Wall of Love
Testimonials from our community.
Dan Armsden, Crewdentials
"As a business we've come a long way during this accelerator; the quality of the mentors and their insights, all the help between the cohort members -individually and during the speed networking sessions, and of course all the amazing work YV has done for us all with the amazing weekly info sheets and general organisation.
Thank you all so much. We’ve loved being part of this accelerator! We have evolved faster and refined our strategy under the guidance of all these incredible mentors, thank you so much for the opportunity.”
Michael Clark, Apexus Yacht Club
"The YV accelerator is brilliantly crafted, fast-paced and multi-faceted. It's a melting pot of knowledge, supported by an engaged, thriving community of startups and industry heavyweights. No matter where you are in your yachting career, you are sure to feel renewed with vigor and increasingly confident to ensure the success of your business.
We are sincerely grateful to have participated in the program and strongly endorse it to anyone serious about kicking off their yachting career. It's more valuable than it's weight in gold and has far exceeded our expectations!"
Aleks Rasevski, Boatrax
The YV accelerator experience was incredibly positive for Boatrax. It condensed multiple years of industry experience and startup founding into a structured program over several weeks. The cohort startups are diverse, ambitious and happy to help each other out.
Gabriella has done a phenomenal job of leading the program, organizing great advisors to share their time. Yachting Ventures has gone above and beyond to help us connect with the right industry contacts. The team has great industry knowledge and the breadth of their network is even more remarkable! Yachting Ventures can open doors like a true advisor and partner to your startup’s growth.
We look forward to staying in contact with the YV program, the mentors, and our cohort while creating future synergies and elevating the industry."
Camille Lopez, Hy-Plug
“Yachting Ventures has been such an incredible opportunity to discover the global yachting industry, with the remote format allowing us to meet entrepreneurs and mentors from all around the world.
It was incredibly useful to have the YV mentors share their insights and experiences with us. If only the program could be longer than six weeks, I would definitely be signing up for more. Highly recommend it!”
Martha Silcott, FabLittleBag
“As a newbie to yachting, the YV accelerator was absolutely brilliant. It brought together a plethora of experts from the world of yachting all successful, all with different perspectives, stories and advice. The course itself was very structured to ensure that we covered every aspect of setting up a new business in this world, from the “boring “ legal stuff to the branding and sales stuff.
There is a lot of cover and you will get a huge amount from this course - not only is it worth every penny, but it is a bargain for the value it brings.”
Brad Techow, MOCEAN
“Having completed the Yachting Ventures accelerator program, I believe that the likelihood of my startup succeeding has increased significantly thanks to the resources, tools, support, and mentors available to me through the program.
While this program offers far more value than can be stated here, what I benefited from most was the ability to learn from some of the greatest minds in the industry, ask questions, and enjoy industry insights I would otherwise have never had access to.
If you are serious about launching a startup and want to increase your chances of success, I’d highly recommend joining the Yachting Ventures Accelerator. It’s a game changer.”
Brian Paiva, Octopus Design Studio
"Yachting is an extremely niche market with a very high barrier to entry. The entire ecosystem revolves around reputation and networking. YV not only provides a rare, industry-specific platform for vetting and refining startup concepts, but it also affords participants opportunities to develop and grow their networks. It is by its very nature an interactive and supportive community.
YV is the best investment you can make in yourself and your startup. That is not just my opinion—that is a fact that any previous YV participant will attest to. If you apply yourself and actively participate in the program, you will come away with industry-specific knowledge, insights, resources, and an invaluable network to help ensure the success of your startup."
CJ Welch, HULA Wellness
"We have been working on yachts for almost a decade so we have very good understanding of the industry but we lack business acumen. YV was an incredible way to fast track our knowledge of business, entrepreneurship and fundraising in a short, easy to follow program.
I would recommend this course to any yacht crew aspiring to take the next step or to entrepreneurs looking to work within the superyacht sector."
Ellie Mills, Pumped Marine
"The Yachting Ventures cohort has been such a great learning experience, I can’t recommend it enough. I was new to the industry with this business and I don’t think there is another way I could have learnt so much - from such highly regarded industry people - in such a short amount of time. I know the insights are going to really propel my business forward."
Brandon Cotter, TWLV
"We have nothing but high praise for Gabriella and the people she’s brought together. The program is well thought out, well executed, and delivers results. We made new friends, new connections in the industry, and learned something from every session. We look forward to staying involved in the YV community and helping future cohorts down the road. Thankful to have been a part!"
Alex Adler, Optimized Onboard
"I joined YV during the initial stages of launching my startup, and I thoroughly enjoyed the program. While many accelerators offer general advice and mentorship, YV is so valuable because it provides the industry-specific guidance and access to highly-qualified mentors that startups at any stage need to succeed.
As a current university student, I also appreciated that the digital content and weekly programming was flexible and it all fit into my busy schedule. YV is an incredible investment for any entrepreneur looking to break into this space and the connections made throughout the program will be invaluable to my entrepreneurial journey."
