates an opportunity for technology.
Pablo Fernandez and Ryan Keen experienced these challenges through their own involvement in the equipment rental industry. Rather than accepting inefficient processes as normal, they decided to build a platform that could help independent rental businesses compete in an increasingly digital market.
Founded in 2023, Big Rentals combines a nationwide equipment rental marketplace with technology designed to help independent operators manage their businesses.
Customers can search for local trailers, dumpsters, and equipment, compare prices and availability, and book through the platform. Suppliers can use digital tools to manage inventory, bookings, payments, and rental operations.
In November 2025, the company announced a $2.8 million seed funding round led by SNAK Venture Partners, with participation from Ironspring Ventures, Forum Ventures, Jason Calacanis’s LAUNCH Fund, and NuFund Venture Group.
The investment supported Big Rentals’ expansion into construction and heavy equipment, as well as continued development of its rental management software.
Big Rentals’ story is about more than making equipment easier to rent. It is about giving independent businesses access to the technology, customers, and operational capabilities traditionally associated with larger rental companies.
1. Pablo Fernandez: The Entrepreneur Behind Big Rentals
Pablo Fernandez is the co-founder and CEO of Big Rentals.
Before building the company, Fernandez spent years working with software businesses and developing experience in entrepreneurship, small-business technology, and rental operations.
One of the most important parts of his background was running Roadmoto, a rental-related business he operated for eight years.
That experience helped him understand the practical difficulties of managing a rental operation.
Rental businesses do not simply purchase equipment and collect payments. They must coordinate availability, bookings, pricing, customer communication, documentation, pickup and return schedules, and equipment utilization.
A business may have several pieces of equipment available, but if its booking process is difficult or its inventory information is inaccurate, customers can quickly move to another supplier.
Fernandez learned that generic software often fails to address the specific requirements of rental businesses.
According to his professional biography published through the company’s software business, his experience running Roadmoto helped him recognize that rental operations needed technology designed around their actual workflows.
That realization became a major part of Big Rentals’ founding idea.
Rather than building another generic business management application, Fernandez wanted to create a technology platform that could help rental operators manage their operations and attract more customers.
His experience also gave him an understanding of the commercial side of the industry: independent rental companies need both operational efficiency and consistent demand.
2. Ryan Keen: Bringing Rental Industry Experience to the Founding Team
Ryan Keen is Big Rentals’ co-founder and chief operating officer.
His background is closely connected to the utility trailer industry, where he spent more than eight years developing practical experience.
This industry knowledge gave the founding team a perspective that pure software entrepreneurs might not have.
Trailer and equipment rental businesses have operational requirements that are easy to underestimate from the outside.
For example, a rental company must know whether equipment is available for specific dates, whether it can be delivered, what conditions apply to the rental, and whether the customer has completed the required documentation.
The company also needs to manage returns, equipment inspections, maintenance, and future availability.
These activities are connected. A booking affects inventory, inventory affects scheduling, and scheduling affects the business’s ability to generate revenue.
Keen’s experience in the rental industry helped the company understand these workflows.
His current role as COO focuses on helping rental businesses simplify their operations and generate more bookings through software and marketplace demand.
Readers can explore his official Big Rentals author profile to learn more about his experience and industry insights.
The partnership between Fernandez and Keen combines entrepreneurial and software experience with direct industry knowledge.
That combination is central to Big Rentals’ strategy: build technology around the problems rental operators actually experience.
3. Why Big Rentals Was Founded: The Problem With Traditional Equipment Rentals
The equipment rental industry is essential to construction, infrastructure, manufacturing, landscaping, transportation, and many other sectors.
Businesses often rent equipment instead of purchasing it because ownership can require significant capital, maintenance, storage, and long-term commitments.
But despite the industry’s importance, many independent rental operators have historically relied on manual processes.
Fragmented Customer Discovery
Customers looking for equipment may need to contact several local suppliers individually.
They might visit different websites, request quotes by phone, and wait for availability confirmation.
This process can be frustrating when a project has a strict deadline.
For rental companies, it also creates an opportunity cost. Potential customers may never discover their businesses because their online presence is limited.
