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 Lucas Wright, the founder of Smart Sail, a next-generation marine navigation platform inspired by aviation-grade tools, combining performance-based routing, real-time weather data, and user-driven features into one seamless, intuitive app.

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

It all started with two pilots and one boat.

Our backgrounds are in aviation and software startups, flying jets, testing autonomous aircraft, and building code for defence tech. But the ocean has always called us back. We grew up sailing, and after one too many frustrating trips using outdated, clunky chart plotters and confusing nav apps, we realised boating deserves better.

So, we took a page from aviation’s playbook, where app-based tools have completely transformed how people fly, and decided to build something similar for the water. A smart, intuitive app that helps boaters plan, navigate, and actually enjoy their time on the water.

That’s how Smart Sail was born, created by sailors who can code, fly, and obsess over clean UX.

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

Because marine navigation is still stuck in the dark ages.

Chart plotters are clunky, legacy apps feel like they were built in 2004, and most boaters either don’t trust them or can’t figure them out. Meanwhile, the tech world has moved on. We now have AI, real-time weather data, intuitive UI, and seamless hardware integration. But somehow, boating tech hasn’t caught up.

Smart Sail is here to change that. We’re building an app that feels modern, thinks ahead, and actually helps you boat better, whether you’re crossing an ocean or just trying to find the nearest anchorage. It’s the tool we always wished we had every time we left the dock.

Read more: Startup Spotlight: Yacht Cabin

What have you enjoyed most about starting your own company?

Connecting with real boaters and building something with them, not just for them.

Even the most popular apps out there aren’t truly meeting users’ needs. It’s wild how much people just put up with poor tools. It’s incredibly fun and motivating to listen to those frustrations, turn them into a story, and build a product people genuinely want to use, not one they’re forced to.

What challenges did you have to overcome at the beginning?

Honestly, we’re still at the beginning, which is both exciting and challenging.

The biggest hurdle so far has been building awareness and connecting with the right investors. We’re a small, scrappy team with big ideas but no flashy budget (yet). It’s tough getting people excited about something that doesn’t exist just yet. But that’s exactly why I’m so motivated to get a product into people’s hands. Once they see it, they’ll get it.

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

We want Smart Sail to become a big name in boating.

In three to five years, I want to hear people at marinas saying, “Wait… you’re not using Smart Sail?” Beyond consumer boating, we see serious potential for our AI model in commercial and professional sectors: shipping, commercial operations, racing, even military navigation. We’re starting with fun, but we’re aiming big.

Any advice for entrepreneurs just starting out in this space?

Honestly, I still feel like I’m figuring it out myself. But if I had to offer something, be ready to hear “no” a lot, and don’t let it stop you. If your vision is clear and you believe in what you’re building, keep going. Let the haters hate.

And seriously, talk to your customers. The insight and encouragement we’ve received from real users has shaped our direction more than anything else.

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

If it’s worth doing, it’s worth overdoing.