Jeff Balch is a lifelong hunter and outdoorsman. Born and raised in Northern Idaho, Jeff grew up deeply connected to the outdoors—his first solo overnight wilderness adventure came at age 10, setting the tone for a lifetime of backcountry passion and exploration. Professionally, Jeff spent years working in the oil and gas industry, building his skills in technology and mapping tools—completely self‑taught—driven by a desire to merge his technical expertise with his enthusiasm for hunting and navigating the backcountry.

 

Before launching BaseMap in 2016, Jeff had already begun integrating multiple sources—state game data, parcel maps, satellite imagery—into a single, comprehensive digital platform. His vision was to simplify and streamline what had traditionally been a fragmented hunt planning process. In the early days, he contracted code, curated layered mapping data, and developed proprietary workflows—including Excel-based systems to track changing regulations across multiple states—to offer hunters an end‑to‑end planning tool.

 

Today, Jeff serves as the Chief Product Officer at BaseMap, guiding the strategic evolution of the mobile and desktop apps. In March 2025, BaseMap promoted Matt Habiger to CEO, allowing Jeff to focus full-time on innovation, product roadmap, analytics, and long‑term vision as CPO.

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Outside the office, Jeff remains deeply embedded in the outdoors—whether archery hunting for elk, shed hunting, fishing, chasing bears, or camping solo in the backcountry, his personal passion for wilderness hunts continues to inform the design of BaseMap's tools, ensuring they remain rooted in practical, field-tested needs.