Sea Sisters

What Sea Sisters does

Sea Sisters is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2016 and headquartered in Napa, California, with a mission to promote the recruitment and retention of women in the maritime industry — a sector where women represent only an estimated 2-4% of the global workforce. The organization serves two primary beneficiary groups: women currently working in maritime who need mentorship, peer support, and career advancement resources, and women considering maritime careers who need pathway information. A third segment comprises survivors of sexual assault or harassment at sea, supported through a dedicated SA/SH center offering crisis resources, survivor stories, and referrals. Sea Sisters operates as a content and community platform rather than a technology company; its core offerings include a website with contributor essays and a resource library on maritime licensing and training, an online community forum, an annual retreat at NatureBridge Golden Gate in Sausalito, the She Sails meetup series, an MITAGS scholarship partnership for Basic Safety Training and Advanced Fire Fighting courses, a Donorbox-backed donation platform with a Sustainer Program for recurring gifts, a merchandise online shop, and participation in industry conferences (WIML at Cal Maritime, Women Offshore UNITE).

The organization's revenue model is donation-driven and diversified across four streams: individual donations (with Giving Tuesday as the largest annual campaign), institutional grants (a $37,200 award from First10Forward in 2024), corporate sponsorships from San Francisco Bar Pilots and Foss Maritime, and merchandise sales. Its go-to-market approach is community-led and event-driven: growth is driven by word-of-mouth, contributor storytelling on the website and Instagram, the annual Sausalito retreat, regional meetups (e.g., She Sails in Fall City, WA), and active presence at maritime industry conferences. The organization has no proprietary technology stack, no app, no AI capabilities, and is operated by a small core team supplemented by volunteers and community contributors. Its strategic positioning as a trusted niche community for women mariners — combined with interlocking partnerships across maritime unions (IOMM&P), industry employers, training institutions (MITAGS), and adjacent advocacy groups (Women Offshore, Melanated Mariners) — forms the basis of its relevance within the U.S. maritime diversity ecosystem.

Name

Sea Sisters

Legal name

Sea Sisters Inc.

Website

https://seasisters.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sea Sisters is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2016 that supports women in the U.S. maritime industry through mentorship, an online community forum, an annual retreat in Sausalito, MITAGS training scholarships, SA/SH survivor support, and advocacy, funded primarily by donations, grants, and corporate sponsorships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Napa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Sea Sisters relies primarily on donations from individuals, with Giving Tuesday being their single largest annual fundraising campaign. They also operate a Sustainer Program for monthly or quarterly recurring donations.
2. Grants: Sea Sisters receives grant funding from organizations like First10Forward. In 2024, they received a $37,200 annual grant from First10Forward.
3. Sponsorships: Sea Sisters receives ongoing sponsorship support from San Francisco Bar Pilots and Foss Maritime Company, who sponsor annual events and retreats.
4. Merchandise Sales: Sea Sisters operates an online shop selling merchandise including tumblers and other items to generate revenue.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sea Sisters is a nonprofit organization that promotes the recruitment and retention of women in the maritime industry. It delivers this mission through a community forum, annual retreats, mentorship connections, a maritime education and licensing resource portal, SA/SH (sexual assault/harassment) survivor support services, and scholarship partnerships with training providers such as MITAGS.

Product overview

Sea Sisters is a nonprofit organization (not a technology product company) offering a community-focused platform for women in the maritime industry. The organization operates primarily as a content and networking platform with a community forum, annual retreats, SA/SH support services, a resources portal, MITAGS scholarship partnerships, an online shop, and a sustainer donation program. These offerings work together to fulfill Sea Sisters' mission of promoting recruitment and retention of women in the maritime industry through mentorship, resources, community building, and advocacy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Forum An online discussion forum where women in the maritime industry and those considering maritime careers can create accounts, build profiles, and participate in topic-based discussion boards covering family planning, continuing education for mariners, and pathways into the industry. The forum is free to access and targets current and aspiring women mariners.
• Sea Sisters Retreat An annual multi-day in-person retreat that brings together women in the maritime industry for networking, mentorship, workshops, and community building. Held at the NatureBridge Golden Gate campus in Marin Headlands, Sausalito, California. Targets women currently working in or considering maritime careers.
• SA/SH Support Services

Quantifiable outcome

• First10Forward awarded $37,200 grant to Sea Sisters in 2024, recognizing the organization's impact on women in non-traditional careers
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.

