E1 Series
E1 Series (Electric Sea Racing Limited) operates the UIM-sanctioned UIM E1 World Championship, the world's first all-electric hydrofoil powerboat racing series featuring 10 celebrity-owned teams competing in identical RaceBird boats across global venues, with Saudi Arabia's PIF as 50% owner.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2024
- HeadquartersSutton, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What E1 Series does
E1 Series, operated by Electric Sea Racing Limited, is the world's first and only UIM-sanctioned all-electric raceboat championship, holding an exclusive 25-year license from the Union Internationale Motonautique. Founded in 2024 by Alejandro Agag (founder of Formula E and Extreme E) and engineer Rodi Basso, the company organizes the UIM E1 World Championship in which 10 celebrity-owned teams compete in identical RaceBird hydrofoil boats capable of speeds up to 50 knots, powered by 150kW electric outboards developed with Kreisel (batteries), McLaren Applied (electronics), Mercury Racing (propulsion), and Comptech Engineering (carbon fibre). Jamie Copas (ex-WPP/Prism Sport & Entertainment) replaced Basso as CEO in early 2026 to professionalize commercial operations.
The business model layers multiple revenue streams on top of a sports IP: team franchise license fees of $2M plus $1M annual operating fees per team; recurring sponsorship from flagship partners including Bombay Sapphire (Official Gin Partner), Hublot (Official Timekeeping Partner), and Mercury Racing (Propulsion Partner); multi-year broadcasting rights deals with DAZN (1.1B device reach), Viaplay, and MBC covering 140+ territories; event ticketing through Fever; and direct-to-consumer merchandise including the $149 RaceBird Lite toy replica. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund holds a 50% equity stake following a $50M investment that anchors the broader Electric 360 initiative, while remaining ownership is distributed among celebrity team owners including Tom Brady, Will Smith, LeBron James, Rafael Nadal, Steve Aoki, Didier Drogba, Marc Anthony, Virat Kohli, and Kyle Kuzma. The 2026 calendar expands to 8 races across four continents (Jeddah, Lake Como, Dubrovnik, Monaco, Luanda, Lagos, Miami, Bahamas), with planned growth to 12 teams and a £500M valuation target within five years.
E1 Series firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- E1 Series
- Legal name
- Electric Sea Racing Limited
- Website
- https://e1series.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2024
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- E1 Series (Electric Sea Racing Limited) operates the UIM-sanctioned UIM E1 World Championship, the world's first all-electric hydrofoil powerboat racing series featuring 10 celebrity-owned teams competing in identical RaceBird boats across global venues, with Saudi Arabia's PIF as 50% owner.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
E1 Series industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electric Powerboat Racing Championship
- NAICS
- Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121)
- SIC
- Services-Racing, Including Track Operation (7948)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sailing & Water Sports Teams/Clubs (Sailing, Rowing, Surfing) (MPAKABAH)
Keywords
Where E1 Series is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sutton
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices3 records
Markets served
E1 Series business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Team Franchise Fees: Celebrity team owners pay $2 million for a franchise license plus $1 million annual operating fee to participate in the championship
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of RaceBird Lite toy replicas ($149 each) and other team-branded merchandise through the E1 Series store
- Sponsorship: Official partnerships with brands including Bombay Sapphire (Official Gin Partner), Hublot (Official Timekeeping Partner), Mercury Racing (Propulsion Partner)
- Broadcasting Rights: International broadcast deals including DAZN (1.1 billion devices), Viaplay, MBC, reaching over 140 territories
- Event Ticketing: Ticket sales through official ticketing partner Fever for race events and VIP hospitality experiences
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Team Franchise License |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | RaceBird Lite Toy Replica |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
E1 Series product offering
Product offeringCore offering
E1 Series operates the UIM E1 World Championship, the world's first all-electric raceboat championship featuring celebrity-owned teams competing in identical RaceBird hydrofoil boats at iconic coastal venues worldwide. The championship runs multiple Grand Prix events annually and is supported by a global broadcast distribution, official merchandise, ticketed fan experiences, and a sustainability program (Blue Impact). The series monetizes through team franchise licenses, sponsorships, broadcasting rights, ticket sales, and branded consumer products including the RaceBird Lite toy.
