Pittsburgh, PA (PRWEB) June 14, 2016
A common practice among fisherman has always been to pay close attention to how they’re fishing and the environment around them. Now with the launch of Anglr Labs, fishermen will soon be able to connect to their fishing trips in a whole new way, while tracking a holistic summary of their most successful fishing behaviors and giving fishermen many tall fishing tales to tell.
Anglr Labs recently secured seed funding lead by Pittsburgh-based venture capital firm, BlueTree Allied Angels. The Series A funding will be used to drive commercialization of a first-of-its kind connected technology platform for the fishing industry.
Anglr believes that connected technologies can increase satisfaction and participation in a sport fishing economy that’s 3X the size of golf and tennis combined in the United States.
The product portfolio focuses on capturing data seamlessly throughout the fishing experience to offer fishermen detailed insights on their key fishing activities. The company’s initial technology to be unveiled at the ICAST show this July, tracks angler’s locations, surrounding conditions, casts, catches, tackle, and more through an integrated mobile and web application.
“Hooked” from the start
The idea to bring connected technology to the fishing industry was born on the Allegheny River during a fishing trip between avid fishermen and co-founders, Nic Wilson, a former BodyMedia Inc. (now Jawbone) employee in Pittsburgh, Landon Bloomer, former director of business development at the YMCA in Pittsburgh, and TJ Corbett, a graduate of the Art Institute of Pittsburgh. After the fishing trip, they formed a local team of software and technology developers. Partnerships include a custom software development company, Problem Solutions in Johnstown, an electronic manufacturing solutions provider, Sunburst Electronics in Erie and, PiMios, an engineering design company specializing in Internet of Things (IoT). The group initially met at local networking events where Nic carried a fishing rod and clunky prototypes as a conversation starter.
“Technology is a daily part of our lives and with the introduction of computer detection to auto-determine fishing activities, anglers can get smarter about their trips,” stated Nick Anthony, Founder and CEO of PiMios. “Captured data allows anglers to reflect and learn from their trends and behaviors while fishing, which will ultimately enhance their experiences and build more memorable fishing stories.”
Product Platform will capture big data for wide-array of use
Beyond the ability to track fishing trips, the technology platform will allow for the collection of big data for the fishing industry. This data will have the ability to inform the fishing industry of many important trends like water conditions and fish population tracking, all of which can have a positive impact on the sustainability of the industry and the environment.
“The popularity of wearable and connected technology continues to grow,” stated Catherine Mott, Founder of BlueTree Allied Angels. “Anglr has a great opportunity to capture both the connected and IoT movement in the fishing industry with its unique product platform, passionate team and team of industry experts.”