Sailo
Sailo is a global peer-to-peer boat rental and yacht charter marketplace connecting individual boat owners with renters across the US, Caribbean, Europe, and Southeast Asia, monetizing via commissions on hourly, daily, and weekly charter bookings.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Sailo does
Sailo Inc. is a privately held peer-to-peer boat rental and yacht charter marketplace founded in 2014 and headquartered in New York. The platform connects boat owners — supplying motorboats, sailboats, catamarans, party boats, and luxury yachts — with individual renters seeking hourly, daily, or weekly charters across global destinations including New York, Miami, the Bahamas, the US Virgin Islands, Greece, Croatia, and Thailand. Sailo monetizes through marketplace commissions and transaction fees on completed bookings, with pricing varying by boat type, duration, and captain inclusion. Supporting the core marketplace are native iOS and Android applications, a boat-owner listing and management portal, advanced search and filtering, direct messaging between renters and owners, instant booking for select vessels, and a boat pricing calculator tool. The company has scaled to 30,000+ listed boats and accumulated 24,744 customer reviews averaging 4.9/5, with documented customers skewed heavily toward individual leisure travelers, groups, and event planners rather than enterprise accounts.
The company operates a horizontal marketplace model with a primary customer segment of individual travelers and vacationers, supplemented by groups/event planners, adventure seekers, and yacht charter enthusiasts. GTM motion is two-sided: acquiring boat owners to list inventory (Add Boat flow) and attracting renters through content marketing (destination guides, blog), SEO, app store presence, social login integrations (Facebook, Google, Apple), and a referral program. Revenue mechanics are commission-based — Sailo takes a percentage on each completed booking — with multi-currency support (USD/EUR) signaling international orientation. Total disclosed funding is approximately $2.22M across three rounds (Techstars 2015, Right Side Capital Management 2015, and an undisclosed 2018 round), and the company maintains a small headcount in the 11-50 range despite operating across multiple continents.
Sailo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sailo
- Legal name
- Sailo Inc.
- Website
- https://sailo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Sailo is a global peer-to-peer boat rental and yacht charter marketplace connecting individual boat owners with renters across the US, Caribbean, Europe, and Southeast Asia, monetizing via commissions on hourly, daily, and weekly charter bookings.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sailo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Boat Rental and Yacht Charter Marketplace
- NAICS
- Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water (48721)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Equipment Rental & Leasing (7350)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cabin Charters & Shared Yacht Trips (THAEADAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Bareboat Yacht Charters (Self-Skippered) (THAEAEAB), Tourist & Sightseeing Cruise Operators (Day Cruises) (TLAFALAF), Luxury Yacht & Small-Ship Expedition Cruises (THAEABAF)
Keywords
Where Sailo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sailo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Transaction/Booking Commission: Sailo charges a commission on boat rental transactions completed through the platform. Boat owners list their vessels and pay a fee when bookings are completed. The platform facilitates payments between renters and boat owners, taking a percentage as revenue.
- Booking Transaction Fees: The platform processes payments for boat rentals and likely charges transaction fees or takes a margin on the booking value. Pricing varies by boat type, duration (quarter day, half day, full day, weekly), and location.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Tiered pricing based on boat type, size, and rental duration |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | New York market pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Miami market pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bahamas market pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Thailand market pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Greece market pricing |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Sailo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sailo operates an online peer-to-peer marketplace where third-party boat owners list vessels (motorboats, sailboats, catamarans, party boats, luxury yachts) for rent and individual renters browse, filter, and book those vessels on hourly, daily, or weekly terms with optional captain services. The platform processes payments, facilitates communication between owners and renters, and earns a commission on completed bookings across global yachting destinations.
Product overview
Sailo is a peer-to-peer boat rental and yacht charter marketplace operating as a platform connecting boat owners with renters. The core product is the Sailo Boat Rental Marketplace, which offers access to over 30,000 boats across global destinations including New York, Miami, the Caribbean, Europe (Greece, Croatia, Spain, Italy, France), Thailand, and the Bahamas. The platform supports multiple rental durations (hourly, daily, weekly), boat types (motorboats, sailboats, catamarans, party boats, luxury yachts), and captain options (captain included, captain available, bareboat). Supporting the marketplace are mobile applications for iOS and Android, a boat owner listing and management platform, advanced search and filter capabilities, direct messaging between renters and boat owners, instant booking functionality, and a boat pricing calculator tool.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Sailo Boat Rental Marketplace Peer-to-peer online marketplace where third-party boat owners list motorboats, sailboats, catamarans, party boats, and luxury yachts for rent and individual renters discover, compare, and book those vessels on hourly, daily, or weekly terms, with captain-optional configurations and integrated payments.
