Leading boat rental and yacht charter marketplace announces intention to launch world first IPO.
Britain’s leading boat rental and yacht charter marketplace, Borrow A Boat, today launches a £750,000 crowdfunding round with British investment crowdfunding platform Crowdcube, before beginning the process to convert to a PLC. The raise follows accelerating growth and revenues in 2021, due to a rebounding market, expansion into several new countries, including the USA, as well as the acquisition of competitor Helm.
The ‘Airbnb of boats’, Borrow A Boat is part of the vanguard of companies digitising the large and maturing global charter market, set to be worth $30bn annually by 2027. One of the pioneers of peer-to-peer charter since 2017, Borrow A Boat is on a mission to make boating more accessible, affordable, flexible, and inclusive for all, to help drive participation, and make chartering a boat simpler.
Its second raise in 2021, Borrow A Boat has navigated a challenging year for the travel industry successfully securing £499,070 of investment in January, surpassing the original target of £250,000 by 199% and bringing the total raised since 2017 to around £3.8 million. The early 2021 raise charted a course for global expansion into eight new countries including the US, Canada and Australia. In addition, the 17,000 existing investors, from previous funding rounds, will be offered an exit.
Borrow A Boat is also in the early stages of exploring a potential initial public offering with Aquis Exchange for 2022 – a world first for a boat charter marketplace.
CEO & founder of Borrow A Boat, Matt Ovenden, said: “Following an extremely testing year for the travel industry, we’re thrilled to be in a position to offer investors the opportunity to get on board and invest in the rising popularity of boating across the globe. Our partnership with Crowdcube means that we will have access to a diverse group of investors, who in turn will be able to join us in bringing the joy of boating to the masses.”
Founded in 2016 and launched in 2017 by entrepreneur Matt Ovenden, Borrow A Boat has access to over 35,000 vessels in 65+ countries, and offers peer-to-peer listings as well as boat rental through traditional charter companies. On a mission to make boating more accessible, affordable, flexible, and inclusive, Borrow A Boat pioneered peer-to-peer boat charters, helping boat owners generate extra income from their vessel and reducing the high costs of boat ownership, including maintenance costs and marina fees.
For more information on Borrow A Boat, visit www.borrowaboat.com.
For more information on Borrow A Boat’s Crowdcube raise, visit www.crowdcube.com/borrowaboat
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Join the Borrow A Boat team at Southampton Boat Show, Stand J154, Ocean Hall, Friday 10 September at 1pm:
The Borrow A Boat team look forward to sharing a number of exciting new announcements following a year of accelerating growth and revenues in 2021.
Visiting media are invited to join us for a glass of fizz and the opportunity to talk to CEO of Borrow A Boat, Matt Ovenden, on the all latest developments in the company, including expansions, acquisitions, crowdfunding and more.
To arrange an interview with CEO of Borrow A Boat, Matt Ovenden, please email the team: [email protected]
Notes to Editors:
Borrow A Boat CEO, Matt Ovenden, is available for interview or comment upon request.
For further press information, please contact:
Olivia Hazelden-Kingdon | Elsa Findlay | Jo Kendall
Rooster PR
T: +44 (0) 20 3440 8930
E: [email protected]
About Borrow A Boat:
Launched by boating enthusiasts in 2017, Borrow A Boat is on a mission to make boating more accessible, affordable, flexible, and inclusive for all through both traditional yacht charter companies and peer-to-peer yacht charter. Peer-to-peer charter enabling boat owners to offset the high costs of boat ownership by reducing maintenance costs and marina fees, whilst offering consumers more affordable and flexible boating experiences.
With over 35,000 boat rentals and yacht charters available in 65+ countries including the UK, the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, North America, and South East Asia, Borrow A Boat is the leading yacht charter platform.
Borrow A Boat facilitates boat rental from just £40 per day, sailing yachts from £1,000 per week and luxury motorboats and superyachts, under Borrow A Boat Plus, from approximately £10,000 per week.
Boats of all types are available for rental, including sailboats, motorboats, riverboats, RIBs, catamarans, gulets, superyachts and luxury yacht charters. Customers can choose a boat with or without a skipper, depending on their sailing experience.
All boats meet the stringent safety and insurance codes, standards, and regulations for yacht chartering in their respective locations.
For more information, or to make a booking, visit the website www.borrowaboat.com.
