Propel IP, Inc. Pitch Deck: All 15 Slides + Teardown

Propel IP, based in Raleigh, NC, presented this 15-slide deck in May 2016 to secure $300,000 for the launch of Catch Commander. The product is a Bluetooth-enabled digital fishing scale that syncs with a smartphone app to record weight, length, GPS location, and weather data automatically. The deck emphasizes a strong go-to-market strategy, citing interest from major retailers like Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops, and a manufacturing partnership already in place. While the financial projections are ambitious—forecasting a jump from 1,000 units in 2016 to over 161,000 by 2020—the deck lacks a clear…

Key takeaways

• The company targets a massive U.S. market of 46 million anglers, specifically focusing on 1.2 million 'Super Users' in fishing leagues (Slide 4).
• Catch Commander solves the 'piercing hook' problem by using a non-piercing clamp to improve fish survivability during weigh-ins (Slide 6).
• Traction is demonstrated through exhibitions at eight trade shows and interest from major retailers like Dick’s Sporting Goods and Bass Pro Shops (Slide 7).
• The deck identifies a direct competitor, Connect Scale, and explicitly mentions potential patent infringement as a strategic leverage point (Slide 9).
• Propel IP holds specific intellectual property, including U.S. Pat. No. 7,173,197 and several pending utility applications (Slide 10).
• The $300,000 ask is earmarked for design finalization, manufacturing tooling, and initial inventory stock (Slide 11).
• The management team possesses significant industry exits, including the sale of XTOOLS LLC to Jarden Corporation (Slide 13).
• Financial projections estimate reaching $16.9 million in revenue by 2020 with a 27% EBIT margin (Slide 15).

Frequently asked questions

What is the primary problem Propel IP is solving?

Propel IP addresses the manual, time-consuming nature of catch logging. Traditional methods involve paper journals or manual app entry. Furthermore, standard scales use piercing hooks that harm fish health. Catch Commander automates data capture (GPS, weather, weight) via Bluetooth and uses a non-piercing clamp to ensure fish survivability, which is critical for tournament regulations.

How does the company plan to defend its market position?

The company relies heavily on its intellectual property portfolio. Slide 10 lists U.S. Patent No. 7,173,197 and multiple utility applications covering the scale hardware, the smartphone integration, and even a version with an on-board camera. They also explicitly state that they have monitored competitors for potential infringement to protect their segment.

Who are the key members of the management team?

The team is led by Robert A. Jones (President) and Brenda S. Jones (CEO), who bring over 50 combined years of manufacturing and retail marketing experience. Notably, COO Dickie Herbst previously founded and sold a fishing accessory company, XTOOLS, which achieved $3.6 million in sales before its acquisition by a major industry player.

What are the projected financials for Catch Commander?

According to Slide 15, the company projected zero revenue for 2016 (the launch year) but expected to scale rapidly to $4.47 million in 2017 and $16.96 million by 2020. They anticipated selling 161,875 total units by 2020, maintaining an EBIT margin between 24% and 28% throughout their growth phase.

What is the specific funding request and its intended use?

Propel IP sought $300,000 in financing. The funds were designated for finalizing design and software, purchasing the necessary die and tooling for mass production, stocking initial inventory for retail partners who had already requested stock, and developing direct-to-consumer marketing programs.

Propel IP, Inc. (Catch Commander) pitch deck: the facts

Company

Propel IP, Inc. (Catch Commander)

Year

2016

Stage

Seed

Slides

15

Sector

Sporting Goods / IoT

Deck type

Fundraising

Headquarters

Raleigh, NC

Propel IP, Inc. (Catch Commander) pitch deck PDF

The full Propel IP, Inc. (Catch Commander) deck is embedded on this page and can be read slide by slide in the browser — no download or account required. Each slide is covered in the breakdown above.

What the Propel IP, Inc. (Catch Commander) pitch deck was used for

This is a 2016 seed-stage pitch deck for Propel IP, Inc., presenting Catch Commander, a Bluetooth-enabled fishing scale that syncs with a smartphone app to automate catch logging and fishing tournament weigh-ins. The deck positions Catch Commander as a hardware-software system targeting millions of avid anglers in North America, emphasizing tournament applications and conservation-oriented catch tracking. In mid-2016, the company was seeking approximately $300,000 to complete product development, tooling, and launch the Catch Commander product line through retail and other sales channels.

Business model: Provider of smart, Bluetooth-enabled fishing scales and accessories under the Catch Commander brand, integrating hardware and smartphone software for anglers and fishing tournaments.

Founded

2012

Headquarters

Raleigh, North Carolina, USA

Industry

Recreational / Sporting Goods with IoT fishing technology focus.

Round: Angel / startup stage at the time of the 2017 recorded round, following a 2016 seed fundraising effort.

