eFormed Ventures acquired Outdoor Life from Recurrent Ventures, combining the 130-year-old outdoor media brand with a new AI-powered commerce and marketplace platform.
Effective immediately, Outdoor Life will be owned and managed by eFormed Ventures, which plans to retain the publication’s existing editorial and operations staff.
Founded in 1898, Outdoor Life is one of the longstanding names in American outdoor publishing and covers hunting, fishing, hiking, camping, gear, and other outdoor activities.
The publication reaches more than 37 million viewers annually.
eFormed Ventures plans to build on Outdoor Life’s editorial presence by integrating an AI-native marketplace designed to help readers discover, evaluate, and purchase outdoor products.
The firm said the acquisition will combine Outdoor Life’s product reviews and editorial content with a broader commerce platform featuring products from retailers and outdoor brands.
The new retail operation will be powered by Resonance 2.0, eFormed’s proprietary AI search, discovery, and pricing technology.
The platform uses factors including seasonality, location, online activity, and buying behavior to match users with relevant product recommendations and pricing.
eFormed plans to expand Outdoor Life’s current affiliate-based shopping model into a larger wholly owned marketplace.
The existing editorial and content teams will remain an important part of the strategy, with product reviews, field testing, and outdoor storytelling continuing to support the commerce experience.
The company sees a sizable addressable audience across hunting, fishing, and hiking, citing a combined community of approximately 183 million Americans participating in those activities annually.
eFormed Ventures is led by Mike Morford, Tom Beusse, Scott Blackwell, and Lance Reese, who bring experience across media, retail, e-commerce, outdoor products, and digital marketplaces.
Beusse previously served as president of Time4 Media, where he worked with Outdoor Life and gained experience with the publication’s editorial operations and audience.
Blackwell has held leadership roles at outdoor and firearms brands including Beretta USA, Mountain Khaki, and Remington.
The broader leadership team also has experience with companies including Altrec.com, GreatOutdoors.com, Golf.com, Motorsport Network, Rodale, Sharper Image, UPS, Les Schwab Tires, Target, Tudor Investment Corporation, and Spring Lake Equity Partners.
Managing partners Justin Phillips and Dan MacKeigan will also work with the team on strategy, corporate finance, capital formation, and the growth of the platform.
eFormed said its broader strategy is to pair established enthusiast media brands with modern commerce technology to create marketplaces built around trusted content and specialized communities.
For Outdoor Life, the company plans to preserve the publication’s editorial identity while adding technology intended to make product discovery and purchasing a larger part of the reader experience.
KEY QUOTES:
“A combined community of 183 million Americans hike, fish and hunt every year, powering our nation’s outdoor retailer economy. Now, they’ll have an innovative digital platform that caters to all of their needs combining the breadth of an outdoor marketplace, with the expertise, content and trust that help people choose the right gear, apparel and accessories to get outside.”
Tom Beusse, Managing Partner at eFormed Ventures
“The best gear advice has always come from the guy behind the counter who has personally used everything in the store. Our AI builds on that expertise and brings it to a whole new level of value, incorporating 130 years of Outdoor Life’s field testing behind everything we do.”
Lance Reese, Managing Partner at eFormed Ventures
“Outdoor Life’s legacy sits inside a much older American story, one first shaped by the people who gave us a love of wild places. Amelia Earhart, Zane Grey, Ernest Hemingway, Aldo Leopold and Theodore Roosevelt are all among the icons whose stories and adventures are chronicled in pages of Outdoor Life. The brand has earned its readers’ trust one season and one honest story at a time. We’re here to build on that with an investment in the future and a focus on engaging the next generation.”
Mike Morford, Managing Partner at eFormed Ventures