- Sailo Mobile App (iOS) Native iOS application on the Apple App Store that enables consumers to search, browse, filter, and book boat rentals and yacht charters worldwide from mobile devices.
- Sailo Mobile App (Android) Native Android application on Google Play that enables consumers to search, browse, filter, and book boat rentals and yacht charters worldwide from mobile devices.
- Sailo Boat Owner Listing Platform (Add Boat) Self-service supply-side platform that allows boat owners to list their vessels on the Sailo marketplace, manage incoming bookings, communicate with prospective renters, and receive payments processed through Sailo.
Quantifiable outcome
- 4.9/5 average customer rating based on 24,744 reviews
Companies that use Sailo
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Sailo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
Feature5 records
Sailo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators9 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Sailo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- GetMyBoat: GetMyBoat is the largest direct competitor — a peer-to-peer boat rental marketplace operating globally with a similar two-sided model connecting boat owners with renters for hourly, daily, and weekly charters. Closest comparable in scale, model, and target customer.
- Boatsetter: Boatsetter is a US-focused peer-to-peer boat rental marketplace with a comparable model including captained rentals, insurance offerings, and partnership with BoatUS. Targets similar experiential travel and leisure boating customer segments.
- Click&Boat: Click&Boat is a European boat rental marketplace backed by Bénéteau (yacht manufacturer), offering motorboat, sailboat, RIB, and yacht rentals across European destinations. Directly competes with Sailo's Mediterranean and European inventory.
- SamBoat: SamBoat is a European peer-to-peer boat rental marketplace with strong Mediterranean presence (France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia). Offers sailboat, motorboat, catamaran, and yacht charters, directly overlapping with Sailo's European/Mediterranean inventory.
- Nautal: Nautal is a Barcelona-based boat and yacht charter marketplace operating across European and global destinations. Direct peer in marketplace model, target audience (renter + owner), and charter product offering.
Emerging players
- Yachtico: Yachtico is an international yacht charter booking platform aggregating bareboat and crewed yacht charters. Comparable in offering weekly yacht charters in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific — overlapping with Sailo's premium charter segments.
Broad incumbents
- Airbnb: Airbnb's Experiences platform and broader vacation rental marketplace competes for the same experiential travel budget and increasingly includes unique stays and water-based experiences. A massive incumbent with vastly greater distribution that could expand into boat rentals.
- The Moorings: The Moorings is one of the world's largest yacht charter operators, offering bareboat and crewed charters in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Pacific. While an operator rather than a marketplace, it competes directly for the same yacht charter customer and is a benchmark for premium pricing.
- Dream Yacht Charter: Dream Yacht Charter is a major global yacht charter operator with the world's largest fleet of bareboat catamarans and monohulls. Competes for the same charter vacation customer in destinations (Caribbean, Mediterranean, Asia-Pacific) where Sailo also lists inventory.
Others
- GetYourGuide: GetYourGuide is a leading tours, activities, and experiences marketplace. While not a boat-specific platform, it competes for the experiential travel wallet share and lists boat tours, cruises, and water experiences in the same destinations as Sailo.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Sailo social profiles
Digital presenceSailo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sailo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Sailo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sailo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sailo
What does Sailo do?
Sailo operates an online peer-to-peer marketplace where third-party boat owners list vessels (motorboats, sailboats, catamarans, party boats, luxury yachts) for rent and individual renters browse, filter, and book those vessels on hourly, daily, or weekly terms with optional captain services. The platform processes payments, facilitates communication between owners and renters, and earns a commission on completed bookings across global yachting destinations.
Is Sailo a public or private company?
Sailo is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Sailo founded?
Sailo was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Sailo based?
Sailo is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sailo make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Transaction/Booking Commission is the primary driver. The others are booking Transaction Fees.
Who are Sailo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are GetMyBoat, Boatsetter, Click&Boat, SamBoat and Nautal. Yachtico is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Airbnb, The Moorings and Dream Yacht Charter. GetYourGuide is listed as an others.
Does Sailo have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sailo.
What industry is Sailo in?
Sailo's product category is Boat Rental and Yacht Charter Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAEADAH, Cabin Charters & Shared Yacht Trips, with a secondary code of THAEAEAB, Bareboat Yacht Charters (Self-Skippered). Its NAICS code is 48721 and its SIC code is 7350.