VisionAnchor

VisionAnchor is an all-in-one anchor monitoring system in the shape of an anchor buoy, that attaches to any anchor and transmits location data to the base unit on the boat. The base unit communicates with the app on the user's phone or tablet and they can monitor any anchor movement through the app. They can set a geofence area of allowed anchor movement and if the anchor moves out of it, they get an alarm on their phone as well as on the base station. So everyone on the boat can stay safe, stress free and sleep peacefully.

Our progress so far:

- Over 2300 signups on the website,
- confirmed 2 distributors and securing 2 more
- 10 beta units around the world with charter companies, sailing schools, captains and seafluencers.

Last 3 months:
- $120k investment from Techstars ($400k raised altogether)
- over $50k in reservations,
- First batch of units sold out and in production (delivering to customers in August)

We've performed online validations through our landing page and identified our ideal customer profile as the tech savvy boat owners. We've excluded boat owners who don't spend nights on the boat, so smaller than 8m. We've also excluded (for now) yachts larger than 50m as they have a crew member responsible for anchor watch. We've discovered that motor yacht owners 15-25m are mostly opting in for a video version of the system and sailing yachts normally go for a location-only version of the buoy due to size and lower price. We've been getting interest from commercial fleets as well that spend some time at anchor and it's crucial for them to stay anchored and have a reliable alarm. Anchor manufacturers have gotten in touch interested to selling the product as a bundle and we've been talking to yacht manufacturers to sell the units as an add on for new yachts and for refits.

Anchors failing is amongst the top 10 causes for boat accidents. According to our surveys and interviews of 100s of captains, more than half of highly experienced captains don’t trust their anchor. Two thirds of them have encountered an anchor failure which can lead to expensive boat damages, injuries and in the worst cases even death.

VisionAnchor is an all-in-one anchor monitoring system in the shape of an anchor buoy, that attaches to any anchor and transmits location data to the base unit on the boat. The base unit communicates with the app on the user's phone or tablet and they can monitor any anchor movement through the app. They can set a geofence area of allowed anchor movement and if the anchor moves out of it, they get an alarm on their phone as well as on the base station. So everyone on the boat can stay safe, stress free and sleep peacefully. Our vision for the future connects safety with ocean data. By making buoys even smarter with additional sensors we’ll create a positive impact on disaster prevention, environmental protection and weather prediction. This will add value for insurance companies and research institutes.

There are a few smart anchoring products coming on the market, but they target different segment of boaters and are more complicated. Closest competitor would be PME Mare who released a similar product, but more complex to use with no app connectivity and information and a higher price tag.

We offer a less complex solution that the user can control within the app, where they get more information and a better UX. It's also priced better and has a better design. We are like Tesla to their Lada in terms of business model and product.

We're starting off by selling buoys to users online and through distributors with B2C and B2B2C product sales and will expand into a subscription based model with data sales and remote access.

We've tested out different types of online campaigns and discovered Youtube and Facebook are great for lead gen, we've optimised SEO, so we're getting organic traffic to the website and have a growing number of signups and reservations. Next to that we're reaching out to businesses that will sell the product as a bundle with their product lineup or on its own. Through distributors we're able to reach a wider audience quickly in different countries. Our primary strategy has been online first with great results as people recognise the brand already at boat shows, which are a great channel to gain recognition and generate sales.

30% marketing/sales
25% R&D
20% operations
20% manufacturing
5% other (legal, accounting etc.)

For the first $150k we can offer a convertible with the same terms as Techstars (20% discount, 3M cap).

TECH RISK First time developing a safety product, so there is a chance some units might not function as planned in every situation. After testing the prototype in various situations we’ve decided to outsource manufacturing to a reliable partner with years of manufacturing experience. Before the market launch we'll have more user tests and get all certifications. We'll also set up a no-questions-asked return policy where users will get a replacement unit in 5 days if there are any issues. We will continuously improve the product through customer feedback and regular testing to ensure high quality and reliability.

COMMERCIAL RISK As we’re a small player, there’s a chance someone could copy our technology We’ve got patents in place and with our data gathering aspect we’ll have the advantage of giving users more than just a safety product. We are planning on partnering up with larger boat manufacturers and bigger players in the industry as well.

Techstars Transformative world Torino 2024
EIT Digital Innovation Factory 2022/2023
EIT Digital / ABC Accelerator 2021

1st prize MyGalileoSolution competition by European Space Agency

EP4063253A1 - Patent approved
US20220306245A1 - Patent pending
SI202100061A - Patent granted