Stephan Lacheta, TBC
"Yachting Ventures‘ accelerator program was an awesome chance for me to develop my business idea further. Although being in a very early stage with many of the mentor sessions not being applicable for me yet, I don‘t regret a single minute.
All materials we were given were highly valuable and will be of good use for the future. Finally it was great to expand my network and make friends with other entrepreneurs and industry leaders. The program is a must do for anybody thinking of a startup in the superyacht industry."
Simon Gray, ONECREW
“Yachting Ventures have created something truly special - uniting highly experienced industry mentors with the next generation of entrepreneurs through a well considered program of superbly delivered workshops.
The sessions were the perfect opportunity to receive feedback on concepts and learn from the mentors direct experience. It was exceptionally fun, inspirational and it’s had a profound impact on how I shape my business moving forward.”
Josh Faichney, ShopSea
“YV has been invaluable for me. There's been countless times during the sessions where I've found myself thinking 'this is gold'. The program offers diverse content from individuals around the globe who have been-there-and-done-it within the yachting industry and wider startup space, who I wouldn't normally have access to in my network.
The format packs the 6 weeks with value and educational content and is a great environment to learn about the industry and startups in general. I'd definitely recommend the accelerator to anyone looking to get into the space. You won't regret it.”
Rossella del Gaudio, yachting and co
"I can't recommend Yachting Ventures enough. Imagine being in the midst of a global pandemic and receiving precious mentorship from some of the best professionals in the yachting industry. YV has done this and more for us lucky founders.
The program was able to bring together the most recognized yachting professionals who mentored us on setting up, growing, founding and scaling our ventures. You will finish the program with so many resources for your startup and will build such valuable relationships in the yachting industry that you literally can't afford not to be part of it."
Kat Blewett, BOATIQUE
“Yachting Ventures was an incredible experience where like-minded, ambitious founders had the opportunity to be mentored by some of the industries most successful entrepreneurs.
We have learnt so much through all the content and guidance provided and Yachting Ventures has given us. This combined with such incredible connections has pushed us many steps forward and has paved an exciting path for the road ahead. Thank you YV for this incredible opportunity.”
Björn Jónsson, Hefring Marine
"Participation in the YV cohort was years of experience packed into a ten week program. The program was well organised and executed with professional mentors that made themselves available for questions and acting as sounding boards.
The program is also an important platform for building relationships and networking at the same time as the program fits well with full day's work, which is important for entrepreneurs and startups."
Gemma Harris, Seastainable
"I loved the Yachting Ventures accelerator program, it was exactly what I needed to give me the confidence to kick start some of the plans I had for my startup. The mentors were great and extremely knowledgeable and approachable, since the program finished I have been in touch with a few and they have helped refine some of my business strategies.
I was still working onboard when I took part in the program, but the way it was structured and organised allowed me to go through all of the content and catch up on sessions if and when I needed to. I would highly recommend Yachting Ventures to all aspiring crew with a big idea!"
Sam Trude, Rangerra
"I have no doubt that my experience through yachting ventures has given me the confidence, knowledge and contacts to successfully launch my business in the yachting space, truly a lifelong dream.
The flexibility of the program, willingness of the mentors and camaraderie within the cohort are things I will take with me into this exciting next chapter. I couldn’t be more thankful to the whole YV team."
Tim Fletcher, Workrest
"Joining the YV cohort was a highlight of 2020!
Everything was excellently executed and professional throughout to the highest degree. The quantity and highest quality of mentors that presented and were available for conversations and questions was simply fantastic.
Also - to have been introduced to like minded entrepreneurs and to now have them in my personal network will reap great benefits over the years to come.”
Tia Taylor, Luxury Learning
"Yachting Ventures provided me with both knowledge and networking that surpassed every expectation! The ability to have conversations with Mentors and other founders in the industry will benefit my company for years to come."
Nicolo Piredda, Piredda & Partners
"Being part of the Yachting Ventures cohort has meant being part of a community sharing one common entrepreneurial vision. The Founders, the Mentors, the knowledge, the connections and all the lateral aspects have melted together in a great recipe that has generated true relationships in yachting.
This is where next generation minds put their effort to shape the future of the industry together. Since the first day I have been impressed by the ideas and the vision of the entrepreneurs in the cohort and I am truly looking forward to seeing how each business develops. Best of luck to you all."
Carole Catsuris, The Stewardess Corner
"Yachting Ventures has given me the opportunity to meet great people within my industry, to listen to great entrepreneurship stories, to learn valuable advice to start a business and get answers to my questions. Thank you to all the mentors who have helped & shown us the right course to take to be able to succeed with our startups.”
Heikki Bergman, Pulling-e Propulsion
"YV has helped me understand what actions we need to take, and in which order to take them. Although I have 25 years' experience in the marine industry, I’m new to the challenges faced by a startup founder and YV has given me the confidence needed to pursue this dream. It has given our company a real boost, as well as a realistic opportunity to attract investors and customers.
I'm so grateful for this community and I highly recommend the program to any startup entering the yachting market."
Niklas Baumgartner, Seasy
"Yachting Ventures offered not only amazing content to accelerate your growth but also offered a wonderful community to interact with. The Workshops and Mentor Sessions were very well-structured - there is lots of content to go through in a packed few weeks."
