Find out more about the passionate team of sailors and computer scientists that are the brains behind Savvy Navvy.
Jelte nam in 2014 deel aan de Clipper Round the World zeilrace aan boord van Jamaica. Hij had veel zeilervaring, maar racen van San Francisco naar New York was heel wat anders dan alles wat hij eerder had gedaan. Terwijl hij duizenden mijlen uit de kust zeilde, leerde hij hoe moeilijk navigatie kan zijn. Kaarten bijwerken, weersvoorspellingen downloaden, de snelheid van de boot voorspellen, rukwinden van meer dan 50 knopen vermijden; het kostte allemaal uren en uren benedendeks, koersen uitzetten op een computer terwijl je met een helling van 45 graden moest blijven hangen. Jelte raakte ervan overtuigd dat er een makkelijkere manier moest zijn.
He spent two years researching and building the foundation for Savvy Navvy and in July 2017 he left his job at Google to get his vision of easy, safe navigation out to every sailor on the water. The rest they say is history!
Kevin en Jelte kennen elkaar al 18 jaar, toen ze samen voor Symbian werkten aan het mobiele besturingssysteem van de (toenmalige) toekomst.
Having travelled the world for work and pleasure and worked in many industries for large companies, Kevin realised that what he really likes is working in small teams where he can be really hands-on and make a meaningful contribution. So when Jelte explained his vision for Savvy Navvy and how the app would disrupt the sailing tech world, Kevin jumped onboard immediately.
Hij heeft ruime zakelijke ervaring in verschillende sectoren, waaronder energie, chemie, hardware en software. Hij geniet vooral van de interactie met klanten van vele landen, het oplossen van nieuwe problemen en het onderhandelen over en beheren van contracten.
In zijn vrije tijd is Kevin amateurfotograaf en drone-piloot. Hij is ook een neofiet zeiler die ernaar uitkijkt om het bedrijfsjacht te testen. We hebben hem nog niet verteld dat we er nog geen hebben.
Alex began her tech journey at Google as part of the engineering team behind Maps and Earth. Post-Google, Alex has steered growth for several tech startups, spanning from edtech to fintech.
With a shockingly terrible sense of direction and thirst for travel and adventure, digital mapping (on land or water) is the #1 piece of technology she truly couldn’t live with out. Based in Colorado, Savvy Navvy expands her water-sport activities beyond mountain lakes and rivers to the open sea.
At Savvy Navvy, Misha combines his two passions - navigation and boating. He’s a map fan, having worked in geoservices at Yandex for 10 years, where he led a popular car navigation app. In 2018, Misha also became a boater and later founded the first and only boat-sharing club in Russia. Misha moved to London in 2022 via a UK Global Talent track. With a dream to bring together his love and experience of mapping, sailing and user-centric design, he now leads product development at Savvy Navvy. And dances the rest of the time.
Bartosz Hejman, based in Warsaw, Poland, is the driving force behind Savvy Navvy's App Development Team. He transitioned from a successful basketball career to become a code genius, showcasing adaptability and determination. Bartosz leads the team in creating a user-friendly and innovative navigation app, combining his sportsmanship spirit with technical expertise. In the heart of Warsaw, he's steering us towards a future of precise and innovative navigation.
Meet David, our super awesome Partnership and Innovation lead!
David has worked on and around the sea pretty much his whole life. Joining the Royal Navy at 16, racing around the world as part of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race then working shore-side on multiple round the world races. David is an RYA Yachtmaster, has sailed over 100,000 miles and is passionate about the water, sailing and seamanship.
David will work closely with the team to grow our network of savvy users and commercial partnerships around the globe to help us grow over the coming years.
Toby Jakes is the financial anchor behind Savvy Navvy, responsible for steering us through the complex waters of budgeting, forecasting, and financial planning. Based between London and Lymington, Toby brings his financial expertise to ensure Savvy Navvy to ensure we reach our goal of making boating safe and fun for everyone. In addition to his financial acumen, Toby is an avid motorboater and music enthusiast, infusing his passion for both into his work and leisure time.
Jesús, based in Spain, is our Flutter Engineer. He combines technical expertise with creativity to craft seamless and visually appealing mobile applications. With Jesús on our team, we're charting a course to deliver outstanding mobile experiences.
Chris begon met zeilen toen hij begin twintig was en besteedde de meeste weekenden aan het racen met jachten langs de oostkust van het Verenigd Koninkrijk vanuit Burnham-On-Crouch. Hij deed zowel aan kustzeilen rond de kannen als aan offshore races op de hele Noordzee. Een verhuizing naar de zuidkust in 2010 heeft hem in staat gesteld zijn passie voor zeilen te verleggen naar zijn werkleven als digitaal-gerichte marketingmanager.
As our Growth Hacker Chris is tasked with the continued growth of the Savvy Navvy community, overseeing our marketing activity with a focus on paid and organic activity.
Als Chris niet aan het zeilen is of op donderdagavond racet in Lymington, fietst hij door het New Forest, zowel on- als off-road, gaat hij paddleboarden, eet hij Welshe taarten en probeert hij te voorkomen dat zijn kinderen het huis overheersen!
Jacco is based in the Netherlands, is Savvy Navvy's new Global Sales Manager. With over a decade of experience at Navionics (Garmin) as the EMEA Sales Manager, Jacco brings extensive expertise in marine navigation sales. Jacco is no stranger to global waters - he learnt to walk on a boat and has been into watersports ever since spending his whole life either surfing or sailing. At Savvy Navvy runs our global distributor network to expand Savvy Navvy beyond the online sales.
