The Startup that Puts You on Board

BLUEWAGO, FOUNDED BY NICOLA DAVANZO, ALLOWS YOU TO RESERVE A BOAT, OR A CABIN ON A BOAT, WITH A CLICK. A SIMPLE IDEA, BUT ORIGINAL ENOUGH TO WIN A PRIZE FOR INNOVATION

Booking a flight, a hotel room or a vacation home is easy. But booking a boat or a boating excursion? It’s much more difficult. At least it was until Nicola Davanzo, a student in the Master in Economia del Turismo at Bocconi, created Bluewago. The portal organizes boating trips, mostly in the Mediterranean, with the option of renting just one room, like a cruise.

“I’m very familiar with the sailing sector, after working in the press office at Mascalzone Latino and Luna Rossa, working with the America’s Cup,” explains Nicola, “and in 2013 I decided to dive into this adventure. I was diving into the unknown.” Thanks to funding from entrepreneurs from the Veneto region and the contribution of Bocconi student and partner, Tommaso Zoppas, Bluewago is now a real tour operator, with a permanent team of 12 people. “We didn’t invent anything,” says Nicola, “we just created a mechanism that allows customers to access a boat or other related services. And 65% of our customers don’t have nautical experience.”

The startup has been so successful that in February it received “the top award for innovation in the tourism category,” a very important honor established by the Italian government in 2008 and dedicated to innovative, made in Italy ideas.

by Davide Ripamonti
Translated by Jenna Walker