Skipperi
, a shared-use boating subscription service and peer-to-peer boat rental platform, has raised €7 million in Series A funding. Yamaha Motor led the round, with participation from Baltiska Handels Sverige, Matu Capital and HP Capital.
The Finland-based startup says it will use the funding to expand into Brisbane, Australia, and several locations in the United States “while strengthening its platform and tech team.”
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Skipperi has raised a total of €12.6M and currently operates in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, New Zealand and Canada. It was founded in 2017 by Anna-Leena Raij and Kristian Raij.
“Boating has been traditionally quite hard to access, requiring a lot of time and money,” CEO and cofounder Kristian Raij says. “This investment means we can expand our operations to get more people safely enjoying this wonderful hobby.”
Skipperi offers two main services. Skipperi Fleet is a shared-use boating subscription service in which registered members get unlimited use of boats through the app. Skipperi Rent is a peer-to-peer rental platform in which boat owners can rent out their boats to other qualified boaters.
The company says it uses geofencing and AI to alert users to shallow waters, speed restrictions, hazardous zones and protected areas for birds and seals. The technology issues a notification on the onboard screen and issues a warning sound.
“Skipperi is an essential partner for us,” says Toshiaki Ibata, chief general manager of marine business operations at Yamaha Motor, noting that Skipperi is the only company operating “an efficient digital platform” of its kind.