FishBrain, an app and social network for anglers, just caught its 700,000th user yesterday.
It is also releasing a new version of its app today, which includes a “FishBrain Forecast” feature that uses a combination of algorithms and crowdsourcing to help you figure out, based on the weather, time of year, and other factors, where the ideal fishing spots are.
The new app also includes a “Teams” feature so you can compete with your friends in impromptu fishing tournaments.
FishBrain is based in Stockholm, Sweden, but is used by people all over the world. According to the company, it is the largest fishing network around. The next-closest competitors appear to be Madison, Wisconsin-based Fishidy, which was aiming for 300,000 users by the end of 2014, and Houston, Texas-based FishingSkout, which claims 100,000 users on its iTunes page.
So clearly there are a lot of people who love to fish and don’t mind using an app to help them.
Last year, I got into a Twitter conversation with Andreessen and some journalists about whether a fishing app that had won a tech conference prize deserved the label of “disruptive technology.”
Andreessen schooled me, pointing out that fishing is a huge pastime for many people — and more than that, it’s an enormous industry.
Now we’ve got an additional data point showing that the man is a smart investor and trendspotter.
FishBrain, by the way, has not received any investment from Andreessen. The company got started in 2010, and recently took a $2.4 million investment led by Northzone and Active Venture Partners.
from VentureBeat » Dylan Tweney http://ift.tt/1FIelEN
