A mobile fishing app created by Georgia Tech graduate Matthew Steele, CS 2025, has become an international success story, reaching the top of App Store charts in multiple countries before being acquired earlier this year. 

The app, Catchr, uses image recognition and gamified features to help anglers identify fish, estimate size, track catches, and compete on global leaderboards. The app climbed as high as No. 13 on the U.S. App Store sports charts and reached No. 1 in France and Croatia, with nearly 200,000 downloads in more than 170 countries. 

“The idea was to make fishing feel like a real-life version of Pokémon, something fun, soxacial, and competitive,” said Steele. “We launched with just a few basic features, and it grew far faster than I expected.” 

Before developing Catchr, Steele had already experimented with several products, including HairMatch, an AI-powered app that won $25,000 as a global finalist in Microsoft’s Imagine Cup competition, and UPic, Purrpulse, and Better Call Santa (now known as SantaCalls). Those experiences gave him insight into customer behavior, app deployment, and business operations — lessons he brought with him into Georgia Tech’s CREATE-X Startup Launch program. 

CREATE-X provided him with seed funding, mentorship, and a framework for validating ideas through real-world feedback. For Steele, those resources made it possible to move from experimentation to a scalable product.  

“CREATE-X was a time of innovation and exploration,” he said. “It gave me the structure and confidence to test assumptions, get real feedback, and pivot quickly — all critical steps in developing Catchr.”  

Those earlier products helped Steele learn how to test assumptions about customers, navigate App Store requirements, manage support requests, and handle the operational demands of running a small software business. 

“By the time I started Catchr, I knew what level of product quality was needed, how many hours support would take, and what the revenue expectations might be,” he said. “Even so, the speed at which Catchr captured users and grew in revenue was unbelievably fast compared to my expectations.” 

After Catchr’s explosive growth, Steele faced another challenge: deciding whether to sell the company. While many startup founders view acquisition as a goal, Steele said selling Catchr was one of the hardest decisions he has made. “Monetizing something you built is appealing, but selling is different,” he said. “Your creation becomes someone else’s job. You spend so much time with it that it becomes an extension of yourself.” 

Steele said he spoke with multiple interested buyers, asking each about their long-term plans for the app before moving forward. “I wanted to make sure the buyer’s vision would improve the product and be positive for users,” he said. “I wouldn’t have sold if I didn’t trust them.” 

He ultimately found a buyer who committed to expanding Catchr’s capabilities and investing in its continued growth. “I don’t think I’d change anything about the decision,” Steele said. “Catchr is in capable hands, and I can return to what I enjoy most, which is building things I believe will be part of a better future for consumers.” 

With the sale complete, Steele says he is returning to new ideas and the early-stage development process he prefers. 

“If there’s one thing I’d tell other Georgia Tech students,” he said, “it’s that you’re already in one of the best places in the world to build something meaningful. Don’t wait until you feel ready. Just start.” 

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