Product overview
E1 Series is the world's first all-electric raceboat championship operated by Electric Sea Racing Limited. The core offering is the UIM E1 World Championship presented by PIF, featuring celebrity-owned teams competing in identical RaceBird electric hydrofoil boats. The championship runs multiple Grand Prix events across global venues. Associated products include the RaceBird Lite, a 1:14 scale consumer toy replica of the championship boat sold through the official store. The organization also operates the Blue Impact Championship, a sustainability initiative recognizing environmental action by teams.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Blue Impact Championship: Sustainability initiative within E1 that recognizes teams for their environmental initiatives and marine conservation efforts, presented by Bombay Sapphire.
Products and services
- UIM E1 World Championship The flagship all-electric raceboat championship featuring 10 celebrity-owned teams competing in identical RaceBird hydrofoil boats across 8 Grand Prix events in 2026 (Jeddah, Lake Como, Dubrovnik, Monaco, Luanda, Lagos, Miami, Bahamas).
- RaceBird Lite A 1:14 scale toy replica of the E1 RaceBird electric raceboat featuring hydro-foiling technology, priced at $149, enabling consumers to experience electric racing at home.
- Blue Impact Championship Sustainability championship presented by Bombay Sapphire that recognizes E1 teams for marine conservation efforts, coastal habitat restoration, and community environmental action. Team Brady was inaugural winner in 2025.
- E1 Ocean Club VIP Hospitality Premium waterfront VIP hospitality offering at race events featuring curated dining, exclusive access to pilots and celebrity team owners, and integrated partner activations (including Hublot).
Quantifiable outcome
- Plastic removal: 100kg of ocean plastic removed per championship point earned by Team Brady in 2025, totalling 19,500kg
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use E1 Series
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
E1 Series technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
E1 Series partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core, major and minor.
- HublotflagshipOfficial Timekeeping Partner providing Swiss craftsmanship and precision timing expertise. Integrated across the season with visibility on global broadcasts and activation within the E1 Ocean Club VIP hospitality.
- UN TourismflagshipMemorandum of Understanding signed to promote sustainable mobility and tourism through sport. E1 founder Alejandro Agag appointed as UN Tourism's Special Ambassador for Sustainable Tourism. Collaboration leverages sports tourism's $685 billion market value.
- Roc Nation Sports InternationalflagshipContent partnership to expand global audience using Roc Nation's cultural influence and talent ecosystem for storytelling, creative campaigns, and entertainment activations integrating E1 athletes.
- Bombay SapphireflagshipOfficial Gin Partner for the 2025 season, featuring branding, immersive experiences, and environmental initiatives focused on marine sustainability. The partnership is rooted in Bombay Sapphire's 'Step Into The Blue' global campaign.
- DAZNflagshipMulti-year broadcasting agreement for exclusive live final programmes across Canada, DACH, France, Italy, Spain, and Japan. Provides E1 access to 1.1 billion devices worldwide.
- Mercury RacingcoreOfficial Propulsion and Propeller Partner developing an electric powertrain for hydrofoil-based race boats. Partnership aims to advance electric propulsion technology in the marine industry.
- Kreisel BatteriescoreBattery technology partner providing electric propulsion systems for RaceBird boats
- McLaren AppliedcoreElectronics technology partner providing control systems for RaceBird electric boats
- Comptech EngineeringcoreCarbon fibre components partner for RaceBird boat construction
- ViaplaymajorBroadcast partner in the Nordics region
- MBC GroupmajorBroadcast partner in the Middle East region
- Aurora MediamajorProduction partner for E1 Series broadcast operations
- Cross Shore MediamajorCamera technology supplier for race coverage
- Al Kamel SystemsmajorGraphics and telemetry partner for race operations
- Timeline TelevisionmajorMain production hub in London for championship broadcast
- 4ocean FoundationmajorEnvironmental partner for Team Brady's Race for Change programme, removing ocean plastic
- WaterAidminorCharitable partner for Team Brady's sustainability initiatives
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
E1 Series competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- INDYCAR: Major North American open-wheel racing series with team-franchise model and premium sponsors. Useful benchmark for league-level economics in motorsport even though it competes for a different audience segment.
