He finishes his working day and the summer afternoon gives him the impetus to go for a few kilometres along the Montevideo promenade. On the Rio de la Plata he sees several sailboats and immediately there is a fleeting fight between the two hemispheres of his brain: the right one makes him want to be on one of them for an instant, no matter which one. The left brain reminds him that the real chances of sailing that day, at that moment, are practically nil. He turns his head to the front and continues his walk.
Chances are that if you don't have a boat or an acquaintance who does, you have felt that at some point.
At a time when the collaborative economy is expanding to unimaginable areas, two Uruguayans have found a way for anyone, even if they don't plan to buy a boat, to change their routine or give a different touch to their holidays by going sailing or doing any kind of nautical activity.
Last weekend, Emiliano Bar (32) and Daniel Cleffi (34) launched Popey -Popeye in English- throughout Uruguay and Argentina, with the intention of making sailing available to everyone. In conversation with Café & Negocios, Bar explained that Popey is a kind of Airbnb for boats. It is a platform -both web and mobile- that consists of bringing together boat owners with people looking to have nautical experiences on any type of boat, from a yacht to a jet ski or surfboard. It can already be rented through the web -which works as an app on mobile phones-, while the application will be available for iOS and Android in the coming days.
The focus on this particular field was far from being a coincidence. The entrepreneurs have known each other for ten years and for different reasons have always been linked to sailing. Bar said that he was "born on a boat", as his parents lived on a sailboat during his first months of life. Cleffi, meanwhile, was a naval officer and comes from a family of sailors. In addition, the two have been entrepreneurs together for years. They run Vino a Casa (a wine club) and mimascotadelivery.com, a pet food delivery service.
The first step was to validate it with boat owners and yacht clubs, who saw the idea as an opportunity to promote the activity in Uruguay. Then they went for validation by the National Agency for Research and Innovation (ANII) and received the initial capital of US$ 5,000, which served to prove the viability and scalability of the project. They received support from a local investor and in December they obtained the seed capital of US$ 25,000 from the ANII.
In addition, Popey is incubated in Sinergia. Bar said that the capital received so far was used both to develop the technological side and for the trips around Uruguay and Argentina needed to attract boat owners. "There was nothing that brought together the nautical activities today. Nothing comes together, there is no platform that brings together the whole offer. In Uruguay there are rowing and sailing clubs with a lot of activity but they don't know each other. This way we give the opportunity to owners, clubs, entrepreneurs," said the founder of Popey. Federico Olivera, who works for Popey from his office in the United States, has joined the team as an accountant, something they see as strategic to get to know that market.
Focus on experiences
Beyond renting a boat, Popey presents itself as a way to live experiences. For example, Bar said that a person who has a boat, who takes good care of it and doesn't want to rent it, can offer to go out sailing with people and provide a personalised experience at the same time. In addition, he said that several surfers - some of them well-known - will use the platform not only to rent out their boards, but also to give lessons.
"We are looking at it as a tourist experience. Connecting people and creating a community of people looking for different experiences," the entrepreneur added.
Boats can be rented on the platform for use with or without their owners. To sail large or medium-sized boats without their owners, you must have the corresponding permit (Brevet). The entrepreneur commented that they are in meetings with the Ministry of Tourism, which seeks to develop and grow nautical tourism. Although they were based on services similar to Popey used in the United States, Bar stressed that foreigners were still "cold" and with payment methods that were not very accessible. Regarding the latter, Popey will allow boat rentals to be paid through Mercado Pago, which accepts local and international debit and credit cards.
They have a discussion with each owner in which they recommend prices, ways of advertising and services to be offered. The entrepreneurs will first focus on the season - with eastern resorts as their strong point - and after that they will be in charge of promoting the activity as well as carrying out their expansion plan. The first destination in mind is Brazil, then Latin America and later the United States, Oceania and Asia.
Benefits
When asked about the possibility of the boat owner seeking - after generating the contacts - to skip the intermediary, Bar said that although this "Creole liveliness" is something that happens, the owner will find it convenient to be on the platform, to also take advantage of the investment in advertising made by the entrepreneurs and which they have already launched with two spots and advertising on social networks, with the help of the Pimod agency.
"You don't need to have money, no change, no POS. We give them the opportunity to be paid in advance, to get the money in their bank account, to have a calendar of rentals in advance," Bar said. Members will be charged 17% commission for boat rentals.
Source: The Observer
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