Outdated Operational Systems
Some independent rental businesses manage their inventory and reservations through spreadsheets, paper records, phone calls, and disconnected software.
This makes it difficult to maintain an accurate picture of equipment availability.
A supplier may receive multiple inquiries for the same equipment or spend unnecessary time confirming bookings manually.
Limited Online Booking Capabilities
Modern customers increasingly expect to search, compare, and book services online.
Large rental companies have invested in digital platforms, but smaller independent businesses may not have the resources to build and maintain their own booking infrastructure.
Without an effective online presence, these operators risk losing customers to larger competitors.
Inefficient Rental Documentation
Equipment rental transactions involve more than selecting an item and paying a fee.
Businesses may need rental agreements, customer information, insurance documentation, signatures, payment authorization, and other records.
Collecting and processing these documents manually can slow down the rental process.
Underutilized Equipment
An idle trailer or piece of machinery represents potential revenue that a rental business is not earning.
If suppliers cannot reach enough customers or efficiently manage availability, equipment may remain unused for longer than necessary.
Big Rentals was designed to address these connected problems through one digital ecosystem.
4. Building Big Rentals: A Marketplace Designed for Independent Operators
Founded in 2023, Big Rentals set out to connect local equipment suppliers with customers searching for rental solutions.
The company’s model has two sides.
On one side are renters: contractors, businesses, and individuals who need equipment for specific projects.
On the other side are suppliers: independent rental businesses and equipment owners with inventory available for rent.
The marketplace brings these groups together.
Customers can search by equipment type and location, compare available rental options, and move toward booking.
Suppliers can list their equipment, reach potential customers, and receive rental inquiries.
This model helps solve a problem for both groups.
Renters gain access to more local options, while suppliers gain another channel for attracting customers.
Readers can explore the Big Rentals equipment rental marketplace to see its current equipment categories and rental search experience.
But Big Rentals’ strategy goes further than a traditional marketplace.
The company also develops software for rental operators through its HQ Rent business.
This creates a connection between customer acquisition and business operations.
Instead of simply generating inquiries, the broader ecosystem aims to help suppliers manage the transactions and workflows that follow.
5. How the Big Rentals Marketplace Works
Big Rentals is designed to make equipment discovery and booking more straightforward.
Its marketplace currently features trailers, dumpsters, and a growing range of construction and industrial equipment.
Equipment Search and Discovery
Customers begin by selecting the type of equipment they need and entering their location.
The platform then presents relevant local rental options.
Its listed categories include:
- Enclosed trailers.
- Flatbed trailers.
- Car hauler trailers.
- Utility trailers.
- Equipment trailers.
- Deckover trailers.
- Tilt deck trailers.
- Livestock trailers.
- Gooseneck trailers.
- Dump trailers.
- Roll-off dump trailers.
- Dumpsters.
- Earthmoving equipment.
- Aerial work equipment.
- Forklifts.
This range allows the marketplace to serve different customer needs, from individuals transporting vehicles to contractors moving heavy machinery.
Comparing Prices and Availability
One of the platform’s main selling points is the ability to compare rental options from local suppliers.
Instead of contacting every rental company separately, customers can explore available equipment and compare prices and availability.
This can make it easier to identify an option that fits a project’s requirements and budget.
Price transparency is particularly important for equipment rentals because costs may vary depending on equipment type, rental duration, delivery requirements, and supplier policies.
For renters, Big Rentals also provides an official FAQ section covering questions about rental costs, insurance, cancellation policies, equipment requirements, and booking.
Online Booking
Big Rentals supports online booking, with instant booking available on most equipment according to the company’s homepage.
This helps reduce the time between discovering equipment and confirming a rental.
For customers working against project deadlines, faster booking can make a meaningful difference.
The company also highlights equipment experts and customer support as part of the rental experience.
Nationwide Supplier Network
The marketplace depends on the availability of local suppliers.
Big Rentals’ homepage reports more than 1,000 verified suppliers nationwide and says it has served more than 35,000 customers and contractors.
These are company-reported website figures and should be understood as platform claims rather than independently audited measurements.
