Intelligent Solution that the World of Yachts Needed: SEARADAR
What is your first thought when you hear a combination of Yachts and IT? Well, it is not always predictable, but definitely fascinating and inspiring — this is why we love the world of tech startups.
Baltic Sandbox is thrilled to share a story of our dear portfolio company — SEARADAR that is a full-cycle yacht booking concierge service for professional captains.
We had a blast talking with two founders and managing partners of SEARADAR: Max Terbov and Dima Beznasiuk, who, first of all, are professional captains and IT entrepreneurs, shared their personal story about the scamming incident that sparked the need and idea of creating SEARADAR.
What is SEARADAR?
SEARADAR is a full-cycle yacht booking concierge service for professional captains. Our company provides a wide range of services such as yacht booking, registration of documents for charter, agency services, consulting on routes, and nuances of travel in different countries.
What sparked the idea of creating Searadar? Any personal stories?
We are from the world of yachting for a long time. Before Searadar, at least several times a year, we face the same old problem of quick and easy yacht rentals for our trips and regattas.
The market at that time was very fragmented, meaning a lot of charter companies and agents from different countries with various prices, and just many questionable options for paying the yachts’ rentals.
One time, I received aт invoice for a yacht from our partner. I immediately noticed that the address of the sender was fake. The best part was that they asked me to urgently pay them 4 000 EUR via Western Union, otherwise, the yacht I have booked before will be given to another client. It turned out that it was scammers from Italy who tried to deceive me and sent a fake document for payment.
After this situation and other inconveniences, the personal pain gave birth to the question — What if we do it better?
That was the beginning of SEARADAR — an online platform for renting yachts that feature almost all the yachts in the world that are rented. With professional online support, secure payments via Stripe, charter consulting, and advice, a platform offers fast and convenient service to plan your trip on a yacht.
Briefly describe the market you work in
This is the yacht charter market that includes two types of clients. One group is dedicated to professional captains, beginners with licenses to drive a yacht or just tourists who want to spend their holidays on a yacht. Another group involves yacht owners — individuals or, as is more often the case, charter companies that manage the fleet, keep the yachts clean and technically fit. We are in the middle. But always on the client-side.
Name the key competitive advantages of SEARADAR
First things first, we are not just a yacht rental aggregator, we are a pocket consultant for professional skippers.
The main advantages of SEARADAR are our personal approach as well as consulting clients at all stages of charter preparation. Also, we provide the largest yacht database in Europe. Are you a regular SEARADAR client? Get ready for some additional discounts! Moreover, SEARADAR presents a special loyalty and rewards system for B2B clients, and skipper’s liability insurance, including other essential additional options.
Can you introduce yng-year our team members? Maybe you can share a story about how you meet?
We are both long-year, professional captains and IT entrepreneurs. We met on a yacht in Sweden and have been making the world of yacht captains easier ever since.
Dima Beznasiuk — Co-founder at SEARADAR & Professional captain. Serial IT entrepreneur: made a successful exit in Emprana.ru, and a Co-founder at Turbodealer.ru
Max Terbov — Co-founder at SEARADAR & Professional captain. Founder of the ATLANTIS — sailing event agency. Serial entrepreneur in Sail.Academy, and a Co-founder at Rusevent.org
What is your pain at the moment? Any struggles or challenges? What can help you to make it through?
We do not have any huge struggles at the moment, but, of course, there are some goals and objectives. The pandemic has severely slowed down our growth which is why our main focus for the upcoming 2021 is to work on rapid growth and go to new markets.
The exciting part: What are your future ambitions?
Our main goal is to become the number 1 company in the world that helps captains organize yacht charters quickly and easily. One of the nearest ambitious plans is to enter the markets of Germany, Sweden, Poland, Netherlands, Denmark, Finland and Romania.
Thank you for answering the questions, Max and Dima!
Interviewer: Kristina Kirkliauskaite, the Communication Manager at Baltic Sandbox.
