What Yotspot does

Yotspot is a privately-held, multi-sided recruitment marketplace focused exclusively on the global superyacht industry. Founded in 2009 in Antibes by Steve Crawford and now operated under CB Media Group Ltd. with headquarters in Ocean Village, Southampton, the platform connects yacht employers (yacht owners, management companies, recruitment agencies), yacht crew and shore-based professionals, and maritime training providers through a single web-based marketplace. The platform holds a database of 180,251 professionals, lists 1,889 active jobs and 5,011 training courses, and serves 700+ employer clients including named references such as Burgess, Hill Robinson, Quay Crew, and Madame Gu (99m). It operates across 14+ countries spanning Europe, North America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, Oceania, and Africa.

The core product is structured around four account types: The Yacht Account and The Shorebased Account for employers, the free Jobseeker Account plus a paid Platinum tier (£30 per 3 months) for candidates, and The Training Account for maritime training providers. The underlying technology is a web-based recruitment marketplace with a candidate matching/ranking algorithm, profile management system supporting documents, certificates, and video introductions, advanced profile analytics (views, shortlists, employer interactions), real-time job alerts, and a self-serve job posting workflow. The platform has been extended with adjacent informational resources including an annual Salary Guidelines benchmarking tool, an ENG1 medical certificate directory of 145 doctors, and a Seafarer Employment Agreement resource centre, alongside partner services spanning mental health (Yacht Crew Help), financial services (Moore Dixon, Reedman Wealth), yacht brokerage referrals (Cecil Wright), professional association integration (PYA), and maritime training (Whitehorse Maritime Academy, Nautilus).

Yotspot monetises through four recurring revenue streams: employer subscriptions (paid tiers for unlimited job postings and database access), jobseeker Platinum subscriptions (£30 per 3 months), training provider subscriptions for course advertising, and display advertising across the platform. The company is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding rounds, operates with a small team, and reports 15,000+ jobs posted annually across its platform. Distribution is entirely digital via yotspot.com with a self-serve model supplemented by direct sales targeting yacht management companies and agencies.

Name

Yotspot

Legal name

CB Media Group Ltd.

Website

https://yotspot.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Yotspot is a multi-sided recruitment marketplace for the global superyacht industry, connecting yacht employers, crew/professionals, and training providers through a web platform with 180,251 members, 1,889 active jobs, and 700+ employer clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Southampton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Employer Subscriptions (The Yacht Account): Paid subscription model for yacht employers, recruitment agencies, and management companies providing unlimited access to candidate database and job postings. Free job posting trial available.
2. Jobseeker Platinum Subscription: Paid tier at £30 per 3 months for job seekers providing enhanced visibility, real-time alerts, video introduction features, and advanced analytics
3. Advertising: Display advertising opportunities on the platform including banners, newsletters, and social media promotion for maritime industry products and services
4. Training Provider Subscriptions: Subscription accounts for maritime training providers to advertise courses with dates and availability

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Yotspot operates a web-based two-sided recruitment marketplace that connects yacht employers (yacht owners, management companies, and recruitment agencies) with yacht crew and maritime professionals. It provides a searchable database of 180,251 professionals, a candidate matching and ranking algorithm, unlimited job postings, video introduction profiles, advanced profile analytics, and an integrated maritime training course directory (5,011+ courses) with 24/7 global access.