The company also lists rental locations across major US markets, including Atlanta, Austin, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Phoenix, Seattle, and Tampa.
Its rental locations directory helps customers explore equipment and trailer rental availability across the United States.
6. HQ Rent: The Software Behind the Marketplace
One of the most important parts of Big Rentals’ business model is its connection to HQ Rent.
HQ Rent is the company’s rental management software business.
While Big Rentals focuses on connecting renters with suppliers, HQ Rent provides technology that helps independent rental businesses manage their operations.
This distinction matters because a marketplace alone cannot solve every problem rental companies face.
A supplier may receive new bookings through a marketplace, but it still needs to manage its inventory, payments, customer records, rental agreements, and scheduling.
HQ Rent is designed to support those activities.
Booking and Scheduling Management
Rental businesses need to know which equipment is available and when it can be rented.
HQ Rent provides booking and scheduling tools designed to help operators manage reservations and reduce manual coordination.
Fleet and Inventory Management
Equipment is the central asset of a rental business.
Operators need to track their inventory, monitor availability, and understand how their fleet is being used.
HQ Rent offers fleet management capabilities that help businesses maintain a clearer view of their rental assets.
Online Payments
Digital payment capabilities can simplify the process of collecting rental fees.
The software includes payment management tools designed to support online transactions and rental operations.
Quotes and Invoices
Rental businesses frequently need to prepare quotes for customers before confirming a booking.
HQ Rent includes quoting and invoicing functionality that helps operators manage these commercial interactions.
Digital Rental Contracts
Rental agreements are an important part of equipment transactions.
The platform supports digital rental contracts and documentation workflows, helping businesses reduce dependence on physical paperwork.
Customer Relationship Management
Customer information and rental history can help businesses manage repeat customers and provide better service.
HQ Rent includes CRM functionality designed to centralize customer records and communication.
Reports and Analytics
Rental operators need to understand how their businesses are performing.
Reporting tools can help them review booking activity, revenue, and fleet utilization.
Together, these features support Big Rentals’ wider vision: help independent rental companies operate more efficiently while giving them access to additional customer demand.
Rental operators interested in the software can review HQ Rent’s official pricing plans to compare its subscription options and features.
7. The AI Strategy: Making Rental Operations More Efficient
Big Rentals has also positioned artificial intelligence as part of its technology strategy.
Its investor Ironspring Ventures describes the platform as combining a marketplace with AI-enabled automation for quoting, scheduling, and payments.
This is important because rental operations involve a large number of repetitive tasks.
A rental company may receive inquiries, check equipment availability, prepare quotes, collect documents, confirm payment, and coordinate pickup or delivery.
When these tasks are managed manually, employees spend valuable time coordinating information instead of focusing on customers and business growth.
AI-enabled automation could help streamline these processes.
For example, automated workflows can reduce repetitive data entry and help operators manage customer requests more consistently.
The broader software ecosystem also includes tools for customer communication, documents, rental agreements, and operational reporting.
However, it is important to distinguish between the company’s AI strategy and independently verified AI performance results.
Publicly available sources describe AI-enabled automation, but do not provide a comprehensive independent measurement of how much time or money every customer saves through those features.
The long-term opportunity is clear: rental businesses could use automation to manage more bookings without increasing administrative workload at the same rate.
8. Funding and Investors: The $2.8 Million Seed Round
Big Rentals’ growth attracted attention from investors focused on marketplaces, industrial technology, and business software.
On November 18, 2025, the company announced a $2.8 million seed funding round.
The round was led by SNAK Venture Partners, with participation from:
- Ironspring Ventures.
- Forum Ventures.
- Jason Calacanis’ LAUNCH Fund.
- NuFund Venture Group.
- A strategic industry investor.
SNAK Venture Partners’ Sonia Nagar joined the company’s board following the investment.
The investors bring relevant experience across marketplaces, software, industrial technology, and business development.
Why SNAK Venture Partners Invested
SNAK Venture Partners focuses on technology businesses operating in markets where digital platforms can improve traditional business models.
