Texas | Costa Rica | Mexico

Nurture Acceleration Range

NAR Ventures invests in and develops technology-enabled operating companies across multiple verticals — with real estate attached wherever it applies. We nurture startups to a growth state, accelerate the companies we found and acquire, and operate across a range of industries.

Contact us Some of Our Projects
El Arroyo Rockin' R Axial Shift Aztec Promotional Group Shindig Team Hecho Trading Company
12
industries
21
exits
50+
acres under development
116
combined years operating
01 — Approach

Nurture. Acceleration. Range.

Those three words are what NAR stands for, and how we work. We nurture early companies to a growth state. We accelerate the companies we acquire through focused strategy, technology and hands-on support. And we operate with range — across hospitality, software, consumer brands, construction and services — with real estate attached wherever it applies. Because we hold control, our team executes inside each business rather than watching from a board seat.

OPERATING COMPANIES

Strategic operations worth owning

We acquire and hold established operating companies in a variety of industries, improving them constantly with better leadership, systems and technology.

STARTUPS

Founded to solve real needs

We found and back early companies, then give them the operating spine most never get: leadership, capital, shared services and a first set of real customers inside our own portfolio.

DEVELOPMENT

Real estate underpins our projects

We develop land under and around our operations, taking sites from entitlement through construction, lease-up and sale — restaurants, retail, hotel, office, residential and ranch.

SUPPORT

Services that accelerate scaling

Construction, accounting, staffing, sourcing and event booking companies built to solve real needs uncovered inside our portfolio companies — then opened up to third-party customers.

02 — Companies

What we own and operate.

Technology-enabled operating companies across river recreation, restaurants and consumer goods, software, construction, staffing and sourcing — plus a 50-acre riverfront district in Gruene.

Rockin' R River Outfitters

1979

River adventures on the Comal and Guadalupe — tubing, rafting, guided trips, camping, events and catering.

Hospitality Real Estate
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El Arroyo

1975

Austin institution turned four-part brand: restaurants and real estate, home and gift, packaged foods, and brand partnerships.

Consumer Restaurants
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Cain & Abel's

1991

The West Campus institution at the edge of UT Austin — a rite of passage and permanent stomping grounds for generations of Longhorns, one patio and one pitcher at a time.

Hospitality Real Estate
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Axial Shift

2016

Front-line SaaS platform helping restaurants use their data to raise sales, tighten operations and reduce turnover.

Software
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Lower Gruene District

2023

A 50-acre mixed-use hospitality, restaurant, retail and entertainment district on the Guadalupe River in Gruene.

Development

Aztec Promotional Group

2005

Promotional products, apparel and corporate gifts with deep industry knowledge and white-glove service.

Branded Products
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Garra

2019

Commercial general contracting, land and golf course improvement, and construction management.

Construction Construction Management

Shindig Team

2023

Event booking for restaurants and event centers, built to maximize event profit and brand awareness.

Venue Booking
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Texa-Rica

2022

Recruiting and staffing of skilled professionals in Costa Rica, the Philippines and Mexico for remote US roles.

Recruiting International Staffing
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Company Six

2006

Accounting, data and administration services — the operational backbone behind our companies.

Business Services
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Hecho Trading Company

2023

Sourcing and fulfillment focused on Latin America, starting with a growing factory network in Mexico.

Sourcing Fulfillment Representation
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NAR Debt Fund

2023

Internal debt financing that supports growth and lets our companies time their capital raises well.

Capital
03 — Developments

Some of our developments.

A representative sample of the real estate our team has developed, restored, leased and sold. More than 75 combined years of construction and development experience across restaurants, retail, hotel, office, industrial, outdoor entertainment, residential and ranch land.

Lower Gruene District

New Braunfels, TX In progress
Mixed-use, new construction

50 riverfront acres on the Guadalupe: 160 hotel units, three banquet spaces, 60,000 sq ft of retail, an outdoor music venue, a 15-acre lake, 22 homesites and a 10-unit airstream park. Fully entitled March 2024.

El Arroyo — Original Location

Austin, TX Completed 2025
Remodel & expansion

The original W 5th Street restaurant acquired together with the adjacent warehouse building — an urban infill, large-format restaurant site with gardens, retail and banquet space.

El Arroyo — Gruene

New Braunfels, TX In progress
Remodel & expansion

A retail and office building refurbished and expanded into an El Arroyo overlooking the Guadalupe, under the Gruene water tower, with a large play area and banquet space.

Rockin' R Riverfront

New Braunfels, TX Completed 2023
Redevelopment

Riverfront redevelopment of a long-standing tube company on a floodplain-affected site — the first phase of the Lower Gruene district.

Montell Summit Ranch

Montell, TX Completed 2023
Ranch restoration

Restoration of 4,007 acres in the Nueces River Canyon: 26 miles of road, 1,500 acres of cedar removal, 22 springs developed and a 15-acre lake.

Creekside Creative Offices

Austin, TX Completed 2019
Remodel & repurpose

A 25,000 sq ft restaurant reworked into 36,000 sq ft of creative office with a mezzanine, greenbelt frontage and large decks. Developed, leased and sold.

Mirabeau

Austin, TX Completed 2017
New commercial construction

Ground-up three-story retail and office building on South Lamar with large balconies and surface parking.

Station East

Austin, TX Completed 2017
Remodel & repurpose

40,000 sq ft of light industrial buildings on two acres converted to mixed-use restaurant and creative office on Austin's east side.

Indian Trail

Austin, TX Completed 2023
Residential

Two new-construction homes with wraparound second-floor patios and indoor/outdoor rooms.

04 — Industries

Where we've worked, and where we'll look next.

01 Hospitality & recreation
02 Restaurants
03 Consumer products
04 Software
05 Real estate development
06 Ranch & land
07 Construction
08 Branded products
09 Licensing & brand
10 Staffing & recruiting
11 Sourcing & supply chain
12 Business services

We run all of our companies like hospitality companies, with a tech-first strategy.

05 — Team

Strategy and execution, in the same people.

The NAR team recruits and supports operators, designs compensation and systems, runs development from planning through sale, and handles acquisitions end to end.

Ellis Winstanley

Managing Principal & Founder

Deal development and structuring, real estate, construction and hospitality.

Justin Holliday

Principal & Founder

Deal development and structuring, real estate and oil & gas.

Raechel Barnes

Vice President, Operations

Operational efficiency, systems, sales, compensation and incentives.

Philip Kerr

EVP, Finance

Compliance, debt and equity, reporting and financial operations.

Jeff Shindler

Partner

Engineering, land development, hospitality and barbecue.

06 — Contact

Have a deal? Feel free to reach out.

Businesses for sale, development sites, partnerships, or a role on the team — tell us what you have and we'll come back to you directly.

info@nar-ventures.com Texas | Costa Rica | Mexico