ReviewTrackers: From Wisconsin Seeds to International Success

ReviewTrackers has raised $17.6 million of investment capital since launching in 2012. Founder Chris Campbell isn’t wowed by those numbers, instead focusing on the 175,000 companies in over 35 countries that use his customer feedback software.

This success story has Wisconsin roots.

Campbell has had a passion for business since childhood in suburban Chicago. Like many entrepreneurs, as a kid Campbell operated a lemonade stand — but unlike his peers, he focused on creating a demand for the product, rather than simply waiting for sales. By employing different business techniques, he sparked a lifelong interest in marketing.

He has developed a product that offers businesses insights on their customers’ experiences by aggerating data from sites like Google, Facebook and Trip Advisor. The resulting data dashboard creates opportunities for businesses to address customer concerns, and do more of the things that lead to five-star customer reviews.

This story’s Wisconsin connection began as a chance meeting at a networking event between Campbell and Joe Kirgues and Troy Vosseller of gener8tor. The Midwesterners clicked, and soon Kirgues encouraged Campbell to participate in the gener8tor program. The founder said he pitched 150 different investors before he connected with the gener8tor team, and he credits the program for opening many doors for him.

Campbell temporarily relocated to Madison to participate in the gener8tor cohort, and successfully completed the program, ending in a 2014 seed funding round that raised $2 million, primarily from key Wisconsin investors gener8tor, CSA Partners and American Family Ventures.

Wisconsin is not necessarily known as the first place to come to find venture capital, but Campbell explains that products like his, enterprise software products, do well in the Midwest because “Midwesterners understand work. I love the work ethic, approach, and how business is done. I admire and respect them.”

When talking about where the company is today, Campbell said “COVID changed the game.” The Miami-based CEO transformed his company into a remote operation, abandoning plans for a Chicago headquarters in the wake of the pandemic. Today, ReviewTrackers has employees throughout the nation, including the Midwest. Pivoting to meet the market, the company switched its focus to profitability while still growing over 40% a year.

From Wisconsin seeds, this business has grown to provide a valuable service to an international customer base. To connect with ReviewTrackers, you can find them on their website.