Its investment thesis around Big Rentals centered on the opportunity to modernize a fragmented equipment rental industry.
Independent rental operators often compete against much larger companies with stronger technology and broader customer reach.
A digital marketplace combined with rental management software could help reduce that disadvantage.
Why Ironspring Ventures Invested
Ironspring Ventures invests in industrial and infrastructure technology.
Its investment commentary highlighted the challenges independent rental companies face when managing inventory, customer acquisition, and operational workflows.
The firm also emphasized that contractors increasingly expect online rental options.
For Ironspring, Big Rentals represents an opportunity to bring modern software and digital marketplace capabilities to an important but historically under-digitized industry.
How the Funding Will Be Used
According to the company’s funding announcement, the $2.8 million investment will support:
- Expansion into construction and heavy equipment.
- Development of its nationwide rental marketplace.
- Continued investment in HQ Rent.
- AI-powered automation.
- Better booking and payment workflows.
- Growth of its independent supplier network.
The company has not publicly disclosed a verified valuation associated with this funding round.
9. Business Model: How Big Rentals Creates Value
Big Rentals operates through a connected marketplace and software model.
This allows the company to serve two different customer groups.
Marketplace: Connecting Renters and Suppliers
The marketplace helps customers discover equipment from local rental businesses.
Suppliers can list equipment and gain access to potential customers searching for rentals.
Big Rentals’ supplier program advertises free marketplace listings without upfront setup or monthly listing fees for the marketplace option.
This lowers the barrier for independent operators who want to reach more customers.
The platform’s value comes from creating connections between equipment availability and rental demand.
Software: Supporting Rental Business Operations
HQ Rent provides a separate software offering for rental businesses.
Its tools cover booking management, fleet management, online checkout, payments, rental contracts, customer records, reporting, and other workflows.
This creates a software revenue opportunity beyond individual marketplace transactions.
The software allows the company to build relationships with rental operators that need more comprehensive operational technology.
Why the Combined Model Matters
A marketplace needs suppliers to provide enough equipment choices.
Suppliers need customers to generate bookings.
Software helps suppliers manage those bookings and deliver a consistent rental experience.
This creates a reinforcing relationship between marketplace demand and operational technology.
If the company can grow both sides successfully, it can become more valuable to renters and suppliers.
10. Market Opportunity: Why Equipment Rentals Are Important
Big Rentals operates in a large US equipment rental market.
Its November 2025 funding announcement described the US equipment rental industry as worth more than $80 billion.
The market serves construction, infrastructure, manufacturing, industrial operations, landscaping, transportation, and many other sectors.
Several trends make this market attractive.
Construction and Infrastructure Investment
Large construction and infrastructure projects require substantial equipment.
Contractors often need machinery for specific stages of a project rather than purchasing equipment that may sit unused afterward.
Manufacturing Expansion
New factories and industrial facilities require construction equipment, material-handling machinery, trailers, and other rental assets.
Data Center Construction
Data center projects require specialized construction work, lifting equipment, machinery, and transportation services.
These developments can create additional demand for equipment rentals.
Preference for Flexible Equipment Access
Renting can allow businesses to access machinery without committing large amounts of capital to ownership.
It also reduces the need for customers to manage long-term maintenance and storage for equipment they only need temporarily.
For independent suppliers, these trends create an opportunity to serve customers that prefer flexible access over equipment ownership.
Big Rentals wants to make that market more accessible through digital discovery and booking.
11. Competition: Where Does Big Rentals Fit?
Big Rentals operates in a competitive market that includes national rental companies, online marketplaces, and rental management software providers.
Large operators such as United Rentals and EquipmentShare have significant equipment inventories, established customer relationships, and digital capabilities.
Specialist rental marketplaces and software platforms also compete for different parts of the customer journey.
Big Rentals’ strategy is different in one important respect: it focuses on helping independent rental businesses participate in the digital marketplace.
Its value proposition combines:
- Nationwide rental discovery.
- Local supplier connections.
- Equipment price comparison.
- Online booking.
- Rental management software.
- Fleet and inventory tools.
- Payments and digital documentation.
- AI-enabled operational automation.
