Three years ago Nick Akrap and his buddies rented an RV and drove down to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, for the Alabama vs. Auburn football game. They went to see a classic college football rivalry game, but really, they were in search of a tailgate.
Unfortunately for them, finding a spot to park and party was not an easy task. Season ticket holders have had their parking passes near the stadium handed down from generation to generation, and no nearby lot had open spaces for Akrap's RV. He ended up parking at a Walmart four miles from the stadium.
"We wanted to go down there and actually experience what the Alabama tailgating lifestyle is all about," he said. "It's something all of us were willing to pay for, if we had the opportunity to just join somebody."
That experience led Akrap to launch Tailgreeter, a Chicago startup that aims to be the "Airbnb for tailgating." It lets fans connect with experienced tailgaters and join their party for a price. Similar to Airbnb, hosts can list their space, price and how many people they're willing to accept, and users can search from a range of tailgate experiences, whether that's a leisurely game of corn hole with a few dozen fans or a 2,000-person party with a live DJ. Its focus is college and NFL football, but it's also hosted tailgates during NASCAR, horse races, baseball games and concerts.
With tailgates across the country cancelled last year due to Covid-19, fans are more eager than ever to restart their parking lot parties, Akrap said.
"I think people's appetites are as strong as we've ever seen them in the couple years we’ve been doing this," he said. "The pent up demand is crazy right now."
Tailgreeter finished 2019 with 27 cities and 200 tailgating events on its platform. Today, it offers users the chance to tailgate in close to 100 locations from more than 600 events. Prices range from $15 per person all the way up to $100, Akrap said, with the average cost at typically $40. Akrap said hosts have used the money from Tailgreeter to pay for their entire tailgate, and then some. The startup keeps 10% of the host's commission.
Tailgreeter has raised about $1 million in seed funding led by Art Coviello, an investor at Rally Ventures.
Akrap, who spoke to me from Tampa, Florida, where Tailgreeter has processed more than 200 orders for tailgates at Thursday night's Buccaneers vs. Cowboys game, said he's hoping the platform will book 100,000 guests by the end of this football season. The startup is also eyeing international expansion, with the goal of helping people find tailgates at soccer and rugby matches.
The goal, Akrap said, is to create a way for people to truly experience the game-day lifestyle when attending an out-of-town sporting event.
"When you go to a different city, you want to meet locals," he said. "You get to eat their food. You get to play their games. You get to participate in their traditions."
