GoWild
The business, the turning points, and the decisions behind them.
01 / WHAT IT BUILT
What the company did
GoWild was a Louisville, Kentucky-based social e-commerce platform for outdoor enthusiasts, founded in 2016 by Brad Luttrell, Chris Gleim and Donovan Sears. Its app let users track hikes, hunts and archery practice while connecting with a community of outdoorsmen and women, combining social networking with commerce for outdoor gear. The company raised about $8.26 million in funding.
02 / GoWild FAILURE REASONS
Failure factors
pandemic long-tail, outdoor-industry excess inventory and mass discounting hurt e-commerce profits; loss of a large advertising client was the final blow after the app was taken down in May and no next chapter/acquisition path was found.
Founder cited outdoor-industry excess inventory, consumer shifts, and hyper-competitive discounting hurting profits.
Lost a large advertising client described as the final blow alongside e-commerce struggles.
Follow-up posts describe running out of money and failed distressed-sale/acquisition attempts.
03 / EVENT HISTORY
Events in the structured record
- Operations ended
The founder announced GoWild’s closure in October 2024 after the app was taken down in May and attempts to find a way forward failed.
04 / CONTEMPORARY REBUILD ASSESSMENT
Difficulty of rebuilding this project today
Material for this section is being gathered and checked. It will appear here once ready.
Overall assessment: Not completed
05 / CAUSAL CHAIN
How the factors connect
- 01
GoWild was founded in Louisville, Kentucky in 2016 by Brad Luttrell, Chris Gleim and Donovan Sears as a social e-commerce platform for outdoor enthusiasts.
- 02
The company raised about $8.26 million in funding.
- 03
Founder Brad Luttrell shut down GoWild in 2024 after two eight-figure acquisition offers fell through; he then started a new company, Prologue.