Rather than trying to compete only through equipment ownership, Big Rentals is building a platform that connects existing independent suppliers with customers.
This gives it a different growth strategy from companies that primarily operate their own large rental fleets.
A similar approach to modernizing an established, asset-heavy industry can be seen in the DenotePress founder story about Matt Engfer and Cubby, which explores how software and AI are changing self-storage operations.
However, the company must continue building marketplace liquidity, ensuring reliable supplier information, maintaining customer trust, and competing with established rental brands.
Its long-term success will depend on whether it can provide a consistently better experience for both renters and equipment suppliers.
12. Challenges Ahead: What Big Rentals Must Get Right
The opportunity is substantial, but marketplace and software businesses face several challenges.
Building Marketplace Liquidity
A rental marketplace needs enough suppliers and equipment in each location.
If customers search for a particular machine and cannot find suitable options nearby, they may leave the platform.
Big Rentals must continue expanding supplier coverage and equipment availability across its target markets.
Maintaining Equipment Availability Accuracy
Rental inventory changes constantly.
Equipment may be booked, returned, damaged, or taken out of service.
If the marketplace displays inaccurate availability, customers can experience delays and suppliers can face operational problems.
Reliable inventory synchronization is therefore essential.
Building Trust Between Renters and Suppliers
Equipment rentals involve valuable assets and sometimes complex delivery and insurance arrangements.
Customers need confidence that equipment will be available and suppliers need confidence that renters will meet their obligations.
Clear booking processes, documentation, customer support, and payment handling are important parts of building that trust.
Competing With Large Rental Companies
Large rental companies already have brand recognition, extensive fleets, and established operations.
Big Rentals’ opportunity lies in helping independent suppliers become more competitive.
But the company must demonstrate that its marketplace can consistently deliver customers and operational benefits.
Scaling the Software Business
HQ Rent serves a different but related purpose from the Big Rentals marketplace.
As the software customer base grows, the company must maintain reliable integrations, customer support, payment processes, and operational tools.
Growing a software business while expanding a nationwide marketplace requires careful execution.
Delivering Measurable AI Benefits
AI-enabled automation can create value when it reduces administrative work and improves transaction efficiency.
Big Rentals must continue demonstrating that its automation delivers practical benefits for rental operators rather than simply adding AI features as a marketing message.
13. What’s Next for Pablo Fernandez, Ryan Keen, and Big Rentals?
Big Rentals’ next phase is focused on expanding its marketplace and supporting a broader range of equipment rental businesses.
The company’s November 2025 funding announcement specifically highlighted construction and heavy equipment as major expansion priorities.
Its current marketplace already includes trailers, dumpsters, earthmoving equipment, aerial work equipment, and forklifts.
This creates opportunities to serve a wider range of customers, from individual renters to professional contractors and larger businesses.
The company is also continuing to develop HQ Rent, which provides the operational software behind the marketplace ecosystem.
Its long-term ambition is to make independent rental businesses easier to discover, easier to operate, and better equipped to compete.
If Big Rentals can continue expanding its supplier network while improving its software, it could build a strong position in the equipment rental technology market.
The central question will be whether the company can scale its marketplace demand and software adoption together.
For Fernandez and Keen, that is the challenge of turning firsthand industry experience into a technology platform with nationwide reach.
14. Lessons Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Big Rentals
Big Rentals’ journey offers several lessons for founders building businesses in traditional industries.
1. Build from problems you have experienced yourself.
Pablo Fernandez’s eight years running Roadmoto gave him direct exposure to the operational difficulties of rental businesses. That experience helped identify a problem worth solving.
2. Understand both sides of a marketplace.
A marketplace cannot succeed by attracting customers alone. It also needs reliable suppliers with enough inventory. Big Rentals addresses both sides through its marketplace and software strategy.
3. Give smaller businesses access to better technology.
Independent operators often compete with larger companies that have more resources. Technology can help reduce that gap by improving customer acquisition and daily operations.
4. Solve the entire workflow, not just one task.
Finding a rental is only the beginning. Booking, payments, documents, scheduling, and inventory management are all connected. Big Rentals’ wider ecosystem reflects the value of solving multiple related problems.