- America's Cup: Premier international sailing competition with syndicate-based team structure and high-net-worth team owners. Comparable coastal-venue prestige and high-end sponsor mix, though structurally distinct as an event rather than a touring championship.
- MotoGP: Premier global motorcycle racing series with team-franchise model, premium sponsors, and international city-based calendar. Comparable in broadcast economics and lifestyle-brand sponsorship mix, though operates at materially larger scale.
- F1 (Formula 1): The dominant global motorsport series. While not a direct electric-powerboat competitor, F1 defines the upper bound of motorsport franchise economics, broadcast rights values, and team valuations that E1's growth trajectory will be benchmarked against.
Direct peers
- SailGP: Global sailing league with national-team franchise model, premium sponsors, and high-end coastal venues. Closest water-sport analog to E1 in terms of city-based calendar, identical-boat racing format, and franchise-fee economics.
- Formula E: Electric single-seater racing series also founded by Alejandro Agag and backed by PIF under the Electric 360 initiative. Directly comparable business model (team franchises, city-based calendar, sustainability narrative, premium sponsors, global broadcast), making it the closest analog for valuation and growth trajectory.
- Extreme E: Off-road electric SUV racing series founded by Alejandro Agag and backed by PIF under the Electric 360 initiative. Shares the same celebrity-team-owner model, sustainability positioning, and Saudi sovereign backing as E1, with comparable franchise economics and broadcast structure.
- UIM F1 H2O (Powerboat Racing): Traditional combustion-engine powerboat racing world championship sanctioned by UIM. The predecessor powerboat category from which E1 essentially carved out the electric niche under its exclusive UIM license.
Emerging players
- W Series: Single-make women's racing series with similar egalitarian-team-format ambitions. While not a powerboat property, it shares the celebrity-investor, identity-led marketing, and emerging-property sponsorship dynamics with E1.
Others
- Mercury Racing: High-performance marine propulsion manufacturer and E1's Official Propulsion Partner. Adjacent as a technology enabler and supplier of marine propulsion systems rather than a competitor, but its involvement signals where the boundary between marine technology and racing league blurs.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
E1 Series social profiles
Digital presenceE1 Series financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
E1 Series leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
E1 Series funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
E1 Series 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 E1 Series
What does E1 Series do?
E1 Series operates the UIM E1 World Championship, the world's first all-electric raceboat championship featuring celebrity-owned teams competing in identical RaceBird hydrofoil boats at iconic coastal venues worldwide. The championship runs multiple Grand Prix events annually and is supported by a global broadcast distribution, official merchandise, ticketed fan experiences, and a sustainability program (Blue Impact). The series monetizes through team franchise licenses, sponsorships, broadcasting rights, ticket sales, and branded consumer products including the RaceBird Lite toy.
Is E1 Series a public or private company?
E1 Series is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.
When was E1 Series founded?
E1 Series was founded in 2024. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is E1 Series based?
E1 Series is headquartered in Sutton, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does E1 Series make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Team Franchise Fees are the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales, sponsorship, broadcasting Rights and event Ticketing.
Who are E1 Series's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are INDYCAR, America's Cup, MotoGP and F1 (Formula 1). Direct peers are SailGP, Formula E, Extreme E and UIM F1 H2O (Powerboat Racing). W Series is listed as an emerging player. Mercury Racing is listed as an others.
Does E1 Series have an API?
No public API is recorded for E1 Series.
What industry is E1 Series in?
E1 Series's product category is Electric Powerboat Racing Championship. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAKABAH, Sailing & Water Sports Teams/Clubs (Sailing, Rowing, Surfing). Its NAICS code is 711211 and its SIC code is 7948.