Tractive
Tractive develops GPS trackers for dogs and cats that enable pet owners to view their pet's real-time location, create virtual fences, and monitor activity and sleep patterns via smartphone app. Tractive tracks more than 725,000 pets in over 175 countries worldwide using GPS and GSM technology, and can be used via a smartphone application or web interface.

History

2012–2018 
Michael Hurnaus, together with Michael Lettner, Michael Tscherneuth 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 Awards2.

In 2016, Tractive received a US$ 2,000,000 investment from Le Mans driver and investor Harold Primat.

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

2018–2022: US Launch & Global Expansion 
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, 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 headquarters in Pasching, Austria, a move made necessary by their growing number of employees. In July of that year, management transitioned the company to a 4-day workweek.

Products & Features 
Tractive sells species-specific GPS trackers for dogs and cats, tracker covers, and LED collars.

GPS Tracking 
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.

Virtual Fences 
Tractive users can 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 a street or river.

Activity & Sleep Tracking 
The Tractive GPS tracker records pet activity – including sleep, rest time, and estimated calories burned - to give users insights into 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.

100% Waterproof 
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.

Unlimited Range 
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 
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.

Projects & Partnerships 
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. Tractive sent out “puppy boxes” and “welcome home kits” to veterinarian offices, shelters, and dog breeders in Germany, Austria, other European countries, 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 
It raised $500k in 2012 and €2m from former race car driver Harold Primat in 2016. In 2018 they raised an additional '7-digit' Euro sum from Monkfish Equity, the investment vehicle of the founders of Trivago.

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

Awards 

 Tractive received the best team award from Kununu.
 Tractive received the award for third place in the Best Workplace Award 2018 from Kununu.
 Tractive has been awarded the Born Global Champion Award.
 Tractive received the Innovation of the Year award at Futurezone Award 2014.
 Tractive received the Edison Award, 2013.
 Tractive has been included in the list of the best dog GPS trackers in 2021 by Technobark.
 Tractive was picked for 2022 Scale Up of the Year by Trending Topics

References 

Software companies of Austria