Y.CO
Y.CO is a Monaco-headquartered, full-service luxury yacht company founded in 2004, operating from four global offices. It serves ultra-high-net-worth individuals and yacht owners with yacht charter, sales brokerage, management, and build/refit services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2004
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Y.CO does
Y.CO (The Yacht Company) is a privately held, Monaco-headquartered full-service luxury yacht company founded in 2004 by Charlie Birkett (CEO) and Gary Wright (Chairman). It operates from four owned offices — Monaco, London, Fort Lauderdale, and Auckland — serving ultra-high-net-worth individuals and yacht owners across charter, brokerage, management, and new-build/refit services worldwide.
The company runs five integrated revenue lines: commission-based yacht charter (access to 1,000+ yachts globally at €125K–€1.2M+ per week), brokerage on yacht sales (listings up to €124.5M), subscription yacht management for owners, recurring charter-management services that monetize owners' vessels, and professional-services build/refit project management connecting clients with tier-1 shipyards (Feadship, Oceanco, Lürssen, Amels) and design studios (Espen Øino, RWD, Winch Design, Pastrovich). Digital product surface includes the Charter AI assistant and a Moodboards collaboration tool, while a content platform ("Beneath the Surface") produces documentary and editorial content used for top-of-funnel demand generation.
Go-to-market is direct and relationship-driven: an enterprise field-sales motion with no third-party resellers, supported by content marketing, email newsletters, presence at the Monaco Yacht Show, and the digital moodboard/AI tools that lower the friction of initial enquiry. The business mixes transactional commission income (charter, sales) with recurring management fees, creating a partially annuity-style revenue base on top of episodic high-ticket transactions.
Y.CO firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Y.CO
- Legal name
- Y.CO
- Website
- https://y.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2004
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Y.CO is a Monaco-headquartered, full-service luxury yacht company founded in 2004, operating from four global offices. It serves ultra-high-net-worth individuals and yacht owners with yacht charter, sales brokerage, management, and build/refit services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Y.CO industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Luxury Yacht Brokerage and Management
- NAICS
- Ship Building and Repairing (336611), Boat Dealers (441222)
- SIC
- Ship & Boat Building & Repairing (3730)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Luxury Yacht Refit, Rebuild & Lifecycle Upgrades (MRO) (IMAJAMAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Luxury Yacht Systems Integration & Commissioning (Shipyard) (IMAJAMAI)
Keywords
Where Y.CO is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices4 records
Markets served
Y.CO business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Yacht Charter: Commission-based yacht charter services with access to over 1000 yachts globally, charging per-week charter fees ranging from €125,000 to €1,200,000+
- Yacht Sales: Brokerage services for buying and selling luxury yachts, including superyachts
- Yacht Management: Comprehensive yacht ownership management services including maintenance, crew management, and operational support
- Yacht Charter Management: Charter management services for yacht owners to maximize their yacht's charter potential and return
- Yacht Build & Refit: New build and refit project management services connecting clients with shipyards and designers
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Weekly | Yacht Charter - Entry Level |
| Unit Pricing | Weekly | Yacht Charter - Mid Range |
| Unit Pricing | Weekly | Yacht Charter - Premium |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Yacht Sales |
| Subscription | Annual | Yacht Management Services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Y.CO product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Y.CO is a full-service luxury yacht company providing integrated yacht charter, yacht purchase and sale brokerage, yacht ownership management, charter management for owners, and new build/refit project management. The company operates from offices in Monaco, London, Fort Lauderdale, and Auckland, providing clients with access to over 1,000 yachts globally along with on-the-ground specialists across major yachting destinations.
Product overview
Y.CO is a full-service luxury yacht company offering an integrated platform of yacht-related services. The core offerings include Yacht Charter (access to over 1000 yachts worldwide), Yacht Sales (brokerage for buying and selling), Yacht Management (operational ownership services), Yacht Charter Management (owner revenue optimization), and Yacht Build & Refit (new construction and renovation coordination). The company also provides supplemental services including Yacht Marketing, a Moodboards collaboration tool for client yacht selection, and the Charter AI assistant for charter enquiries. The Beneath The Surface content platform showcases editorial stories, documentaries, and destination guides. Y.CO maintains offices in Monaco, London, Fort Lauderdale, and Auckland, serving clients globally across major yachting destinations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Yacht Charter Luxury yacht charter service providing access to over 1,000 yachts worldwide, with on-the-ground specialists in every continent and comprehensive booking support for charter experiences.
- Yacht Sales Full-service yacht purchase and sale brokerage leveraging in-depth market knowledge and brokering significant yacht transactions for buyers and sellers.
- Yacht Management Comprehensive yacht management services covering ownership administration, maintenance, crew management, and operational logistics to make yacht ownership effortless.