With a strong background in routing technology, Surya plays a pivotal role in optimising and streamlining our navigation solutions. As a Routing Engineer, Surya excels in creating efficient and reliable routes for our users.
Surya completed her Bachelor's degree in India and then went on to work for Mercedes Benz R&D as a software engineer she developed her love for algorithms and programming. After completing her Master's degree in computer science in Germany Surya joined RideOS to work on their routing engine. Since then Surya joined Savvy Navvy.
“Although I have zero experience or knowledge of sailing, the task of routing through open seas is a fascinating challenge. I can't ask for a better set of people or a better company to work for.
As someone who enjoys travelling and experiencing different cultures, I can't believe I missed out on sailing so far.”
Andy grew up in a seaside town in Dublin and, having spent his childhood sailing, kayaking and rowing, is passionate about all things related to the water. Prior to joining Savvy Navvy he worked in various marketing and business development roles for technology companies in both Germany and Ireland.
Hij ontmoette Jelte via een netwerk voor Google-alumni en raakte er, na de app nader te hebben bestudeerd, van overtuigd dat hij en het team iets bijzonders op het spoor waren. Na wekenlang aandringen wist hij Jelte ervan te overtuigen hem een baan te geven en de rest, zoals ze zeggen, is geschiedenis.
Our man in Bristol, eagerly awaiting to deal with all the customer support queries and questions. Ivo’s background, experience and multiple languages provide the backbone of our support team helping customers with queries, questions and issues, providing valuable input to the Engineering Team to progress the app’s development.
Ivo discovered the beauty of boating after he joined Savvy Navvy's team. He, his wife and two kids spend their evenings near the coast, but you can always find him available to answer your question, help you with your technical inquiry or just for a chat.
Elena Petru, our Geospatial Data Engineer, is originally from Romania but she now calls Exeter home, trading in the Black Sea for the English Riviera. Elena has a longstanding geomatics background spanning from consultancy with multinational Jacobs and leading UK prop-tech company Landmark.
Elena specialises in harnessing the power of geospatial data to drive innovation and enhance our navigation solutions. As a Geospatial Data Engineer, Elena brings a keen analytical mind to the team. She's adept at transforming complex geographic data into actionable insights, ensuring that our navigation tools are not only accurate but also user-friendly.
“Inherently curious, I've always been drawn to the uncharted. Shifting from land to marine geodata was an exciting transition; the ocean, after all, embodies the ultimate unknown, so I’ve found my niche as a Geospatial Data Engineer at Savvy Navvy maintaining our data pipelines and deriving valuable insights.
In my free time, I'm a globe-trotting adventurer, forever searching for the next thrill and that perfect, elusive beach spot."
Isabel roeide vroeger in de grachten van de Deense hoofdstad Kopenhagen. Sindsdien heeft zij de Deense wateren verruild voor de Solent in het Verenigd Koninkrijk en besteedt zij haar werkzame leven aan het genereren van PR binnen de maritieme industrie.
Isabel promoted the Clipper Round the World in media across the globe during the 2012-2013 race working closely with David. They’ve recently reconnected about various PR opportunities, and she has since joined the Savvy Navvy team, as our PR Manager getting our the Savvy Navvy app in front of journalists and media outlets around the world.
Geboren in Bermuda en opgegroeid in het Caribisch gebied heeft Hannah het grootste deel van haar leven op of in de buurt van boten gewoond! Hannah is een fervent zeiler sinds ze twee jaar oud was en combineert haar talent voor verhalen vertellen met een liefde voor de zee.
"I love working with Savvy Navvy to help shake up the future of marine navigation. The ocean and boats have been a part of my life for longer than I can remember so working every day to make that environment a better place for everyone and to tell the stories of this incredible team and our member is an honour."
In her spare time Hannah loves travelling the world, sailing to new and exciting destinations, surfing and generally living outside with her husband and rescue dog Kiwi. Hannah also claims to be a part time pirate.
Tim and Jelte worked together at Google My Business; the team that helps put businesses on Google Maps. Before that he was the principle designer for YouTube mobile apps. A cartographer by trade, there is nothing that Tim can't turn his design skills too and we hope you like his design touches in the Savvy Navvy app as much as we do.
Hij zeilt al sinds zijn tienerjaren, toen hij in een dinghy leerde zeilen op de Firth of Forth in een windkracht 8. Hij heeft regelmatig gevaren op een betonnen 40ft jacht vanuit Pin Mill, Ipswich en heeft nu zijn eigen zeilkano.
Matt begon in zijn vroege tienerjaren in Noord-Wales met dinghies te zeilen en werd RYA-instructeur voor bijbootjes.
After earning a PhD in physics he wanted to combine his love of sailing and research. Matt is responsible for modelling tidal currents and extracting meaningful data from satellite imagery to enhance the Savvy Navvy experience.
Hij is ook altijd op zoek naar een goede gelegenheid om het water op te gaan, dus als u een bemanning nodig heeft voor uw jacht in Texas, stuur hem dan een berichtje.
Wij staan open om nieuwe spelers aan ons team toe te voegen, als u denkt dat u een toegevoegde waarde kunt zijn voor ons bedrijf, neem dan contact met ons op!