Ahoy! Danish boat sharing platform calling

The Danish boat-sharing startup Boatflex has raised 5 million Danish crowns from the largest early-stage venture fund in Denmark, SEED Capital, and 2 business angels.

“Our research shows that many people would like to go on a sailing holiday, but can’t’ sail a boat. We want to provide everyone with the opportunity to experience the joy of sailing,” said founder and CEO of Boatflex Jakob Bojesen.

“Most private boats are only used 2 percent of the time and it is definitely not cheap to own a boat. We think it would be ideal to provide boat owners with the opportunity to get some of their expenses covered, while we let people without a boat enjoy some time on the water,” Bojesen said.

The biggest challenge for boat owners is the costs related to owning a boat. Dansk Sejlunion estimates that a standard 30 ft. boat can easily cost as much as DKK 100.000 in yearly maintenance. Boatflex has several of this particularly type of boat on their platform, where the owners have rented out their boat for DKK 40.000 during a season. All boats on the platform are fully insured during the rental period.

“Sharing economy platforms are on the rise and Boatflex is “riding the wave”. They serve a gigantic market with only a few competitive platforms. They have the potential to become a category winner within their market.  The founding team at Boatflex has showed great engagement and execution skills from the very beginning. “ says Investment Manager from SEED Capital Alexander Viterbo-Horten

Boatflex has attracted boat owners from all over the world, which makes it possible to rent everything from a small boat to tour the Copenhagen Harbour to a mega yacht for a sailing holiday in the Mediterranean. There are currently 1,400 rental boats and 4,000 registered users on the Boatflex platform.