• MITAGS (Maritime Institute of Technology and Graduate Studies)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 August 2020Sea Sisters partnered with MITAGS to provide scholarships for Basic Safety Training (BST) and Advanced Fire Fighting (AFF) courses for women seeking to enter the maritime industry. Lauren McCool was a scholarship recipient who completed BST at MITAGS.
• NatureBridge Golden GateminorOthersNatureBridge Golden Gate campus in Sausalito, CA serves as the venue for Sea Sisters annual retreats, overlooking Rodeo Beach and the Marin Headlands.
• Women OffshoremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerWomen Offshore is an online resource center supporting a diverse maritime workforce. Sea Sisters collaborates with Women Offshore on events including the UNITE conference, shares resources, and participates in joint initiatives to support women in maritime.
• California Maritime Academy / WIMLmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSea Sisters actively participates in the Women in Maritime Leadership (WIML) Conference held annually at California Maritime Academy in Vallejo, CA. Sea Sisters staff and contributors present at and attend this conference.
• Melanated MarinersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMelanated Mariners, founded by Buki Hough, is an Instagram-based community for Black mariners in North America. Sea Sisters has featured Melanated Mariners on their platform and pledged support, recognizing shared goals of increasing representation in maritime.
• International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (IOMM&P)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIOMM&P formed a Women's Caucus to support female membership. Sea Sisters highlighted this development and supports the organization's mission to effect change for equal rights, respect, and safety for mariners.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Melanated Mariners: Instagram-based community for Black mariners in North America founded by Buki Hough. Directly comparable as an identity-focused maritime community organization featured by Sea Sisters; partial overlap in mission, smaller scale, and digital-first delivery.

Others

• International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN): International charity coordinating welfare services for seafarers, including mental health and welfare helplines. Compares to Sea Sisters on the welfare and support mission side, particularly the SA/SH-adjacent helpline services, but operates at global scale and covers all seafarers rather than women specifically.
• Sailors' Society: International charity supporting seafarer welfare, education, and crisis response. Comparable as a maritime-focused nonprofit serving seafarer communities, though broader in scope than Sea Sisters' women-focused recruitment and retention mission.
• Mission to Seafarers: Long-standing international charity providing welfare, pastoral, and practical support to seafarers in port. Adjacent peer offering community-style support services to mariners, comparable in nonprofit welfare orientation though not women-specific.
• Women in Maritime Leadership (WIML) Conference: Annual conference at California Maritime Academy focused on advancing women in maritime leadership. Directly comparable community and convening function; Sea Sisters actively participates, and the two collaborate on programming for women mariners.
• The Seafarers' Charity (Seafarers UK): UK-based grantmaking charity supporting seafarer welfare, education, and recruitment. Comparable as a maritime-focused grantmaker that could plausibly fund Sea Sisters-adjacent programs; relevant as a potential funding source rather than direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Women Offshore: Online resource center supporting a diverse maritime workforce; explicit strategic partner of Sea Sisters, co-hosting the UNITE conference and sharing contributor content. Most directly comparable peer, with overlapping community, mentorship, and career resource offerings.
• WISTA (Women's International Shipping & Trading Association): Global networking organization for women in shipping, trading, and maritime logistics. Comparable mission of advancing women's careers in maritime and offering networking, mentorship, and professional development, though operating at a global industry-network scale rather than community level.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/seasistersorg
• Facebookfacebook.com/seasistersorg

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 Sea Sisters