If you ever wished there was a handyman service that felt safer, more trustworthy, and more local, you’re not alone. That’s the gap Hidrent saw and tried to fill: by linking people to off-duty firefighters for help around the house.
The idea sounds simple enough—match folks who need odd jobs done with trusted firefighters looking for extra work. But Hidrent’s story goes well beyond the app launch. Since their appearance on Shark Tank, the company has gone through some serious changes. Here’s how things have played out, what’s changed, how their business has grown, and what’s new with Hidrent right now.
From A Simple Idea To An App People Trust
Hidrent started back in 2018, founded by Dave Heimbuch. The mission felt straightforward: help families and individuals find household help from someone they could actually trust. Firefighters spend a lot of time in the community—why not make it easier for them to pick up safe, flexible work when they’re off duty?
The app lets you book help for small but sometimes tough tasks—think moving furniture, installing smoke alarms, fixing a light fixture, or even basic yard work. Hidrent knew their central promise was trust: you know the person showing up has passed extensive background checks and serves in a first responder profession already.
For firefighters, the benefit was clear. Firehouse schedules leave them with long stretches off, and many look for side jobs that are predictable, local, and reputable.
What Happened When Hidrent Went On Shark Tank?
Hidrent made its big TV debut in Season 13 of Shark Tank. Dave Heimbuch came in asking for $300,000 in exchange for 8% equity—valuing the company at nearly $3.75 million. The Sharks asked lots of questions, as always. They liked the idea of supporting firefighters, but the business was still quite new and mostly serving only Phoenix and Tampa at the time.
After some back and forth, Robert Herjavec and Lori Greiner saw potential. But they pushed for a better deal (for them, anyway), eventually landing on $300,000 for 33.3% equity. That put the estimated value of Hidrent at just $900,000.
Some viewers felt the founders gave up too much equity. But for Hidrent, the tradeoff was pretty clear: more guidance, bigger networks, and extra credibility from those two Sharks. Whether or not the deal closed quickly after the taping wasn’t initially obvious, but Hidrent pressed ahead with its growth plans.
Hidrent Goes Nationwide
Right after Shark Tank, Hidrent kicked expansion into gear. The company quickly spread beyond its original cities. It now connects users and off-duty firefighters across the United States.
That growth had a lot to do with a major partnership. In 2024, Hidrent joined forces with the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)—the biggest labor union for firefighters in North America, representing over 300,000 firefighters.
For Hidrent, working with the IAFF didn’t just offer credibility. It gave access to a massive network of verified professionals ready to work. In exchange, Hidrent agreed to donate 2% of profits directly back to IAFF, so there’s a pay-it-forward loop benefiting full-time firefighters, too.
The partnership turned out to be a major turning point for Hidrent. Suddenly, the app went from a local startup to a genuine national player in the odd-jobs market almost overnight.
Business (And Revenue) After Shark Tank
So what about the money side? Before Shark Tank, Hidrent had brought in roughly $850,000 in total revenue since its 2018 launch. Of that, $320,000 was just in the year of filming.
After the show aired, things moved a lot faster. By April 2024, Hidrent’s annual revenue reportedly reached around $6 million. That’s a huge jump for a business built mostly on word of mouth and a single TV appearance.
Today, business analysts estimate Hidrent’s net worth at around $1.31 million, projecting moderate 10% annual growth for the next few years. While those numbers won’t blow up the market, it does show steady and solid business expansion—especially for a company competing with big-name handyman platforms and apps.
Getting The Money To Grow
People often wonder if the Shark Tank money really comes through after filming. With Hidrent, immediate confirmation about the deal closing wasn’t out there—but the company didn’t sit still.
Since Shark Tank, Hidrent raised $662,000 in seed money from nine different investors. Later, they turned to equity crowdfunding and ran a campaign on StartEngine. That campaign valued the company at $8.5 million and brought in an additional $149,761 from smaller investors.
That extra cash meant Hidrent could build their tech, hire a few more key people, and push out new features without being forced to take on risky loans or change their core business ideas.
Changing How (And Who) They Serve
Hidrent in its first few years mainly focused on consumers—the regular folks who need that “can someone please help me hang a TV safely?” kind of job.
But since Shark Tank and with better funding in place, the company also opened up its service to businesses. Think retail stores needing help with furniture moves, small offices who need minor repairs, or property managers looking for trusted on-call fixes.
Hidrent also spotted a real gap in the digital world: not everyone over 60 loves using apps. In response, Hidrent launched a phone booking hotline for seniors, making it easy for older adults to call in jobs, avoid tech headaches, and still get all the benefits of the service.
The company stuck to its simple revenue model: Hidrent takes 23% of each job’s fee as their share. The rest goes straight to the firefighter doing the work. There’s no subscription required, just pay per job.
What Media Attention (And Shark Tank) Did For Hidrent
Getting on national TV is still a huge deal for most businesses, and Shark Tank brought a flood of attention Hidrent’s way. The app got coverage from Yahoo Finance, CNBC, CBS, and Fox, all praising the idea of firefighters finding extra work and homeowners getting more peace of mind.
That publicity, plus the IAFF partnership, put Hidrent top-of-mind for people who don’t always trust hiring strangers into their homes. Even just seeing that “As Seen On Shark Tank” logo gave Hidrent a leg up over new competitors.
Hidrent’s story gets listed now in startup advice columns, small business success lists, and even franchise news for its creative approach—solving a simple problem in a safer way using workers who already serve their communities.
Where Hidrent Goes From Here
Hidrent’s recipe isn’t the only one out there for finding handyman help, but their firefighter-first approach stands out in a crowded market. By focusing on trust, safety, and easy access—plus a promise to send some profits back to fire fighters’ associations—they keep a strong sense of mission without getting distracted.
Expansion into bigger cities, business clients, and a phone support line for seniors has given the company more reach. At the same time, the app still works best for homeowners who want quick, small jobs done by reliable people—not huge home renovations.
One thing that’s helped fuel Hidrent’s steady success is their willingness to stay in touch with what users and firefighters actually want. They make small tweaks, test new features, and try to handle problems as they come up rather than waiting for things to get big.
Looking ahead, funding from sources like their StartEngine campaign and media attention from Shark Tank should help Hidrent keep improving its tech and service line. If you’re thinking about what happens as small businesses grow, you might find a lot to learn from how Hidrent navigated those early years—from app launch to national TV, to securing a trusted partnership. For more stories like this, you might want to check out Aureo Business for deeper business updates and tips.
As of now, Hidrent stands as a case of a solid business model, a clear core audience, and some unexpected help from TV and unions. Nobody’s calling it a unicorn startup, but Hidrent has built something durable by sticking to their roots and carefully choosing their next steps.
Growth has been steady rather than flashy—and in a world where trust is hard to come by, that’s probably what their customers want most.
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