Product overview

Yotspot is a multi-sided recruitment marketplace and professional platform for the superyacht industry, operating as a unified platform with distinct account types serving three user segments: employers (The Yacht Account, The Shorebased Account, and the Yotspot 24/7 Account), job seekers (free Jobseeker Account and paid Platinum Account at £30/3 months), and training providers (The Training Account). The core product enables direct employer-to-crew connections through a searchable database of 180,251 professionals, candidate matching with ranking by suitability, and unlimited job postings. The platform also extends its ecosystem through partner services including mental health support (Yacht Crew Help helpline), financial services (Moore Dixon and Reedman Wealth Management), yacht brokerage referrals (Cecil Wright), professional association membership (PYA), and charity partnerships (YachtAid Global, Superyacht Charities), alongside informational resources covering salary benchmarking, seafarer employment agreements, and ENG1 medical certification. Supporting infrastructure includes payment processing via Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, and social media connectivity across Twitter/X, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and RSS feeds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Yacht Account Primary recruitment account for yacht employers to search a database of 180,251 professional crew members, post unlimited job listings, and access candidate matching and ranking tools to find deckhands, stewardesses, captains, engineers, and other maritime roles. Designed for yacht owners, management companies, and recruitment agencies.
• The Shorebased Account Recruitment account for employers seeking yachting industry professionals for shore-based roles, including brokers, managers, designers, and office staff, with access to the full database and unlimited postings.
• Jobseeker Account (Free) Free account for yacht crew and professionals to create a profile, upload CV and certificates, apply directly to yachts, agencies and management companies, receive job alerts, and search the maritime training course directory.
• Platinum Account Paid subscription (£30 per 3 months) offering real-time individual job alerts, platinum profile badge, video introduction and cover letter capabilities, employer view analytics, custom job alerts, profile QR code, live chat support, and exclusive discounts on Nautilus membership and Whitehorse Maritime Academy courses.
• The Training Account Account for maritime training providers to advertise courses including RYA courses, MCA approved courses, PYA accredited courses, professional culinary diplomas, and hospitality training, reaching 5,011 course listings to maritime professionals.
• Yotspot 24/7 Account Unlimited access subscription enabling employers to search the full crew database, post jobs, filter and sort candidates, add notes, request personalised video interviews, and hire directly, with 30-day money-back guarantee.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 25 crew recruited from single employer (Sea Shepherd) over 3 years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Yacht Crew HelpcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFree and confidential multilingual helpline for professional yacht crew, available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Provides counselling, suicide risk assessments, and emotional support to crew worldwide. Yotspot promotes this service on their mental health page.
• YachtAid GlobalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading organization facilitating yachting industry engagement for disaster, humanitarian, and conservation initiatives across global coastal communities. Yotspot is a proud supporter of their charitable causes.
• Superyacht CharitiesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEstablished May 2015, has raised over £564,000 for good causes within the yachting industry. Runs 5 annual events attracting over 1200 guests. Supports Antibes Lifeboat, Oceans of Hope, Rona Sailing Project, Sail 4 Cancer, and other causes. Yotspot is a proud supporter.
• Professional Yachting Association (PYA)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerNon-profit organization founded in 1991 supporting and representing professional yacht crew worldwide. PYA is the only organization helping professional yacht crew with sea service verification on behalf of UK MCA. Yotspot provides information and referral links to PYA membership.
• Moore Dixon Crew BenefitsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial services partner providing banking and insurance options specifically designed for superyacht crew lifestyle. Yotspot promotes on Financial Services page.
• Reedman Wealth ManagementminorGTM or Marketing PartnerFinancial planning advice for crew members at every position and career stage, from bridge to engine room. Yotspot promotes this service as a partner offering.
• Cecil Wright & PartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerBoutique yacht brokerage specializing in large pedigree yachts for sale and charter. Yotspot offers referral commission on successful sales. Chris Cecil-Wright previously founded one of the largest yacht brokerages.
• Nautilus InternationalminorGTM or Marketing PartnerInternational trades union and professional association protecting seafarer rights. Yotspot offers Platinum members 35% off first Nautilus membership.
• Whitehorse Maritime AcademyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerUK's leading on-demand MCA oral exam preparation platform. Yotspot Platinum members receive 10% discount on courses.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• LinkedIn: Global professional networking platform that competes with Yotspot for high-end professional recruitment, including yacht crew. While not yacht-specialist, its massive reach, free job postings, and embedded recruiter tools make it a default alternative for both employers sourcing crew and candidates seeking roles.
• Indeed: Largest general job marketplace globally and a direct competitor for yacht crew job postings and candidate searches. Its scale, SEO dominance, and free basic listings make it a credible alternative destination for crew seeking opportunities across all sectors.
• Burgess: Major luxury yacht management company and named Yotspot customer. Provides in-house crew placement for the yachts it manages, partially overlapping with Yotspot's recruitment value proposition while operating at much larger scale and broader service portfolio.
• Hill Robinson: Leading yacht management company and named Yotspot customer. Offers crew placement as part of its management services, representing both a customer relationship and a partial competitive overlap with Yotspot's recruitment focus.
• Camper & Nicholsons: Established global yacht management and brokerage firm with internal crew placement capabilities. Overlaps with Yotspot on crew recruitment while operating a much broader yacht services portfolio at significant scale.
• Fraser Yachts: Major international yacht management and brokerage company with crew placement functions. Represents a broader incumbent that competes with parts of Yotspot's recruitment offering while serving a wider superyacht services portfolio.

Direct peers

• Quay Crew: Specialist yacht crew recruitment agency that is both a Yotspot customer and a direct competitor. Offers full-service crew placement while also using the platform to source candidates — illustrating the dual agency-platform dynamic that defines yachting recruitment.
• The Crew Network: Yacht crew recruitment network operating in the same niche as Yotspot. Functions as both a customer using Yotspot's platform and a competitor offering its own recruitment services to yacht employers and management companies.
• Wilson Halligan: Yacht recruitment agency that is both a Yotspot customer and competitor. Specializes in placing crew across multiple yacht roles, illustrating the platform-agency dual model in yacht crew recruitment.

Others

• Cecil Wright & Partners: Boutique yacht brokerage firm that is a Yotspot referral partner, paying commission on successful referrals. An adjacent ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor — shares the yachting customer base without overlapping core recruitment services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Yotspot
• Facebookfacebook.com/groups/yotspot.crewplacement
• LinkedInuk.linkedin.com/company/yotspot
• Instagraminstagram.com/yotspot_crew

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Yotspot