We sat down with Matija Jasarov, co-founder of VisionAnchor, to talk about the journey to date and plans for the future of the business.
How did you come up with the idea for the business?
Anže (one of the co-founders) and I rented a boat a few years ago. We discovered the most beautiful bay in Croatia, dropped the anchor and went swimming. 2 hours later we decided to go to another location and started raising the anchor and there was nothing, just rope and chain. No anchor. We were just floating there.
That got us thinking, "how is everything in the world becoming smart, like you have a fridge at home that can order food for you, but an anchor that keeps your yacht safe is still a heavy bit of metal that you drop in the water and hope for the best".
So we decided to build a product that gives people more control of their anchor and has a super accurate anchor alarm.
Why does the industry need the solution you're providing?
Anchoring is one of the top 10 reasons for boating accidents. We've spoken to hundreds of captains, yacht owners and professionals within the industry and more than half of experienced captains don't trust their anchor. Two thirds have experienced an anchor failure in the past.
With the additional data that we'll be gathering from the units, it's an important solution for the environment as well. And that's one of the areas that we need to focus on in the 2020s.
What have you enjoyed most about starting your own company?
So many things. One of the joys is the work variety. No one week is the same from the last. I love meeting so many people with so many stories, learning about hardware product development, market research etc. The best feeling is still at the boat shows - when someone approaches us and is thrilled about the solution and wants to buy it instantly.
What challenges did you have to overcome at the beginning of your journey?
We established the company in 2020 in the middle of the pandemic, so everything had to be done online - which had its advantages but also many drawbacks. Luckily we've had mentors that pushed us in the right direction, and made it easier.
The most difficult challenge was building something from scratch, that nobody has done before. We went through countless versions and prototypes at the start, to come up with a system that's simple to operate and doesn't require any modifications to the yacht using it.
What's the plan for the future of the business? Where do you see the company in 3-5 years?
We're starting manufacturing in the next few months, so the plan is to get as many units out to people as possible, so we can start gathering important data from the sea. Then we can start mapping out the seabed, gathering data like depth, temperature, salinity etc. We'll be able to collect data on perfect anchoring spots and build an IoT network of devices.
In the coming years, we'll be expanding globally and adding an app on a subscription basis. We are also starting to work with NGOs, providing them with important insights into life on the seabed. The goal is to leverage user-generated data to become one of the leaders in ocean preservation.