5. Combine software with distribution.
Software helps rental operators manage their businesses, while the marketplace helps them attract customers. Combining the two creates a stronger value proposition than offering either in isolation.
6. Focus on measurable customer value.
Rental businesses need more than a modern-looking platform. They need more bookings, better utilization, less administrative work, and reliable transactions. These outcomes will determine the long-term value of Big Rentals.
For another example of a founder building technology around a traditional service industry, read the DenotePress story about Brandon Bart and PlumBuddy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Big Rentals
1. What is Big Rentals?
Big Rentals is a US-based equipment rental marketplace that connects customers with local trailer, dumpster, and equipment suppliers. It also provides access to rental management software through its HQ Rent business.
2. Who founded Big Rentals?
Big Rentals was co-founded by Pablo Fernandez and Ryan Keen. Fernandez serves as CEO, while Keen is the company’s COO.
3. When was Big Rentals founded?
Big Rentals was founded in 2023.
4. What problem does Big Rentals solve?
Big Rentals helps customers find and book local equipment while helping independent rental companies improve their digital presence, manage bookings, and streamline daily operations.
5. What equipment can customers rent through Big Rentals?
The marketplace features trailers, dumpsters, earthmoving equipment, aerial work equipment, forklifts, and other rental categories. Trailer options include enclosed, flatbed, utility, car hauler, gooseneck, and dump trailers.
6. How does Big Rentals work?
Customers search for equipment and enter their location to find local suppliers. They can compare prices and availability and book suitable equipment through the marketplace. Suppliers can list their equipment and receive customer inquiries.
7. What is HQ Rent?
HQ Rent is the rental management software business associated with Big Rentals. It provides tools for booking management, fleet management, payments, digital contracts, customer records, quotes, invoices, and reporting.
8. How much funding has Big Rentals raised?
Big Rentals announced a $2.8 million seed funding round on November 18, 2025.
9. Who invested in Big Rentals?
The seed round was led by SNAK Venture Partners, with participation from Ironspring Ventures, Forum Ventures, Jason Calacanis’ LAUNCH Fund, NuFund Venture Group, and a strategic industry investor.
10. Does Big Rentals use artificial intelligence?
Yes. The company and its investors describe AI-enabled automation as part of its rental management technology, supporting workflows such as quoting, scheduling, and payments.
11. How does Big Rentals make money?
Big Rentals operates a marketplace and software business. The marketplace connects renters with suppliers, while HQ Rent provides software for rental business operations. The complete marketplace transaction fees and software pricing structure are not fully disclosed publicly.
12. What makes Big Rentals different from traditional equipment rental companies?
Traditional rental companies primarily operate their own fleets. Big Rentals focuses on connecting independent suppliers with customers through a nationwide marketplace while offering software to help those suppliers manage their businesses.
Conclusion: Giving Independent Rental Businesses a Bigger Opportunity
Big Rentals began with a problem its founders understood firsthand.
Pablo Fernandez had spent eight years running Roadmoto, while Ryan Keen brought more than eight years of experience in the utility trailer industry. Together, they recognized how outdated systems and limited digital access could hold independent rental businesses back.
Their solution was to combine a nationwide equipment rental marketplace with software designed around the daily needs of rental operators.
Since its founding in 2023, Big Rentals has expanded its marketplace across multiple equipment categories and attracted a $2.8 million seed investment led by SNAK Venture Partners.
Its strategy is built around a simple but important idea: independent rental businesses should have access to the same kind of digital tools and customer opportunities available to larger competitors.
The marketplace helps renters discover local equipment, while HQ Rent supports suppliers with booking, payments, inventory, and operational management.
The company’s long-term success will depend on its ability to grow both sides of that ecosystem.
For entrepreneurs, Big Rentals offers a valuable lesson: some of the strongest technology opportunities come from industries that have been operating with outdated systems for years.
By understanding the people behind those businesses and solving problems that directly affect their growth, founders can create platforms that modernize entire markets.
Explore more technology-driven founder journeys in the DenotePress Founder Stories collection.
