This Growth Platform Helps Entrepreneurs Break Into The Yachting Market

What do the Hydroflyer, ENVGO, Otter Bike, Charter Itinerary and many other marine tech companies have in common? Well, they're all startups in a global business sector that can be hard to break into—yachting.

Now, many of you know that I'm no business writer. Nor do I play one on TV. But I am interested in this story because all those companies have worked with Yachting Ventures that was founded to help leisure marine start-ups be seen, raise money, and grow.

"We want to be the TechCrunch of leisure marine," Yachting Ventures founder Gabbi Richardson says. "When we started, we were more of an incubator program where we connected successful entrepreneurs in the industry with the next generation of founders."

"But we've grown to the point where we now concentrate on helping founders with a new product understand what the fundraising journey entails, what investors look for, how they should communicate their value proposition, and then ultimately put them in front of investors at various pitch competitions that we host throughout the year.

"We also create innovation spaces at boat shows to give the startups we work with a springboard into visibility with us."

I've been watching Yachting Ventures for years now so I can also say they have a solid record for helping startups. Take the Hydroflyer for instance. "The Hydroflyer is an accessible hydrofoiling water toy with handle bars, meaning pretty much anybody can use it," Richardson explains. "The team exhibited with us at both the Palma and Dubai boat shows in the past and Wired magazine featured them recently"

Or ENVGO. "ENVGO was founded by Mike Peasgood to produce a futuristic, hydrofoiling boat that's built by a very credible team that was who already has a large, +$200 million exit already under their belts," she says. "They recently closed a big funding round with a VC firm in Canada and made a big splash at the Toronto Boat Show as the only hydrofoiling boat on display."

Or Otter Bike. "The Otter Bike is a fun electric water toy, that's a perfect onboard superyachts for families and those keen to explore bays or the coastline. The founder Gian has a real startup story—he started in his garage and has gained traction and they're partnered with Nautical Ventures in the US for distribution."

Meanwhile, Charter Itinerary is not a boat, or a bike, or a water toy, or electric-powered. "But, it is a dynamic start up that's revolutionizing and digitalizing how Northrop & Johnson, Burgess, Fraser, IYC and Ocean Independence yacht charter guests book and prepare for charters," Richardson says with a smile. "The team have exhibited with us at Metstrade and have been community members for some time."

This article was originally published on Forbes.com