Year: 2016 fundraising effort for a $300,000 seed raise, followed by at least one recorded angel deal in 2017.

Raising: Approximately $300,000 seed capital sought in 2016 to finalize product development, purchase tooling for mass production, and launch the Catch Commander line through sales channels and marketing programs.

Raised: $50,000 in an angel (individual) round on May 17, 2017; $195,000 total capital raised across all recorded rounds.

Total funding: $195,000 total capital raised as of the latest PitchBook profile update.

Use of funds as presented: The 2016 pitch deck describes using the funds to finalize product development, secure tooling for mass production, support initial inventory, and launch marketing programs targeting avid anglers and fishing tournaments across North America.

What happened after the Propel IP, Inc. (Catch Commander) deck

Following its 2016 seed‑stage Catch Commander pitch deck, Propel IP advanced from product development and fundraising into full commercial launch of its Bluetooth‑enabled digital fishing scale and culling system. The company remains a private entity with recorded angel funding, active trademarks, product documentation, warranties, retailer distribution, and marketing partnerships, but there is no

• Propel IP secured trademarks for the Catch Commander brand and associated goods and services, formalizing IP protection
• By 2018, the company published a detailed user manual for the Catch Commander Digital Culling Scale, indicating that the
• Retail and e‑commerce listings now show the Catch Commander Digital Scale available for purchase via the company’s websi
• Catch Commander formed at least one partnership with a professional angler (Bryan Thrift), leveraging influencer marketi
• PitchBook records that Propel IP completed at least one angel financing round, including a $50,000 angel deal in May 201

What the Propel IP, Inc. (Catch Commander) deck got right

• Clear problem–solution fit for tournament anglers. The product vision in the deck is tightly focused: a Bluetooth‑enabled fishing scale that transmits catch data to a smartphone app to automate culling and tournament weigh‑ins, clearly addressing a known pain point for avid and tournament anglers.
• Demonstrated follow‑through from pitch to shipping product. Multiple external sources confirm that Catch Commander progressed from concept to commercial product with a detailed user manual, non‑puncture conservation jaws, livewell and culling features, and active sales channels, validating the technical feasibility presented in the deck.
• Differentiated IoT hardware‑software integration. The deck and subsequent materials emphasize Bluetooth LE connectivity and smartphone integration, creating an IoT system around fish weighing and data logging that is differentiated from basic digital scales and aligned with broader trends in connected sporting equipment.
• Protected and consistent brand and IP strategy. Propel IP secured trademarks for the Catch Commander brand and framed its IP portfolio as a key asset in the fishing industry, which is supported by later trademark registrations and reinforces defensibility claims made to investors.
• Strategic conservation and data narrative. External descriptions highlight the company’s intention to work with wildlife commissions and contribute to conservation and big‑data efforts on fish populations and habitats, adding an environmental and regulatory collaboration angle that can appeal to certain investors beyond pure recreation.
• Early validation via retailer presence and pro‑angler partnerships. Retail listings and partnership announcements (including collaboration with professional angler Bryan Thrift) show that the brand has achieved industry visibility and credible endorsements, strengthening the market‑entry story that began in the 2016 deck.

What could have been stronger

• Funding target vs. later recorded capital. The deck seeks $300,000 in seed capital but publicly available materials do not show that it clearly breaks down historical funding, valuation, or specific investor commitments, and later data only records smaller angel rounds totaling $195,000, which may raise questions about whether the full target was ever closed.
• Limited quantified traction at deck time. While the deck emphasizes retailer interest and IP strength, external information does not show detailed traction metrics such as signed purchase orders, committed tournament partners, or quantified pilot results as of 2016, which would strengthen the case for market adoption.
• Underdeveloped competitive analysis in the deck. Catch Commander’s hardware is widely stocked and reviewed later, but at the time of the deck, the competitive landscape versus other digital fishing scales and tournament management tools is not clearly laid out, leaving investors to infer differentiation beyond Bluetooth connectivity and app integration.
• Conservation and regulatory partnerships not fully leveraged in early pitch. The company’s later documents highlight conservation benefits and collaboration with wildlife commissions and data/AI for habitat tracking, but the 2016 deck (based on external descriptions) appears to focus more on tournament workflow and retail channels, potentially underplaying this strategic conservation and regulatory angle that could appeal to mission‑driven investors.
• Limited externally visible team and execution credentials at deck time. Public profiles confirm the company’s recreational goods focus and IoT features, but they do not reveal detailed team biographies, technical depth, or prior exits, which would be important for investors assessing execution risk, especially for hardware plus software products.

