ProNav

Hardware unit uses GPS to help control an electric trolling motor

EDITOR’S NOTE: Small Business Corner presents Michigan’s most fascinating small business owners. Each week, we’ll share stories of impressive success, overcoming the odds, and how people have taken their dream and transformed it into a thriving enterprise. We hope you will find these profiles to be engaging and inspiring. And, please. Keep coming back to learn how these stories offer insight in running a thriving small business.

For some, there’s nothing better than a day on the boat soaking up the sunshine and fresh air with a fishing rod in your hand. Being out on the water, and enjoying your time in the nature can help you forget about everyday stresses, but sometimes keeping your boat online and on course can prove to be more than a challenge.  

Combining technology with his love for fishing,  Travis White, along with a group of friends, developed ProNav. ProNav is a hardware unit with an application-based software on the phone or tablet that allows you to control an electric trolling motor. This system uses GPS  to keep your boat in a particular position or allow it to go from point to point by navigating a route that you designed.

With assistance from Michigan Smartzone, White and his colleagues were able to navigate some of the hurdles and obstacles often found when starting a new company or launching a new product. Located in Houghton, ProNav had access to the technical and real-world experience and advice they needed to make the best possible product for their customers.

“It’s an extremely exciting prospect to take a passion, merge it with a technical background and form a company,” said White.

Watch the video to learn more about how ProNav was developed and click the link above to find where your Michigan Smartzones are.

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