Springfield-area company secures funding to expand online fishing platform

Co-Angler, a platform launched in 2023 by a Pleasant Hope native to help anglers connect and plan fishing trips, recently announced a $315,000 investment from a Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based philanthropic foundation.

The funds will be used to accelerate feature development, enhance user experience, support user growth initiatives with a regional-first approach and expand hiring, according to a news release. Co-Angler founder John Bledsoe said he received the funds from the Richard King Mellon Foundation by finishing third place in a pitch competition for which he submitted his application in December 2024.

“This is kind of a different type of pitch competition where the Richard King Mellon Foundation traditionally invests in nonprofits or philanthropic causes, but they’ve found a way to invest in for-profit companies that are making a positive societal impact in one of four areas, being economic development, economic mobility, mental health and well-being and conservation,” he said, adding he plans to attend a Nov. 3 ceremony in Pittsburgh at the foundation’s headquarters to celebrate the competition awards.

Co-Angler, which began as an online app in November 2023, is 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, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting. 

Bledsoe said he was notified in May by the Mellon Foundation about receiving the investment but had to wait to comment until the organization’s official announcement this month, which leads up to November’s ceremony. He said the funds are in hand and has already spent some of it toward hiring his first employee – a full-time software developer. The 1947-founded Pennsylvania foundation’s 2024 year-end net assets were $3.1 billion, and its trustees in 2024 disbursed more than $155 million in grants and program-related investments, according to its website. 

“Honestly, when something like this comes across my table, it’s like you got to put your name in the hat to at least give yourself a chance,” Bledsoe said of entering the pitch competition. “I definitely was surprised. I knew I had a strong application, and I was very pleased to find out. It was really my conservation, individual health and well-being components of my company that really sealed the deal, I guess.”

The foundation’s investment in Co-Angler is made through its Social-Impact Investment Program, through which it invests in for-profit startups with a social mission that aligns with its philanthropic strategy, according to the release.

The Co-Angler platform is currently available for free at CoAngler.com, and Bledsoe said its free mobile app debuted in April. It is now available for download on Google Play and the Apple App Store.

“When we launched the website app, that was the No. 1 thing that our users were asking about and anticipating was when’s it going to be an app I can download on my phone,” Bledsoe said.

Since its debut, Co-Angler has accrued more than 1,600 users in 45 states and Canada, Bledsoe said, leading to over 500 fishing trips created. The website has surpassed over 100,000 visits, he said.

“We’re developing metrics now to track daily, weekly, monthly active users and connections through the app,” he said.

Bledsoe said plans to transition to a subscription-based model also are in motion.

“We are going to be launching our subscription service next year for co-anglers and people that request to join trips, as well as people that request to provide trips,” he said, noting subscription prices will likely be $5 a month or $45 per year.