- Yacht Charter Management Charter management service that maximizes returns for yacht owners while maintaining vessels to the highest standards for charter operations.
- Yacht Build & Refit New build and refit project management connecting clients with leading shipyards and designers including Feadship, Lürssen, Oceanco, Amels, Espen Øino, RWD, and Winch Design.
- Yacht Marketing Marketing services for yacht sellers to showcase vessels effectively to potential buyers through professional presentation and targeted promotion.
Companies that use Y.CO
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Y.CO technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Y.CO partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- FeadshipcoreFeatured shipyard partner for yacht new builds and refits. Y.CO collaborates with Feadship on custom superyacht projects, featuring prominently in their content and portfolio.
- OceancocoreFeatured shipyard partner. Y.CO has produced documentary content about Oceanco's building processes and collaborates on yacht projects.
- LürssencoreFeatured shipyard partner known for large superyachts. Y.CO presents Lürssen yachts in their portfolio including Rocinante (78.4m).
- AmelscoreFeatured shipyard partner for yacht new builds and refits in the Y.CO portfolio.
- Espen ØinocoreFeatured yacht designer with 'Behind the Mind' video series. Collaboration on yacht design projects and content storytelling.
- RWDcoreFeatured yacht design studio in Y.CO's shipyard and designer listings.
- Winch DesigncoreFeatured yacht design studio in Y.CO's portfolio of design partners.
- Pastrovich DesigncoreFeatured yacht designer in Y.CO's network of design partners for yacht projects.
- YachtAid GlobalminorCharitable organization Y.CO partners with for conservation efforts including Operation Jade in Costa Rica and shark tagging initiatives in Antigua.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Y.CO competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- CharterWorld: Online-first yacht charter aggregator and brokerage, partially overlapping with Y.CO on the digital charter-discovery layer — a more technology-led entrant into the same charter market.
Direct peers
- Northrop & Johnson: Global luxury yacht brokerage and charter firm with a multi-office footprint, competing directly with Y.CO in yacht sales, charter, and management.
- Ocean Independence: Yacht brokerage and charter specialist offering sales, charter, and management services for luxury yachts, with comparable European and international presence.
- Fraser Yachts: Full-service superyacht sales, charter, and management company with global offices, serving the same UHNWI clientele as Y.CO across charter and brokerage.
- Burgess: Global superyacht broker and charter specialist with comparable full-service model (sales, charter, management, new build), operating across the same UHNWI client base and major yachting hubs.
- Edmiston: International yacht brokerage and management company offering sales, charter, new build, and yacht management services to UHNW clients.
- IYC (International Yacht Collection): Global superyacht brokerage, charter, and management firm serving UHNW clients across the same product and service lines as Y.CO.
- Camper & Nicholsons: Historic yacht brokerage and management firm offering yacht sales, charter, management, and new build services — direct competitor in the same luxury superyacht segment.
Broad incumbents
- Feadship: Premier Dutch luxury yacht builder and featured Y.CO shipyard partner; comparable as a marquee incumbent in the luxury yacht space though operating in manufacturing rather than brokerage.
- Lürssen: World-leading superyacht shipyard and a Y.CO build/refit partner; comparable as an incumbent across the broader luxury yacht ecosystem though not a direct sales/charter competitor.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Y.CO social profiles
Digital presenceY.CO financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Y.CO leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Y.CO funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Y.CO 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 Y.CO
What does Y.CO do?
Y.CO is a full-service luxury yacht company providing integrated yacht charter, yacht purchase and sale brokerage, yacht ownership management, charter management for owners, and new build/refit project management. The company operates from offices in Monaco, London, Fort Lauderdale, and Auckland, providing clients with access to over 1,000 yachts globally along with on-the-ground specialists across major yachting destinations.
Is Y.CO a public or private company?
Y.CO is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Y.CO founded?
Y.CO was founded in 2004. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Y.CO based?
Y.CO is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Y.CO make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Yacht Charter is the primary driver. The others are yacht Sales, yacht Management, yacht Charter Management and yacht Build & Refit.
Who are Y.CO's main competitors?
CharterWorld is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Northrop & Johnson, Ocean Independence, Fraser Yachts, Burgess, Edmiston, IYC (International Yacht Collection) and Camper & Nicholsons. Broad incumbents are Feadship and Lürssen.
Does Y.CO have an API?
No public API is recorded for Y.CO.
What industry is Y.CO in?
Y.CO's product category is Luxury Yacht Brokerage and Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAJAMAJ, Luxury Yacht Refit, Rebuild & Lifecycle Upgrades (MRO), with a secondary code of IMAJAMAI, Luxury Yacht Systems Integration & Commissioning (Shipyard). Its NAICS code is 336611 and its SIC code is 3730.