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Imagine Planning your Holiday on a Private Boat

Learn all about Antlos and their boat holidays which offer Skippers and Captains the opportunity to convert their passion for sailing into a real business.

Today we’re interviewing Michelangelo Ravagnan who is the CEO of Antlos, to ask him all about what it was like building Antlos from the start. Antlos is for two different audiences: travellers and sea lovers to experience authentic boat holidays and boat owners who would like to convert their passion for sailing into a business.

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What inspired you to create this startup?

I have worked in the Maritime since I was 18 in the yachting and hospitality industries. I was a yacht captain, broker, and Property Manager in Venice, Italy, for apartments and B&Bs. I gained many skills working in the travel industry and worked with various booking systems. As the ‘sharing economy’ started to grow over the last years with companies such as Uber and Airbnb I felt like something was missing. I then realized this could be the perfect business model to introduce to the yachting industry, giving travellers the ability to book an experience at sea with a local Skipper. 

How did you build your startup?

The idea came together with two of my childhood friends, one a designer and the other a software engineer, both with a passion for sailing. We decided to team-up with our collection of skills and apply to participate in an accelerator program called H-Camp promoted by H-Farm Ventures near Venice, Italy. Once accepted, we learned how to build and develop our project in just a few months and turn our idea into a reality. 

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How is your startup disrupting the travel scene today?

We have 3 different offerings:

1) Entire Boat – enabling guests to book an entire boat to share with friends and family
2) Private Cabin – perfect for couples who can’t afford to book an entire boat
3) Shared Cabin – ideal for solo travelers who would like to sail and meet new people

Unlike charter agencies, we believe transparency is key. We encourage Skippers to offer all-inclusive holidays so the customer knows exactly how much they are paying. We try to offer flexible terms and conditions with one clear policy, as well as ‘Split Payment’. Split Payment gives travellers the ability to split the cost of the vacation between the other participants enabling them to pay their share.

How did you get your startup off the ground and gaining traction?

We came up with a marketing funnel that includes various steps (brand awareness, retargeting the lead generation, etc.) Some of the most important contributions to the funnel include our #BetterOnBoard Video Series that depicts the experiences that you can enjoy on board using our services, as well our Travel Credits referral program. Users can send invitations to sign up to Antlos and receive Travel Credits in return, which they can use when booking their next sailing holiday with us.

Do you have any tips for new entrepreneurs who want to create a successful startup?

Plenty! Here are a few of the most important ones:

  • Build a startup in an industry that you already have experience in and have a great network
  • Share your idea with everyone and always ask for feedback
  • Build relationships with people you can trust 
  • Participate in an accelerator program for startups 
  • Don’t ever give up – even during the hardest times when things aren’t going well
  • Be open minded, clear your head and learn from your mistakes

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Travel Start-Up is a monthly series that profiles unique online travel start-ups in the Travel Massive community around the world. Connect with Antlos on Facebook, Twitter and Travel Massive

 


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