Industry

Deckee announces Board of Directors ahead of upcoming Series A capital raising

Deckee, the boating app and online platform adopted by so many within the boating community has taken another impressive step towards further growth.   Bringing youthful enthusiasm and modern technology to the recreational boating industry, the Deckee team have been instrumental in supporting the promotion of the recreational boating lifestyle and importantly providing another positive channel to promote safe recreational boating.

In a public statement this week Deckee’s management said “Deckee, the operating system for the waterways and the maker of the leading boating safety app, is pleased to announce the appointment of our Board

of Directors, in anticipation of our upcoming Series A capital raising”.

Alex Retzlaff and Chris Deere will be joining the Board as we look to scale the Deckee community globally, invest in platform development and expand our international partner network. The appointments follow the recent announcement that Mark Gainey, Co-Founder and Chairman of Strava, the world’s leading fitness activity app with over 86 million users, had joined the Advisory Board of the company.

“Mike McKiernan and the team at Deckee have built great foundations for this exciting business, in pursuit of a bold vision that will have an enormous impact on the future of the world’s waterways,” says Alex.

“The opportunity for Chris and I to work with an inspiring Founder like Mike to help him realise the full potential of his vision is something we are really eager for. We believe Deckee’s platform has real scalability, attractiveness and potential for significant growth.”

Chris added, “Deckee’s mission to help everyone stay safe and informed on the water is one I am genuinely passionate about, and the company now has the unique solution, leadership and momentum to achieve it. Our upcoming Series A capital raising will help accelerate product development and community growth, and invest in resources that can expand the business into key international markets.”

Alex Retzlaff is a Venture Partner at Black Nova Fund, and has over 10 years experience as a CTO with leading tech implementations, and as a successful founder for 9 years in Business to Business Software as a Service businesses.

He is engrained in the startup ecosystem as a mentor, angel investor and a limited partner. His experience lies in targeting the operational challenges, and crafting a support system that encompasses culture, deal flow, network expansion, strategy and tech support.

Chris is a serial entrepreneur in the telecommunications industry, having founded and exited several businesses over the last 25 years. He formerly served as the Chairman and Director of Infrastructure and Strategy at Countrytell, Director of the National Narrowbank Network, and as CTO and Deputy CEO of Vocus (ASX:VOC). He is also a passionate sailor in his spare time.
Mike says the new board was a significant achievement for Deckee as it shifts into a higher growth phase.

“It is an outstanding accomplishment for Deckee to attract such experienced, high calibre Board members. We are proud of our achievements and grateful for the energy and commitment of both Alex and Chris to join our team to provide guidance in helping Deckee grow to become an international success.”

About Deckee

Deckee (www.deckee.com), is pioneering the global operating system for safer boating, and is the maker of the leading boating safety app.

For governments, maritime agencies and enterprise, Deckee offers modular technology solutions covering community engagement, planning, operations, and optimization, with proven value in fostering safety, improving communications and increasing efficiency. Government agencies partner with Deckee to modernise and advance their waterway safety strategies.

Boating is enjoyed by 200 million people every year, but can be dangerous, stressful and confusing, without access to the right information and guidance. The free Deckee mobile app (iOS, Android and Web) combines official information and alerts from our government partners, with crowdsourced reports, weather conditions and navigation aids and more into one easy-to-use app.