Star Sailors League

What Star Sailors League does

Star Sailors League (SSL) is a private, for-profit sailing competition organization founded in 2013 and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, that operates a regatta circuit supporting professional sailing athletes. Its core offering is a platform-plus-events architecture comprising the SSL Gold Cup — the flagship national-team international sailing competition run in SSL 47 foiling catamarans — alongside the SSL Nation's Circuit for national team rankings, the SSL Ranking System (Men, Women, Nations) awarding SSL points for competition performance, and the SSL Events Platform covering Olympic and non-Olympic classes. The league's technology foundation is a web-based platform (worldofsailors.com) that maintains global rankings, athlete profiles, event listings, and media galleries.

SSL serves professional sailing athletes, national sailing federations (e.g., SSL Team Greece, Switzerland, Puerto Rico), and event host cities, with a multi-continental footprint spanning at least 14 countries including Switzerland, Brazil, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Italy, Thailand, Greece, Puerto Rico, Great Britain, Australia, and the United States. Revenue is generated through event organization and management (transaction fees from event hosting and entry fees) and an e-commerce merchandise store (shop.sslgoldcup.com); pricing for league participation and sponsorship is not publicly disclosed.

The organization operates with 11–50 employees under an event-driven, community-led go-to-market model ("By Sailors For Sailors"), with sub-brands including SSL Gold Cup, SSL Nation's Circuit, and the Sailing Athletes Foundation (SAF). It runs an annual cycle of regional qualifiers (European, Asian, African & Oceanian) culminating in a championship final (2026 scheduled for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), and integrates third-party marquee regattas (such as Kieler Woche) into its ranking points system.

Name

Star Sailors League

Legal name

Star Sailors League

Website

https://starsailors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Star Sailors League is a Switzerland-based sailing competition organization operating the SSL Gold Cup national-team regatta circuit and a global ranking system, serving professional sailors and national sailing federations across multiple continents.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sailing Sports Events and Rankings

SIC

Services-Racing, Including Track Operation (7948)

akta.pro primary industry

Sailing & Water Sports Teams/Clubs (Sailing, Rowing, Surfing) (MPAKABAH)

Keywords

• Sailing competition circuit
• International regatta organization
• Athlete ranking platform
• National team sailing
• Professional sailing events

Headquarters

HQ city

Lausanne

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Event Organization and Management: Organizing and hosting sailing competitions including the SSL Gold Cup and various qualifiers. Revenue derived from event hosting, entry fees, and spectator engagement.
2. E-commerce (Shop): Operating an online shop for SSL merchandise and products (shop.sslgoldcup.com)

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Star Sailors League operates an international sailing competition circuit centered on the SSL Gold Cup, a national-team format regatta. It maintains a global ranking system for individual sailors (Men and Women) and Nations, sanctions qualifying events across multiple continents, and manages event registration, results, and points allocation for Olympic and non-Olympic sailing classes.

Product overview

Star Sailors League is a sailing competition and ranking organization that operates a platform-plus-events architecture. The core offering consists of the SSL Gold Cup international sailing competition (the flagship event featuring national teams in SSL 47 boats), supported by the SSL Nation's Circuit for national team rankings and the SSL Ranking System for individual sailor rankings (Men, Women, and Nations). The SSL Events Platform manages various sailing competitions across Olympic and Non-Olympic Classes. These products work together to create a comprehensive sailing competition ecosystem with regional qualifiers leading to the annual SSL Gold Cup final.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SSL Gold Cup: Flagship international sailing competition organized by Star Sailors League
• SSL Nation's Circuit
• Sailing Athletes Foundation (SAF)

Products and services

• SSL Gold Cup Premier international sailing competition organized by Star Sailors League, featuring national teams competing in SSL 47 foiling catamarans. Includes continental qualifiers (European, Asian, African and Oceanian) culminating in a final championship, scheduled for Rio de Janeiro in 2026.
• SSL Nation's Circuit National team ranking and circuit system that tracks and ranks sailing teams from different countries, contributing to qualification pathways for the SSL Gold Cup.
• SSL Ranking System Comprehensive global ranking platform providing Men Individual Ranking, Women Individual Ranking, and Nations Ranking for professional sailors, with SSL points awarded based on competition performance across sanctioned events.
• SSL Events Platform Event management platform covering various sailing competitions including SSL events, Olympic Classes, and Non-Olympic Classes such as One Cup, Contender Austrian Nationals, Belgian Open Championship, and Semana Gallega da Vela.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1000 SSL ranking points awarded to winners of major Olympic Class events
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• TP52 Super Series: The TP52 Super Series is a professional monohull sailing circuit using a standardized TP52 boat class, with multiple regattas across Europe and elsewhere. It is comparable as a one-design class sailing league targeting elite professional teams with a points-based championship structure.
• RC44 Championship Tour: The RC44 Championship Tour runs a series of international sailing events for the RC44 one-design class, featuring owner-driver teams from multiple nations. It is comparable as a one-design class professional sailing circuit with a global tour structure.
• The Ocean Race: The Ocean Race (formerly Volvo Ocean Race) is a premier around-the-world offshore sailing competition with multiple legs and team participation. It is comparable as a high-profile international sailing circuit with global media coverage and sponsor-driven revenue.
• 52 Super Series (formerly TP52): The 52 Super Series is the rebranded TP52 Super Series circuit for high-performance monohull sailing. Comparable as a professional one-design sailing league with year-long rankings and multiple international events.
• SailGP: SailGP operates a global professional sailing league with national teams racing in F50 foiling catamarans. It is the closest direct competitor to SSL Gold Cup, sharing the same national-team format, foiling catamaran technology, and event-driven monetization model, though with a higher profile and bigger budget.
• America's Cup Event Authority: The America's Cup is the premier sailing match-race competition featuring national teams and syndicates racing high-performance foiling yachts (AC75/AC40). It is comparable as an elite international sailing competition, though oriented around a flagship event rather than a year-round circuit.
• World Match Racing Tour: The World Match Racing Tour is a professional sailing tour featuring match-race events and a world championship. It is comparable as a multi-event sailing circuit with global rankings and elite-level competition, though smaller in scale.

Broad incumbents

• World Sailing: World Sailing is the international federation governing the sport globally, including Olympic class events. It is comparable as the umbrella organization for elite sailing competition and rankings, although SSL operates as an independent league alongside rather than under World Sailing.

Others

• 11th Hour Racing Team: 11th Hour Racing Team is a competitive offshore sailing team with a sustainability mission, competing in The Ocean Race and IMOCA circuits. Comparable as an elite professional sailing team participating in international circuit events, sharing SSL's professional sailing ecosystem.
• Alinghi Red Bull Racing: Alinghi Red Bull Racing is a Swiss America's Cup syndicate. Comparable as an elite Swiss-based sailing team that competes in international sailing's premier events, sharing SSL's Swiss base and elite athlete ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SailorsLeague
• Facebookfacebook.com/StarSailorsLeague
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/star-sailors-league

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Star Sailors League