Ever looked at a massive excavator or a specialized flatbed trailer and wondered who actually owns it? Most people assume it's some giant corporate conglomerate with a shiny skyscraper and a fleet of thousands. But the truth is way more interesting. A huge chunk of the $80 billion equipment rental industry in the U.S. is run by mom-and-pop shops—independent operators who know their gear but are drowning in a sea of paper receipts and clunky spreadsheets.
Enter Pablo Fernandez Big Rentals.
If you haven’t heard the name yet, you’re about to. Pablo Fernandez isn't just another tech guy trying to "disrupt" an industry he doesn't understand. He’s the guy who co-founded Clicars and turned it into a $500 million powerhouse before it was snapped up by Stellantis. Now, he’s turned his sights on the "blue-collar backbone" of the rental world.
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The "Shopify for Diggers" Movement
Basically, Big Rentals is trying to do for equipment what Shopify did for boutique t-shirt shops. Honestly, it's about time.
For decades, if you wanted to rent a backhoe from a local guy, you probably had to call three different numbers, wait for a callback, and hope he didn't double-book the machine on a sticky note. Big Rentals provides the software—specifically a sister platform called HQRent—that lets these small businesses handle bookings, payments, and fleet management in one spot.
Why this actually matters
- Automation: AI-powered tools that take the "paperwork" out of the equation.
- Visibility: Small guys get listed on a national marketplace so they can actually compete with the big dogs.
- Accessibility: It’s not just for construction pros; it’s for anyone trying to scale a rental business without a million-dollar IT budget.
In late 2025, Big Rentals snagged about $2.8 million in seed funding. That’s a decent chunk of change. Leading the charge was SNAK Venture Partners, but you’ve also got names like Jason Calacanis’s LAUNCH Fund and EquipmentShare in the mix. When industry insiders like EquipmentShare put money behind a competitor's software, you know there’s something real happening under the hood.
The Man Behind the Machine: Pablo Fernandez Alvarez
Pablo isn't your average founder. The guy is a machine. Not just in business, but literally. He holds six Guinness World Records for long-distance swimming. We’re talking about swimming 250 km across the ocean. If he can survive 12 hours in shark-infested waters, managing a software rollout for trailer rentals probably feels like a spa day.
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He’s lived the "American Dream" narrative in a way that’s actually authentic. Born in Madrid, worked at Boston Consulting Group, became the youngest VP at Santander in the U.S., and then realized he’d rather build stuff.
He’s a "day-one" mindset person. Even after selling Clicars for over $100 million, he’s known for sitting with his customer support teams and selling the first hundred units of a new product himself. That’s rare. Usually, once you hit that level of success, you’re looking at charts from a beach in Ibiza. Pablo? He’s obsessed with the process.
The Problem Big Rentals Solves
Small rental companies have been stuck. They can’t afford the enterprise software that United Rentals or Sunbelt uses. So they stay small. They stay local. They stay analog.
Pablo Fernandez Big Rentals changes that by democratizing the tech. It’s a dual-sided platform. On one side, you have the marketplace where people can actually find and rent equipment. On the other, you have the backend software that makes sure the owner doesn't lose their mind trying to track inventory.
What's Next for the Industry?
The U.S. is in the middle of a massive "reindustrialization" phase. Data centers are popping up everywhere—at a $40 billion annual clip. Manufacturing investment is at record highs. All those projects need equipment.
But here’s the kicker: contractors are shifting from owning to renting.
It makes financial sense. Why let a $200,000 machine sit idle and rust when you can rent it for the three weeks you actually need it? This shift is creating a massive vacuum that Big Rentals is perfectly positioned to fill.
Real-world Action Steps for Small Rental Owners
If you're sitting on a fleet of trailers, skid steers, or even party tents, the "old way" is officially dying. Google doesn't rank "guy with a notebook" very well.
- Audit your stack. If you’re using more than three different apps to manage one rental, you’re losing money.
- Look into HQRent. Since it's the engine behind Big Rentals, it's worth seeing if their AI automation can actually save you those 10 hours a week you spend on admin.
- Get on a marketplace. Visibility is everything. If you aren't searchable, you don't exist to the modern contractor.
Pablo and his team are building in Los Angeles and Nashville, targeting the heart of the American equipment market. It’s a bold move to take on a fragmented, legacy industry, but if anyone’s going to do it, it’s the guy who swims across oceans for fun.
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The goal isn't just to be a middleman; it's to empower the independent operator to look, act, and earn like a national chain. And that is exactly what most people get wrong about Big Rentals—it's not about the big machines; it's about the small business owners behind them.
To get started, you should evaluate your current fleet's utilization rates. If your equipment is sitting idle more than 40% of the time, it's a clear signal to transition toward a digital marketplace model. Your next move should be to digitize your inventory list into a CSV format, which makes onboarding to platforms like Big Rentals significantly faster.