Gordon Merritt, L'Esprit Cruises
"When starting a venture the major concerns of the entrepreneur are product sellability, personal confidence, and growth momentum. Will my product or service sell as good as I thought it would? Will my employees lose their confidence in the company or will I lose confidence in myself? Can I grow the company to become what I had thought it could be?
The YV Accelerator Program was a perfect platform to totally disrupt my current mindset and put me on a better path to success by silencing those concerns."
Alejandro Daroca, Daroca Design
"Joining YV was one of the most important steps that I have taken since launching my startup. The program gave me the opportunity to improve every element of my business, and covered aspects of running a company that I did not know before joining YV. Each week provided me with new connections, educational content and the opportunity to network with fellow entrepreneurs in the YV Community.
It was a great experience, I highly recommend the program!"
Martin Pecar, OptiSail
"We at OptiSail have really liked the program, packed with quality content and interesting speakers, devoted organisers, and also very inspiring peers. It was really interesting and a lot of fun."
Bex Rempel, ZeroJet
"We were incredibly fortunate to be part of the 2021 YV program - weeks of structured and practical advice, tailored to the marine industry.
In addition, the mentors and advisors were approachable and helpful to provide advice and recommendations. The network is incredibly valuable - a massive thanks to YV."
Teemu Terttunen, Bout
"Our team has a strong knowledge of the water transportation industry, but we have wanted to learn more about yachting for a longer time already. YV was a perfect way to dive deeper into the yachting world.
The program was organised incredibly well and we sure learned a bunch. The topics covered were super valuable - whether you're just getting started with your business or preparing to raise funding and scale, you should definitely apply for the program. Interesting insights from the mentors and fellow classmates, enjoyed every bit of it!"
Dominique Smit, Virtual Pursers
"YV gave us an invaluable experience that we will carry through the rest of our entrepreneurial days. The team found a way to provide a much needed platform to startups in the yachting realm, giving them a headstart in the market place and pushing the envelope on essential innovation in the industry.
The course structure is extremely manageable, allowing you to catch up as and when needed with recorded sessions, the knowledge, insight and connections we were exposed to were worth the price a thousand times over!
Highly recommend this if you want to take your start-up idea to the next level."
Chris Bolz, PlanM8
"We joined Yachting Ventures while we just launched our startup Plan M8 for the public. Our aim was to make links and friends in the industry and get some form of exposure. We were also looking for investor contacts. All of this was achieved and we greatly enjoyed the sessions that YV organised!"
Aish Saeed, Jetee & Co
"The YV accelerator was fantastic and exactly what I needed to assure myself that this industry has so many opportunities for startups like mine.
The number of industry heavy-weight experts who parted their priceless experience and knowledge was astounding and brought so much depth to the program. The experience I have gained with this program will help me through years to come with my startup and to make this business successful."
Leon Yen, Threatspan
"As a maritime startup looking to get a foothold in the yachting segment, we could not have asked for a more comprehensive and rewarding experience— master classes with industry experts, indispensable workshops, and of course fellowship with great peers and colleagues. Much love and appreciation for YV!"
Amine Hassar, Boatcation
"Our experience with Yachting Ventures could not have been more positive!! From the insights that have been shared by industry professionals to the relationships that have been built with other founders and suppliers, Boatcation has been set up to flourish. Thank you to the YV team for all your support!"
Gedi Tam, Boatens
"The YV program was a great startup accelerator, especially for those without knowledge of the industry, like ourselves. It helped us to kickstart our plans and gave us the confidence to reach for the vision!
With the help of an amazing structure and super knowledgeable mentors, we gathered a lot of information and contacts from the industry, which pushed us to move forward faster than before.
I would recommend this program to people who are full-time or part-time into their startup project, as the structure and recorded sessions are easily accessible, so attendees have no excuse to miss any sessions."
Nikki Glenn, A Little Yacht Music
"Being part of the YV cohort was a most valuable and rewarding experience. My hope was to get clarity on my business concept, while gaining insights in key areas that are vital to its future development. YV over-delivered by providing a multitude of mentors and ambassadors from various yachting industry sectors, and by cultivating a supportive and encouraging community of like-minded entrepreneurs.
I found the mentors to be unstintingly generous with their time and their wisdom, and truly interested in assisting cohort members to succeed. The yachting industry is a small community, and to be able to learn about it from industry insiders, and to also get introductions to members of this community, is a value beyond measure. I only wish I could go through the whole experience again!"
Abel Ruiz, Anchora
“Our time with YV has been so positive. We’ve had the opportunity to interact with top mentors in the sector and their feedback is priceless. The flexible format of the accelerator is also extremely practical given that we are a group of startups from all around the world, working in different time zones and with different commitments. In particular, we want to thank Gabriella for her dedication and all the love that she has given us.”
Mark Fairweather, TBC
“Yachting Ventures have put together a fantastic industry-focused accelerator which involves experienced advisors and mentors, and delivers a great series of workshops and conversations which I hope to be able to put into practice moving forward.”