Our Startup Spotlight series introduces you to the entrepreneurs in our community, sharing their unique journeys as founders.

This week, we put the spotlight on Costantino Spagnoletti, Co-Founder and CEO of Waterspeed, the leading performance-tracking platform for sailing, wingfoiling, windsurfing, SUP and 30+ watersports.

What’s your story? How did you come up with the idea for your business?

Waterspeed started from frustration. Our founder spent hours on the water sailing and wingfoiling, but no matter how good the session felt, he could never capture it accurately with his Apple Watch. The existing tools were clunky, generic, and didn’t understand how athletes actually ride.

So he did what passionate builders do: he started coding his own tracker. One tap, real data, no guesswork. What began as a personal side project quickly grew into something bigger. Thousands of riders faced the same problem: incredible sessions with no reliable way to measure, understand, or share them. That moment became the spark that turned Waterspeed into the platform it is today.

Why does the industry need the solution you’re providing?

Watersports are booming, but the digital side is stuck years behind. Data is fragmented, with clubs, events, athletes, and brands all using isolated tools. There is no common platform or shared insights.

Waterspeed solves this with one simple action: Tap Start. The platform transforms every session into reliable performance intelligence while connecting the ecosystem with real-time data, safety features, and actionable insights. It brings athletes, coaches, and brands together in a unified, data-driven network.

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What have you enjoyed most about starting your own company?

Turning passion into impact. Every message from a sailor who hit a personal best, a wingfoiler who finally understood their trim, or a coach who improved training because of our data is incredibly rewarding. Building a team that shares a love for the ocean and technology has been the most fulfilling part of the journey.

What challenges did you have to overcome at the beginning?

Everything. Starting alone, coding at night, convincing early users to try something new, and entering an industry that never had a unified digital layer. The biggest challenge was getting people to believe in the vision. Early validation, like meeting Tim Cook, confirmed that the future of sport is not just wearable, it is connected.

What’s next for your business? Where do you see it in 3-5 years?

Waterspeed is evolving from a high-performance tracker into the essential digital backbone of watersports. In the next 3–5 years, we aim to build global partnerships with federations and events, provide AI-driven training insights for every rider, create a connected ecosystem for clubs, brands, and athletes, and compile the world’s largest database of wind-driven performance. We are building the operating system for watersports.

Any advice for entrepreneurs just starting out in this space?

Start with a problem you live every day, obsess over it, and build the smallest version that solves it brilliantly. Passion gets you going, consistency gets you growing.

And a fun one—what’s a quote or some words that you live by?

Everything is Love.