How an investor would read this deck

What draws attention

• Clear **hardware–software IoT product** tightly focused on a single, large niche (U.S. anglers and fishing tournaments), with a Bluetooth fishing scale and app solving a specific workflow problem for culling and catch logging.
• Evidence from later user manuals, product listings, and retailer descriptions confirms that the company successfully developed and shipped the product, validating technical feasibility and at least some market demand for tournament tools.
• Branding and IP around **Catch Commander** are protected through trademarks, and subsequent documentation shows ongoing product support, warranty programs, and partnerships with professional anglers, which can support brand durability in the fishing market.
• PitchBook and trademark filings confirm that Propel IP is an established legal entity with recorded angel funding and IP assets, reducing basic entity and product‐authenticity risk.

Risks that stand out

• Hardware manufacturing and distribution risk: launching and scaling a physical Bluetooth scale requires capital for tooling, inventory, and quality control, and later funding records suggest that the company may not have closed the full $300,000 target originally sought, possibly constraining growth
• Competitive risk: other digital fishing scales and culling tools exist in the market, and without a detailed competitive analysis at deck time, investors must assess whether Catch Commander’s differentiation (IoT connectivity, livewell tracking, non‑puncture jaws) is sufficient to sustain pricing an
• Adoption risk in tournaments: the value proposition relies heavily on tournament anglers and organizers adopting the system; public information highlights product availability and some partnerships but does not provide comprehensive evidence of large‑scale tournament integration or mandates.
• Concentration in a niche recreational market: while there are many anglers, the monetizable segment targeted (tournament anglers needing advanced culling tools) may be narrower than the headline industry size, and the deck does not appear to present detailed segmentation or unit economics by segment
• Execution risk around software and data: the company’s ambitions around big data, AI, and conservation partnerships require sustained software development and regulatory engagement, which can be challenging for a hardware‑oriented seed‑stage company with modest capital.

Questions this deck invites

• How much of the $300,000 seed target presented in the 2016 deck was ultimately raised, and on what terms (valuation, security type, and investor composition), given that later data shows $195,000 total capital and at least one $50,000 angel
• What concrete traction (sales volume, active tournament relationships, app usage metrics, and repeat customers) did Catch Commander achieve in the first 12–24 months after launch, beyond being listed on the company’s website and several ret
• How does Catch Commander’s feature set (Bluetooth connectivity, livewell tracking, culling automation, conservation jaws) compare quantitatively to other digital fishing scales and tournament management tools in terms of accuracy, durabilit
• What is the long‑term data strategy for the catch logs and tournament data collected via the app—are there partnerships or revenue opportunities associated with wildlife commissions, conservation agencies, or analytics products as hinted in
• What is the current organizational structure, including key technical, manufacturing, and marketing leaders, and how has the team evolved since the 2016 seed deck to support scaling hardware production and retailer relationships?

What founders can take from the Propel IP, Inc. (Catch Commander) deck

• A focused hardware‑software IoT product in a niche but passionate market (tournament fishing) can achieve commercialization even with relatively modest angel funding, as shown by Catch Commander’s move from a 2016 seed deck to available retail product listings and user manuals.
• Securing trademarks and emphasizing brand identity (Catch Commander) supports long‑term positioning in a specialized market and can be showcased alongside patents and IP in a pitch deck to reassure investors about defensibility.
• Demonstrating post‑deck progress—such as live product documentation, warranty policies, professional angler partnerships, and retailer presence—provides strong validation of earlier claims about market interest and manufacturing readiness.
• Seed‑stage decks that present a clear, quantified funding ask (e.g., $300,000 for tooling and launch) benefit from later transparency around how much was actually raised and how it was allocated, which investors can cross‑check against third‑party databases like PitchBook.
• Highlighting conservation features (non‑puncture jaws, wildlife commission collaboration, data for habitat and population tracking) can broaden the appeal of a recreational product beyond pure sport, tapping into environmental, regulatory, and data‑driven narratives.
• Building partnerships with visible industry figures (e.g., professional anglers) and retail distributors helps validate the brand and can serve as powerful social proof that substantiate claims of market interest made in early pitch decks.

Propel IP, Inc. (Catch Commander) pitch deck: common questions

What does Propel IP, Inc. (Catch Commander) do?

Propel IP, Inc. is a private company based in Raleigh, North Carolina that develops and manufactures fishing-related tools and accessories, most notably the Catch Commander line of electronic fishing scales and accessories for anglers and fishing tournaments.

What is Catch Commander and how does it work?

Catch Commander is a Bluetooth-enabled digital fishing scale and culling system that weighs fish, uses non‑puncture jaws to hold them safely, and transmits data via Bluetooth Low Energy to a smartphone app for logging, culling decisions, and real-time tournament tracking.

How much was Propel IP trying to raise with the Catch Commander pitch deck, and what funding did it later receive?

The 2016 pitch decks (including the June 30, 2016 version) show Propel IP seeking around $300,000 in seed capital to finalize product development, purchase tooling for mass production, and launch Catch Commander through retail and other channels. Later, PitchBook reports that Propel IP completed at least one angel round, including a $50,000 angel investment in May 2017, and a total of $195,000 raised.

