Sportsman Tracker Raises $950k To Bring Hunters Into The Smartphone Age

Hunting is one of the oldest social activities. Even if the hunter goes out alone, there’s always a story to tell or a lesson to be learned. That’s where the Sportsman Tracker comes in. The app, which just raised $950k, aims to give hunters key information before they go out into the woods.

The Michigan-based company is today announcing that it raised just shy of a million led by Huron River Ventures and Start Garden, with additional investment from Detroit Innovate, Muskegon Angels and Karis Capital Partners.

The app provides maps, hunting and fishing locations and a way to record results from the field. The company says its proprietary algorithm will tell hunters and fishers when and where to go.

The company got its start from Start Garden when it awarded $5,000 to founder Jeffrey Courter in May of 2013. The following May, after its user base hit 80,000 users, the Grand Rapids-based VC firm invested another $100,000 into the company. The company tells me that during the 2014 hunting season, the app saw 270,000 users and generated more than 4 million predictions.

“We are very excited about Sportsman Tracker and how their platform can become an outdoor sports destination for sportsman of any background. They have put together a great technology with an extremely scalable platform,” said Tim Streit, partner at Huron River Ventures in a released statement. “Sportsman Tracker is perfectly positioned to break into the hunting and fishing industry to establish an entirely new brand. Huron River Ventures and our co-investors recognize the value Sportsman Tracker brings to this market and looks forward to assisting Jeff and his team with scaling and market adoption.”

The company is addressing a massive market underserved by smartphone apps. Sportsman Trackers offers a host of features that both hunters and fishers value. This dual focus approach ensures that the app is used year-round rather than just during a single season. From tracking trophies to predicting optimal hunting times and locations, the app should not have an issue continuing its rapid growth.