‘Bou HQ: Dan Wick brings AI to anglers
Welcome to ‘Bou HQ* – Caribou Coffee’s ongoing series of spotlight entrepreneurs whose best ideas started where community happens – over coffee. In this edition, we sat down with Dan Wick, co-founder of Omnia Fishing – an e-commerce retailer that’s bringing personalization technology to the art of angling.
‘Bou HQ: What led you to start Omnia?
Dan Wick: I had co-founded an app-based business Red Stamp that was all about elevating personal correspondence. We grew to 2 million users before being acquired. I was then mentoring young people at TechStars but began to feel I still had the itch – like many entrepreneurs – to try and start something new. I met Matt Johnson who later became my co-founder, and we started talking – mostly about how slow the fishing industry was to move online and what needed to change. Most startups happen like this: a spark of an idea to solve a problem or improve an experience.
‘Bou HQ: How did the idea of mapping water conditions to fishing tackle come together?
DW: Matt came up with the concept — mapping water conditions to the right tackle. It had never been done before in this way. I brought extensive retail and app experience, and then our third co-founder, Chris Morgal, who joined, added deep fishing knowledge to help us understand and determine the mindset and needs of anglers. We realized anglers think in terms of lakes and conditions, not product categories or types of fish particularly, so we built a hyper-recommendation system that helps people shop for their equipment by lake and condition. From day one, the goal was to combine science and the art of fishing — to use data to make decisions that previously were based purely on intuition and hunch.
‘Bou HQ: Growth really accelerated during COVID-19. What changed?
DW: COVID was a moment when people wanted to be outside. Brick-and-mortar retail was tough, but we had a strong online brand built on curated products and fast fulfillment. And very deliberately, we were shipping everything from our own warehouse, so we could deliver quickly and answer customer calls directly – building service excellence, fast response and trust. We didn’t want to take advantage of the pandemic moment — it was about making sure we were there for people discovering or returning to fishing in increasing numbers.
‘Bou HQ: You’ve mentioned using applied AI and machine learning — how does that shape your work now?
DW: Machine learning isn’t new, but people are finally ready to use it. We’re applying AI to personalize recommendations and build mapping layers that use NASA satellite data to infer water temperature and conditions. Really, we’ve become as much a data company as a commerce company. The next step is conversational AI — so anglers can ask very direct questions and get real answers. That tight feedback loop, with other anglers filing fishing reports and validating Omnia recommendations, is what makes this work.
‘Bou HQ: You’re known for taking meetings at Caribou Coffee. What’s your favorite location — and your go-to beverage?
DW: Easy — the Caribou inside Lunds & Byerlys off Duluth Street in Golden Valley. I take a ton of meetings there. I can almost see it from our office. I love that I can order ahead, grab a table, and know the service will be great. I’m a Cold Brew guy most days — it fuels a lot of coding sessions — but lately I’ve been into the Sugar-free Passion Fruit Yuzu Energy drink when I want something lighter.
‘Bou HQ: Community seems to be a thread through your story — how do you see that playing out in your work?
DW: Community is everything. Fishing itself is built on shared knowledge — things like reports, conditions and advice. We built our platform around that same idea: people helping each other catch more fish and enjoy the water. Whether it’s passing along intel, helping, in a way, to mentor other founders or connecting anglers through data, this business and what we do is all about support. That’s what keeps our flywheel turning.
Final sip
At ‘Bou HQ, we celebrate innovators who turn coffeehouse conversations into companies that connect people. If you have a story of a business idea or your next big thing that was sparked at a Caribou coffeehouse, we’d love to hear from you. Submit your story – and you could be featured in an upcoming edition.
*The opinions expressed in this story are those of the individual or organization featured, and do not necessarily reflect the view of Caribou Coffee. Caribou Coffee is not affiliated, does not endorse, or receive a benefit from any organization, business, or individual featured in ‘Bou HQ. All photos are used with permission and remain the property of their respective owners.