Gone Fishin’: Pleasant Hope native launches platform to connect anglers

A 2021 solo fishing trip served as the genesis of a Pleasant Hope native’s multiyear journey to connect fellow anglers.

John Bledsoe is the creator of Co-Angler, an online app designed to bring people together for fishing trips. Users can plan trips by dropping a pin on a map, selecting a desired location and outlining trip details, including day, time, duration and target species.

The platform also has a shared cost feature that allows anglers to split expenses such as gas and bait.

Bledsoe, who was born and raised in the small Polk County town roughly 20 miles north of Springfield, said he vividly remembers when the Co-Angler idea originated. It was one born out of necessity to better connect with fellow fishing enthusiasts.

“It was October of 2021, and I was on the boat and fishing by myself,” he said. “I got to thinking while I was fishing there, ‘Why didn’t I bring somebody with me?’ I looked at my extra seat and then that’s kind of when I had the light bulb go off and I thought, ‘Why isn’t there something out there?’ It was almost surprising to me that it didn’t exist already.

“Then I came up with the name Co-Angler and then bought CoAngler.com for $13 and visioned software trying to solve that problem.”

Since its soft launch in November 2023, the platform has accrued 830 users in 42 states, leading to 165 trips created. Additionally, he said the website has exceeded 36,000 visits.

“I don’t know that I would consider that slow or fast growth, but it’s growth, nonetheless,” Bledsoe said, adding the launch period was intentional during what he considers the fishing off-season. “When I’m down in the trenches building those things, it’s kind of hard to see the world above.”

Making connections
As a lifelong angler who grew up a mile from the Pomme de Terre River and had access to a farm pond near his parents’ Pleasant Hope house, fishing has always been a hobby for Bledsoe. He frequently would fish when not working at Brewer Science Inc., which is an on-site tenant at the Roy Blunt Jordan Valley Innovation Center at Missouri State University.

He was a chemist for 13 years for Brewer Science before losing his job in February 2023, noting his former employer “treated me incredibly generously with the severance package.” At that time, he already was roughly 75% done with Code Labs, a skills-based software developer training program for adults seeking entry-level development roles. The program is offered by Cape Girardeau-based technology incubator Codefi LLC, which has offices in Springfield at the Efactory, MSU’s business incubator.

Bledsoe said he was learning to code and build the Co-Angler prototype when his job status changed.

“What I decided to do at that point in time was just to strictly focus on Co-Angler full time, start budgeting and figuring out how to live that kind of new normal,” he said. “I don’t want to say it was necessarily meant to be, but it was definitely a blessing because within about four to five weeks of getting let go, I found out I was going to be getting a $75,000 grant from Codefi, who had taken notice of some of the work that I had done.”

James Stapleton, Codefi president and CEO, said he was intrigued by Co-Angler, adding his company was excited to help Bledsoe learn more about software development. It initially started with Code Labs but was followed by a 120-Day Tech Startup program, also offered by Codefi, which led to the grant for Co-Angler.

“What we liked about John right away was just how much drive he had in doing that. Some people that we talk to about the program have a lot of excitement about their ideas, but they don’t want to do the hard work to actually try to figure out if it’s worth pursuing,” Stapleton said. “We like that John didn’t shy away from that. He’s got an incredible work ethic.”

With the grant funding, Bledsoe said he was able to collaborate with Codefi and revamp the Co-Angler prototype, as well as continue to build in additional features before launching what would be determined the minimum viable product in late 2023. 

“In his case, it doesn’t do a lot of good to have a bunch of people interested in joining someone on their boat for fishing trips if you don’t have people who are actually providing an opportunity to do that,” Stapleton said. “Once we heard about the concept, I would say we certainly thought we could help John understand more about that kind of business model and probably what some of the challenges are.”

Codefi wasn’t the only financial booster last year for Co-Angler. Bledsoe also was a cohort incubator participant in fall 2023 of the Greenhouse Outdoor Recreation Program, a part of the University of Arkansas’s Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. Located in Bentonville, the competitive program is offered twice a year to selected applicants. Its 12-week curriculum includes workshops, a dedicated mentor team, product/service development support and up to $15,000 per company of nondilutive funding, according to the program’s website.

Bledsoe said he received $15,000 in seed funding through the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, and was one of eight companies in the cohort, which wrapped last November. With $90,000 in grant funding secured last year, he said his investment is likely close to $100,000, not considering time.

“It’s really hard to estimate because I’ve really bootstrapped so much of this myself,” he said.

Noting he’s a solopreneur, some additional help for Bledsoe is on the way.

“I am in the process of onboarding a couple of interns right now,” he said, adding one of those is another recent Code Labs graduate. 

Casting a line
The platform, which is currently available for free at CoAngler.com, will eventually transition to a subscription-based model. The ability to download an app from additional sites is in the works, Bledsoe said.

“That’s something that we’re in the background really focused on right now, hoping to have something deployed in native mobile stores, such as the Apple App Store and Google Play, by the end of the year,” he said.

Bledsoe said marketing expenses have been low to this point, roughly $500 for ads on Facebook.

“That’s not a very big bang for your buck, but I utilize a lot of different fishing groups on Facebook. I’ve had contact with administrators and them allowing me to post frequently on their sites,” he said, adding he’s also attended trade shows and connected with fishing industry experts such as Bill Dance, an angler who’s hosted a longtime show on the Outdoor Network.

Noting he recently sold his house, cashed out his equity and moved back in with his parents to further extend his runway, Bledsoe said he’s very committed to determining if Co-Angler has widespread appeal.

“Only really time will tell, but there’s going to be a period likely starting early next year, a fundraising round where I’m looking at raising capital and to help support some of the marketing growth and initiatives that I have,” he said. “I really have a big focus right now on product development as well as customer discovery.”