When you were younger, what did you want to be?
As a child, I dreamed of becoming an elephant. While this might sound unusual, my grandmother loves to remind me of the times I dressed up in her grey cardigan and charged around the house, trumpeting at the house plants.
Fast forward 30 years, and I’m now a business owner and (reluctant) CEO. In just three years, PsyFyi has grown into a thriving company that collaborates with major players in the maritime industry.
I never imagined myself as a business owner. I associated business with the magical world of Silicon Valley giants like Amazon, or with quaint, local enterprises such as independent boutiques in the Lake District or neighbourhood dental practices.
The Why
In 2021, after 13 years in the maritime sector, I took the plunge and founded PsyFyi, a groundbreaking maritime data collection company. I had spent over a decade in chartering, which essentially is asset management, where the goal is to match the most profitable cargo with the most suitable vessel, maximising company profits. However, this focus on profit often overshadowed the gruelling reality faced by the 1.7 million seafarers who work up to 98 hours a week, seven days a week, for six to eight months at a time.
In my quest to become an elephant, I couldn't ignore the "elephant in the room": the stark disparity between shore staff and seafarers. Initially, PsyFyi focused on reactive care, but we soon realised that proactive care would revolutionise the industry and provide the most value to all stakeholders, especially the seafarers.
The How
Developing SeaQ took 8-12 months, involving both the physical system and the testing of questions and delivery methods to the seafarers. I struck gold twice, the first being finding our CTO Alexis Houssemand, who I’m sure sees everything in 4D and thinks in binary. His expertise was crucial to our success.
The second was securing two significant contracts, which allowed us to test SeaQ in real-world environments and make necessary adjustments swiftly. This not only validated our concept but also provided crucial revenue, vital for a startup.
The Why Now
I believe data has the power to transform the maritime industry. Unbiased data can enhance protections for seafarers, increase profits, drive improvements, and make the industry an attractive place to work.
Human element data is the missing piece in maritime. Understanding how seafarers operate daily, the disconnect between ship and shore, and the role seafarers play in business success is crucial. With data, we can map the impact of their environment, ensure they work safely and efficiently, and provide anonymous feedback to organizations.
The What Next?
Our team of nine is driven and passionate. It’s an exciting time: We’re financially independent, we have no ties to accelerators and no hidden shareholders with tendrils in other pies.
Our next goal is to drive change through regulatory and legislative channels. We aim to secure a seat at the International Maritime Organization (IMO). While challenging, we believe our data's value can be leveraged by like-minded companies to foster significant industry betterment and show commercial, operational and increased safety improvements. In the short term; this adds significant value to their organisation by helping them to make decisions backed by data. In the long term, it makes their organisation sustainable and responsible across their business streams; with the seafarers being at the heart of this.
If you want to join the (elephant) herd, get in touch!
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