ACR Electronics Inc. has acquired Bivy, a privately held satellite communication device and outdoor adventure app provider.
The agreement enables safety and survival leader ACR Electronics to expand its portfolio of emergency beacons and life-saving products with the Bivy Stick two-way satellite messenger, the world’s smallest and most simple satellite communication device, and the full-featured Bivy app.
Working with the user’s smartphone to offer all the benefits of a GPS unit and satellite two-way communicator, the 100g Bivy Stick offers marine, aviation and outdoor enthusiasts an affordable solution to send SMS messages, track and share location information, access GPS maps, view live weather forecasts and initiate a distress call in an emergency.
Bivy was founded by Vance Cook, an avid mountaineer, rock climber, outdoor adventurer and longtime software developer, who recognized a demand from people to find, track, and share outdoor adventures across the United States.
Bivy’s app identifies and collates the crowd-sourced details, location, and full paths of tens of thousands of trails, waterways and climbing routes and is growing every day with the help of the Bivy community.
“ACR Electronics is well-known for its leading Cospas Sarsat 406 MHz personal locator beacons (PLB) and EPIRBs, as well as aircraft ELTs, which provide a subscription-free, life-saving solution for boaters, pilots and outdoor enthusiasts across the world,” said John T. Nguyen, President, ACR Electronics. “While there continues to be great demand for the no-hassle benefits provided by a PLB, the acquisition of Bivy enables us to offer a completely different product to those customers who prefer the instant gratification of two-way text messaging and tracking, along with SOS. Bivy’s technology brings an innovative device to our product line that will enable us to offer a fee-based option for satellite communication and emergency help, while still receiving the high-quality ACR customer support experience.”
Cook added, “We launched the first generation of Bivy Stick three years ago with the intention of getting more people into the outdoors safely. Today we’re seeing an unprecedented spike in outdoor users across an array of segments, and we’re excited to bring our technology to ACR Electronics’ users to help them venture further without losing the ability to conveniently communicate.”
Working anywhere with a view of the sky, the 4.5 x 1.8-inch Bivy Stick is ideal for all outdoor adventurers and includes a dedicated check-in button and SOS button for emergencies. Offering a more flexible pricing structure than similar products, users can pay for only the months they use it, with no annual contract or activation fee required.
Bivy is based in Salt Lake City, Utah, and will continue to operate in its facility. The financial terms of the acquisition will not be released.
