A dozen or more companies gear up to present the new products they have developed at this year’s Start-Up Pavilion (STP) at the METSTRADE show. Ranging from a visual MOB locator, an easy stowable boat fender to tools for emissions monitoring and maintenance planning – fresh entrepreneurs stir up the industry with new solutions and ideas.
“We create a platform for startups in the leisure boating industry,” says Gabbi Richardson. She is the founder of Yachting Ventures, which she began in 2020. “We get the entrepreneurs ready for growth. These new companies are the ones that create new products for yachts and boats. When starting a new business, there are too many things that need to be dealt with.
The startup often consists of a few people with a very technical approach that find a creative solution. But then they are confronted with legal matters, building a website, sending press releases, setting up a marketing plan, pitching for investors, organising trade show attendance and building a network. We help the boating startups in all of these aspects.”
Platform for startups in the leisure boating industry
Coming November, the next edition of METSTRADE show will feature once again the ‘Yachting Ventures Start-Up Pavilion @ METSTRADE, powered by RoamingExpert Yachts’, a stage on which Yachting Ventures present innovative newcomers in the business of boating. “We work with the show organisers to set up this pavilion and show the new products that have been developed and the people that have created them,” Richardson explains.
“Trade show participation is a complex and often costly matter for startups to organise. By taking part in a collective pavilion, the threshold is lowered. We arrange the participation with formalities towards the show organisers. And we advise the new companies how to present themselves. The benefit is that in such a business to business show, multiple marketing objectives can be fulfilled.
The startups are introduced in the market so a lot of possible clients and potential co-operators get to know them. The products need to be shown in a professional way, urging the new companies to think how to do that. A network is created by meeting visitors to the booths at the pavilion but also by being at this pavilion together with other bright young businesses.”
AirMarker: innovative visual MOB locator for boating safety
“We think there is a lot of potential for our company in exhibiting at METSTRADE, says Rico Dürst, CEO and founder of AirMarker. “We look forward to establishing contact with manufacturers of other lifesaving equipment, that would make an ideal combination with our analogue visual mark.” AirMarker will be participating at the STP in the 2024 edition.
They present a simple analogue personal location marker: a balloon on a 15 meter rope that fills with helium when activated. The bright coloured balloon is a very recognizable location marker from miles around. “Together with a friend who is a helicopter rescue pilot, I’ve developed the AirMarker. We experienced the problem that rescue teams have locating outdoor sporters when they need assistance. Even if they have VHF communication or satellite personal beacons, in the mountains it can be really hard to determine where persons really are.Soon after developing our product, we realised that inflating a balloon to mark a person’s position can also be very helpful for SAR teams looking for a windsurfer, a dinghy sailor or a kite surfer. Even if they would have a PLB showing their satellite position, it is much easier for rescue teams to navigate towards a clearly visible marker 15 meters above the waves.
To combine digital services like AIS beacons and satellite beacons with the visual solution we present, we might start co-operating with manufacturers of other kinds of life saving devices.” Dürst emphasises that AirMarker is a Swiss company and that all of the manufacturing of AirMarkers is done in Europe, ensuring quality and short supply lines.
BoatOn: comprehensive boat maintenance and planning software
Inventions often begin with the inventor feeling the need for a specific tool. This is also the case with BoatOn, a software solution for planning everything one needs to organise when having a boat. “I started BoatOn because I wanted to create a tool for guys like me,” Bertrand Gerbaud affirms. “When you purchase a boat or yacht, you need to think of a whole lot of things. You will need insurance, safety devices, a berth, you need to plan maintenance. I wanted the software to be very intuitive like most apps on your smartphone.
A friend who works in super yacht management, recognised the value of a berthing, insurance and maintenance planning tool but also remarked that he would like to have a crew planning tool included. This summer, we also added a new feature: the app automatically makes a logbook with position data, speed data, the number of people on board can be registered, the hours of motoring and fuel consumption when connected to the yacht’s data system (often NMEA).
That is what we will be showing a the STP: how easy it is to use BoatOn and how much matters it takes out of the yacht managers’ hands. It is also a quite economical choice, because crew does not need any training to use the application. It is designed to be so intuitive, anyone will understand the functions just by trying them.”
SEAO tool by Seaquestr: yacht carbon emissions monitoring and reduction
Ahead of future legislation is the SEAO tool by Seaquestr. Thid software helps yacht captains to register their carbon emissions, work out an emissions reduction plan and really reduce use of fossil fuels as a result. For chartering businesses, large yachts and fleet managers, this helps to be ahead of competition. In the EU, legislation is immanent that will require larger companies to have emissions registration, together with a reduction plan and to prove that reductions are being achieved. “I wanted to apply the lessons that I learnt in corporate consultancy about emission reduction plans to the marine industry,” Zennor Pascoe explains.
“After researching the marine industry for applicable methods of carbon reduction, I came to realise that these tools do not exist specific for leisure craft. Owners and captains of large yachts can show they take responsibility by monitoring and reducing their carbon emissions. Fleet managers working with smaller workboats get a helpful tool to help them start emissions registration and charter companies will be able to be ahead of legislation, manifesting as the more environmentally responsible operators in their sector.”
At the STP, Seaquestr will demonstrate the ease of use of their SEAO tool. Pascoe has been working on plans for the software for some time now, but her company was formally registered this spring.
X-Fender: innovative rollable boat fender for better boat aesthetics
The X-fender rolls up to form a cylinder protecting a docked boat alongside, rolled out it can be stowed in very small places and it doubles as a cockpit bench cushion. “It increases boat aesthetics,” Kalle Kare, CEO & Co-Founder of X-Fender remarks. “We can deliver our rollable X-fender as a standard product in grey or navy blue or we can supply it with a custom fabric matching the boat’s cushions or hull colour. We have the standard models in sizes S, M and L to fit boats of different sizes.
X-fenders offer various advantages compared to conventional fenders. The rolled fender is not inflated. It has therefore no risk of getting deflated. The material absorbs shocks, instead of air inflated fenders that bounce back. With a number of boats moored alongside, the bouncing fenders can cause quite some disturbance. Very practical is the way the X-fenders are stowed. They unroll into flat sections of impact absorbing material and can be put in narrow cupboards or stacked. If they are used as cockpit cushions, they don’t even need to be stowed.”
The company started in May this year, the first models are on display at STP. “We look forward to getting in touch with yards,” Kalle explains. “We would like to supply our fenders to yacht brands, to make them fit on the benches and match the hull or interior fabric colours. That would ensure us of a stable order book.”
International startups at METSTRADE show's Start-Up Pavilion
STP reflects the international nature of the leisure boating industry: Yachting Venture’s Gabbi Richardson is from Malllorca, Spain, AirMarker from Switzerland, BoatOn from France, Seaquestr from Wales and X-Fender from Finland. RoamingExpert Yachts sponsors Yachting Ventures in organising the Start-up Pavilion: https://www.roamingexpert-yachts.com
