FishingBooker is an
online marketplace
An online marketplace (or online e-commerce marketplace) is a type of e-commerce website where product or service information is provided by multiple third parties. Online marketplaces are the primary type of multichannel ecommerce and can be a way ...
specializing in booking
charter boats for
recreational fishing
Recreational fishing, also called sport fishing or game fishing, is fishing for leisure, exercise or competition. It can be contrasted with commercial fishing, which is professional fishing for profit; or subsistence fishing, which is fishing ...
.
The company was founded in
Belgrade, Serbia
Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 millio ...
, by CEO Vukan Simic, and is headquartered in
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
.
The company has been described as an online
travel agency
A travel agency is a private retailer or public service that provides travel and tourism-related services to the general public on behalf of accommodation or travel suppliers to offer different kinds of travelling packages for each destinatio ...
for fishing charters,
[ “the world’s largest online community”] and marketplace for connecting fishers and charters around the world,
and “Airbnb
Airbnb, Inc. ( ), based in San Francisco, California, operates an online marketplace focused on short-term homestays and experiences. The company acts as a broker and charges a commission from each booking. The company was founded in 2008 b ...
for fishing charters”. It is cited among Serbia’s most successful tech startups.
FishingBooker publishes an annual list of the best places in the United States for fishing, and has boat listings in over 1,000 cities across more than 100 countries.
History
FishingBooker was founded in 2013 by Vukan Simic in Belgrade, Serbia
Belgrade ( , ;, ; names in other languages) is the capital and largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and the crossroads of the Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. Nearly 1,166,763 millio ...
, after he had recently graduated from the University of Belgrade
The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia.
Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-b ...
. The pair created the company to streamline boat chartering.
In 2014, Simic invested US $60,000 into the company in two rounds. He is the company's sole investor.
In 2016, FishingBooker expanded and moved its headquarters to Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia Be ...
.
Services
FishingBooker allows for comparison of charters which do not have any shared practices or independent ability to book online. It is similar to other services that broker boat rentals, but the site is specialized for finding, comparing and booking fishing charters, including fishing gear and the services of a captain, as well as the boat itself.
Awards and criticism
In 2014, FishingBooker won the Audience Choice award at TechCrunch
TechCrunch is an American online newspaper focusing on high tech and startup companies. It was founded in June 2005 by Archimedes Ventures, led by partners Michael Arrington and Keith Teare.
In 2010, AOL acquired the company for approximately ...
Disrupt SF. However, some technical writers criticized the company's site. While supporters focused on the large potential market, critics focused on the site's limited technical innovation.
References
External links
* {{Official website, https://fishingbooker.com/
Recreational fishing
Serbian companies established in 2013
Online companies of Serbia
Companies based in Belgrade
Entertainment companies established in 2013