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Tractive
Company typePrivate
IndustrySoftware Technology, Hardware
Founded2012
Founders
  • Michael Hurnaus
  • Michael Lettner
  • Michael Tschernuth
Headquarters
Pasching
,
Austria
Key people
  • Michael Hurnaus (CEO)
  • Wolfgang Reisinger (COO)
  • Andrew Bleiman (EVP, North America)
  • Dominik Hurnaus (CTO)
  • Martin Theißen (CMO)
Number of employees
200 (2023)
Websitewww.tractive.com

Tractive develops and sells GPS & Health trackers for dogs and cats that enable pet owners to view their pet's real-time location, receive Health Alerts, and monitor activity and sleep patterns via a smartphone app. Tractive tracks around 1,000,000 pets in over 175 countries worldwide using GPS and GSM technology.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]

History

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2012–2018

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Michael Hurnaus, together with Michael Lettner, Michael Tschernuth and the founders of adidas Runtastic - including Florian Gschwandtner - founded Tractive in October 2012. The company released its first GPS dog tracker prototype at CES 2013 in Las Vegas. Their first generation tracking devices, released in 2014, received the Innovation of the Year Award at the Austrian Future Zone Awards.

2018 saw Tractive reach a milestone of 100,000 users worldwide, as well as receive a 7-figure investment from Monkfish Equity.

2018–2024

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Tractive expanded into North America in 2021, a move made possible by Guidepost Growth Equity, which offered $35 million to the pet tech company. Andrew Bleiman - who had been working as general manager of Furbo, a US company specializing in dog home cameras - joined the business to spearhead the expansion.

In 2022 Tractive opened a new award-winning headquarters in Pasching, Austria, a move made necessary by their growing number of employees.[8] In July of that year, management transitioned the company to a 4-day workweek.[9]

2024 saw Tractive release "Tractive Pet Cover," its first foray into pet insurance. Tractive Pet Cover is currently available only in the United Kingdom, though the company hopes to expand the service to more countries over time.[10]

Products & Features

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Tractive sells species-specific GPS & Health trackers for dogs and cats, tracker covers, LED collars, and other accessories.

Real-Time GPS Tracking

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Tractive's GPS trackers utilize LTE-M cellular networks, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi to track pets’ real-time locations. Tractive customers can view their pet's location via a free app available for iPhone and Android or via the web. They can also create virtual fences (geofences) to alert them when their pet leaves a safe area, such as a backyard, or enters a dangerous area, such as near a street or near a river.

Health Alerts

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When a pet’s behavior has shown unusual changes over a period of time, users receive an email letting them know that something could be wrong.

Activity Monitoring

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The Tractive GPS tracker records pet activity - including sleep, rest time, and estimated calories burned - to give users insights into their pet's fitness and wellbeing. Users can set activity goals and also see how their pet's activity levels compare to other pets in local and global leaderboards. Users with dogs can also keep track of their walks.

100% Waterproof

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Tractive GPS devices do not have SIM-card openings or USB ports and are therefore not only protected against splashing water, but are also fully waterproof (up to 1 meter depth, 30 minutes), meeting IPX7-standards. As a result, Tractive GPS devices are suitable for water-loving pets and can be used in the rain.[11][12][13][1][5]

Unlimited Range

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Tractive GPS trackers are equipped with GPS and a built-in SIM card. Unlike Bluetooth or radio trackers, they have unlimited range and work in over 175 countries worldwide.

In the US, Tractive works with all major US cellular providers, including Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile.

Subscription

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Tractive GPS requires a paid subscription to track your pet. It covers the fees for the tracker's built-in SIM card with unlimited data. The BASIC package includes GPS tracking and unlimited LIVE tracking. The PREMIUM package has both GPS Tracking and unlimited LIVE Tracking plus it also includes worldwide coverage, premium customer service, and other features.[14]

Projects & Partnerships

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Tractive has worked with various pet charities, projects, and initiatives. They have also led their own, several of which focused on the collective well-being of humans and pets. On one of these endeavors, Tractive sent out “puppy boxes” and “welcome home kits” to veterinarian offices, shelters, and dog breeders in Europe and the US. These contained free devices for people who had recently adopted pets. Tractive also introduced the Shelter Project, a program built to support shelters and rescues globally with free GPS tracking devices for their flight-risk animals.  

