Since its launch in 2020, Yachting Ventures (YV) has transformed the startup landscape in leisure marine. Now recognised as the leading voice for startups in the industry, YV is proud to unveil a new media platform – designed to help startups amplify their stories, reach a wider audience, and connect with investors, customers and partners.

The “TechCrunch” of the leisure marine industry

Entrepreneurs are building the future, working hard to tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges – yet they often lack the resources, know-how and budget to be heard in the market. Having witnessed firsthand how leisure marine startups often fail – not because of their product quality, but because of ineffective marketing – YV is stepping in to fill this vital gap.

“Our mission is to give startups a stage and connect them with people who care about innovation and want to stay ahead of the curve in the leisure marine industry,” said Gabbi Richardson, Founder of YV. “We’ve built a community of readers, investors, and industry leaders eager to discover the stories behind these companies and the technologies they’re developing.”

The YV media platform is a focused space dedicated to startups and new tech in the leisure marine sector, catering to both B2B and B2C audiences. The website features editorial content, video highlights, and a searchable startup directory, allowing visitors to explore startups by location, vertical and impact (people and planet). In a noisy world, the startup directory is designed to help startups get found, offering them a Badge of Credibility that signifies their verification by YV as “a startup to watch” in the leisure marine industry.

With an existing global following of 20,000 across social and newsletters, the YV platform aims to become the definitive source for startup news in this niche industry and is predicting strong growth in 2025. 

Making key events more accessible for startups

Events have always been a cornerstone of the YV strategy. In 2024, YV facilitated the participation of 65 startups in global event collaborations and provided a platform for 53 founders to pitch their ideas to investors. Without YV, leisure marine startups would face a far more challenging and fragmented path, relying on generic startup networks for support. Their journey would be lonelier, more time-intensive, and significantly less effective.

Looking towards 2025, a key focus will be the continued development of startup-dedicated spaces at major industry events, including Palma Superyacht Village, Abu Dhabi International Boat Show, METSTRADE, and IBEX. These carefully curated spaces offer startups opportunities to showcase their products, pitch to investors, and build valuable connections. They provide not only exhibition space at a discounted rate, but also a 360 degree marketing campaign, including press releases, panel discussions, content and networking.

The latest event collaboration announced just this week is the launch of a Startup Zone at the Dubai International Boat Show. Taking place from February 19-23 2025, at Dubai Harbour, this initiative will offer a platform for just 15 startups to showcase their technologies and solutions to an expected audience of over 30,000 visitors. Spots are still available and interested startups can apply here.

The YV commitment to startups is rooted in its belief that entrepreneurship is essential in driving progress. By providing the tools, exposure, and connections that new technologies need to succeed, YV is playing an important part in building a better future, one startup at a time.

For more information about the YV media platform, events, or to collaborate, please contact us at hello@yachtingventures.co.

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