The founder of a boating navigation app has been named the UK's most successful scale-up entrepreneur after his business experienced "huge user growth" this year.
Jelte Liebrand, who established global marine technology company Savvy Navvy in 2017, scooped the accolade at the Great British Entrepreneur Awards 2022. The businessman, who refers to his company as the "Google Maps for boats", said the app had almost doubled its users in more than 100 countries around the world in the last 12 months.
The company, which has also added functionalities for paddleboarders, kayakers and jet skiers, said it had seen particular growth in the US, Australia, Mediterranean and Scandinavia in particular.
“It was such a surprise to win ‘Scale-Up Entrepreneur of the Year’ out of so many amazing business leaders across the country," said Mr Liebrand. "Standing on stage at the awards ceremony in front of 1,400 people, I felt especially proud being one of the only entrepreneurs flying the flag for marine industry, which we continue to innovate."
Savvy Navvy employs 14 staff at its offices in Bournemouth, with the company "more than doubling" turnover in 2022.
“Over the past five years we have worked hard to constantly develop our app with unique and user-friendly features based on feedback from users, to fulfil our vision to get more people out on the water," added Mr Liebrand.
The Great British Entrepreneur Awards, held in partnership with Starling Bank, recognised the hard work and uplifting stories of business owners across the UK.
“Savvy Navvy is an innovative and dynamic business which is growing and has a global presence. The business brings an excellent solution to a clear problem. A fantastic story,” said Ying Tan, non-executive chair of Knowledge Bank and one of the Great British Entrepreneur Award 2022 judges.
In August, Savvy Navvy agreed a major deal to work with the world's largest boat rental platform. The agreement saw Zizoo, which has offices in Austria, Germany and Croatia, integrating Savvy Navvy’s technology into its user platforms.
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