Who invested in Propel IP and what type of round did they raise?

According to PitchBook, Propel IP’s latest recorded deal type is an angel round, with one angel (individual) investment of $50,000 on May 17, 2017, and total capital raised of $195,000 across its funding history. Specific investor names are not disclosed in that profile, and no detailed public press releases listing investors were found.

What happened after this 2016 Catch Commander pitch deck—did the product launch?

Subsequent to the 2016 seed deck, Propel IP brought Catch Commander to market as a commercial product. The Catch Commander Digital Scale and culling system is actively sold via the company’s website and third‑party retailers, and the brand has formed partnerships with professional anglers, indicating post‑deck product launch and ongoing operations. Public sources do not provide detailed information on revenue or exit outcomes.

Sources

Funding and outcome facts on this page were researched on 2026-08-22 from the pages below.

• Propel IP 2025 Company Profile: Valuation, Funding & Investors | PitchBook
• Propel ip pitch deck 6.30.16
• Bryn Sutton-jones | LinkedIn
• [PDF] Digital Culling Scale User Manual | Catch Commander
• CATCH COMMANDER Trademark of Propel IP, LLC - Registration...
• Shop - Catch Commander
• Propel ip pitch deck 5.25.2016
• [PDF] Limited Warranty - Catch Commander

Propel IP, Inc. (Catch Commander) pitch deck slides

What each slide of the Propel IP, Inc. (Catch Commander) pitch deck says

Slide 2

5 4 | «© Intelligent Archival System — AND: ar ! Introducing Propel IP, Inc. . . ae) = = —= + Propel IP, Inc. is an emerging technology company in Raleigh, NC focused on creating unique Tea products sold online and at retail to the North American sporting goods industry + Company is well positioned to disrupt the fishing industry with its Catch Commander® family of Bluetooth fish scales that work in combination with proprietary software and accessories - Company's products will change the way the 2 million Super Anglers archive their critical fishing data with its Patent Pending technology to transmit data to your smartphone Companies IP holdings will inhibit future competitors in this segm…

Slide 3

©) CATCH COMMANDER! BN A : : -) > Intelligent Archival System — TRACTION = aa » Company has held several retailer presentations to top industry retailers " pe + The nation’s leading sporting retailers, the top online retailers in the segment, and over 200 independent dealers have requested stock at launch + Company has exhibited at eight U.S. national and regional tradeshows * Catch Commander was recognized in an article as a best-in-class product at the iCast 2015, the world's largest National Fishing show » Exhibiting in the July 2016 ICAST show and expects to accept orders for Q3/Q4 2016 deliveries + Company has aligned with overseas manufacturer with domain expertise in digital scales a…

Slide 4

| J — © ©) CATCH COMMANDER NW ; A -) = Intelligent Archival System [ ae Market Opportunity = : + Target Market: 46 MM anglers in the U.S. + Super Users: Within the group of 46 MM active anglers, there are 1.2 MM bass focused, (3) Souatiiona Conwened super users (comprising solely of the FLW and BASS league members) where these users @ veishe + Length are required to use a scale to compete in tournaments. ‘® «Highly Dedicated Users: There are another 750,000 highly dedicated users focused on salt = ©) cps Location water, youth, and recreational angling who also possess scales | B= ©) social Media |. &) 5 B + Estimated Number of Scales Sold in US: 800,000 units per year 7) : ie pi Hac) + Grow…

Slide 5

©] CATCH COMMANDER oo a Intelligent Archival System Problems with Existing Market Products ) x _— = a : oo + Creating a fish log to track details about a catch is a time consuming and cumbersome process Anglers use old dog-eared notebooks, a journal or software apps to manually input data about their fishing events + Anglers spend so much time manually entering data and then have to track down and retrieve saved data later + Existing market scales require the use of two hands, which entails more handling of the fish and diminished fish health «Market scales use a piercing hook to mount fish to scale contributing to fish mortality » In fishing tournaments most of the winning fish expire with…

Slide 6

©] CATCH COMMANDER 2 A . , -) 3 Intelligent Archival System [ a Catch Commander Solution . 8 aaa - * Angler using this system weigh their catch and snap a photo in seconds to create a fish log of the event automatically capturing data such as GPS, Weather, Length, Weight, and a photograph + The Catch Commander's Bluetooth fish scale and connected software system ensures that anglers no longer have to waste time manually inputting data about their successful fishing events into various disparate systems » Users will also be able to immediately retrieve saved data about past events locally or on the cloud further improving their fishing experiences. In addition to archiving their catch data l…

Slide text above is read directly from the Propel IP, Inc. (Catch Commander) deck PDF embedded on this page.

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