Capitalization

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Tractive raised $500k in 2012 and €2 million in 2016 from former race car driver Harold Primat.[1][15] In 2018, they raised an additional "seven-digit" sum from Monkfish Equity, the investment vehicle of the founders of Trivago.[16]

In 2021, Tractive closed $35 million in growth funding led by Guidepost Growth Equity.

Awards

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  • Kununu Top Company 2024, 2024, and 2022[17][18]
  • GlobalPETS Forum Award, 2024[19]
  • Labeled as a "Popular Employer" by the Austrian newspaper Kurier in 2023[20]
  • Trending Topics' Scale Up of the Year, 2022[21]
  • Kununu Best Team Award, 2019
  • Born Global Champion Award, 2019[7][22]
  • Futurezone's Innovation of the Year Award, 2014[23]
  • Edison Award, 2013[24]
  • Tractive was included in the list of the best dog GPS trackers in 2021 by Technobark.[25]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "This smart collar can track your pets". The Verge. Retrieved 2018-05-25.[1]
  2. ^ "5 Helpful Gadgets For Keeping Track of Your Pets". TechCo. 2017-01-30. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  3. ^ "Take 5: Pet tech helps owners track weight, location". KING. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  4. ^ "Tractive Helps You Keep Track of Your Furry Friends". Laptopmag. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  5. ^ a b "Tractive GPS 3G Pet Tracker". PCMag India. 2017-08-15. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  6. ^ "Tractive GPS Pet Tracking - verenahaunschmid". verenahaunschmid. 2015-02-28. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  7. ^ a b "Tractive GPS Pet Tracker Review". Pet Tracker Reviews. 2017-02-01. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
  8. ^ "Tractive GmbH - Winner - Interior Architecture - German Design Award". www.german-design-award.com (in German). Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  9. ^ Fischer, Martina (2022-06-03). "Tractive Introduces 4-Day Work Week For Everyone". Tractive. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  10. ^ Fischer, Dagmar (2024-01-31). "Tractive Launches UK Pet Insurance". Tractive. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  11. ^ "Best Pet Tracking Devices 2018 - GPS Trackers for Dogs, Cats". TopTenReviews. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  12. ^ "Tractive gps Pet Tracker is Waterproof - Review". Wearables and Tracking Devices. 2014-12-19. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  13. ^ "Pets Happy Hour is under construction". petshappyhour.com. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  14. ^ "Tractive GPS Collar Review". Technobark. Retrieved 2020-09-13.
  15. ^ "Tractive". angel.co. Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  16. ^ "Austrian pet tech startup Tractive receives investment and launches the world's first GPS tracker for cats". eu-startups.com. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 2018-12-21.
  17. ^ "Ranking: Die besten und nervigsten Kollegen Österreichs gibt's hier". Retrieved 2019-08-06.
  18. ^ "Tractive als Arbeitgeber: Gehalt, Karriere, Benefits". kununu.com (in German). 2023-08-07. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  19. ^ "Tractive wins the GlobalPETS Forum Award 2024". Go-to resource for the global pet industry | GlobalPETS. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  20. ^ "Kurier" (PDF).
  21. ^ Haas, Georg (2023-01-10). "Das große Trending Topics Jahres-Voting 2022: Das sind die Sieger:innen!". Trending Topics (in German). Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  22. ^ "Localization business case - Tractive: "LingoHub liberates our team" - LingoHub - Translation Service Hub". lingohub.com. Retrieved 2018-05-25.
  23. ^ "Tractive Motion ist die Innovation des Jahres". Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  24. ^ "Edison-Preis für Tractive-Tierortungssystem". Tips Online (in German). Retrieved 2018-06-09.
  25. ^ "Best GPS Dog Trackers & GPS Dog Collars in 2021". Tips Online. Retrieved 2021-03-02.
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