Tag: Maison Sport

Maison Sport announces £442,000 investment to fuel further growth

Maison Sport, the Edinburgh-based market leading independent ski and snowboard instructor provider, has announced it has raised a further £442,000 in funding as it targets 300% growth in 2022. This is in addition to the £1.3M that was announced early last year.  

Founded in 2015 by ski instructors Aaron Tipping, Nick Robinson and Olly Robinson, Maison Sport has experienced “unprecedented demand” following the relaxing of restrictions and forecasts it will grow overall revenue by 300% this season.  

The latest phase of successful crowdfunding by the UK-based company will strengthen its position as it reaches new customer markets across Europe, with skiers in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Italy all using the platform in increasing numbers.

Maison Sport has also recently expanded its service to the SnowWorld Landgraaf, an indoor slope in the Netherlands, as well as to new audiences in the Czech Republic, Bosnia and Montenegro.  

Maison Sport co-founder Nick Robinson said: “The end of the winter season alongside restrictions being removed has led to unprecedented demand, with Maison Sport instructors being snapped up at breakneck speed.

“This latest funding phase means we can continue to provide a world-class customer experience for skiers across Europe, from the point of first engaging with our platform right through to enjoying lessons on the slopes.  

“The year ahead will see a number of enhancements to our customer and instructor offering such as a new instructor app, giving them additional capabilities such as a “calendar sync”, which enables them to autoupdate their Maison Sport availability. We have also moved all instructors to instant book, meaning bookings are confirmed immediately rather than customers having to wait up to 36 hours for instructors to accept a booking.  

“It’s truly fantastic to be in this position in early 2022 and to emerge from all the challenges of the last two years with genuine confidence. Thanks to this latest round of funding, Maison Sport is well positioned to continue to deliver industry-best experiences for skiers and instructors and widen the availability of our service including in new European territories.” 

For more information or to book your ski or snowboard instructor visit: 

www.maisonsport.com 

New Covid testing regulations sees bookings surge for Maison Sport

Ski instructor marketplace calls for clearer plans for the travel industry with regards to how future variants are managed   

Ski instructor marketplace, Maison Sport has reported a 100% increase in bookings overnight since the latest announcement that rules on testing are to be eased for people travelling to the UK, following numerous pleas from the travel industry, who are amongst those hit hardest amidst the pandemic. 

Commenting on the new guidelines, Nick Robinson, Founder and CEO of Maison Sport said: “This is brilliant news for the industry and we expect to see ski lesson availability snapped up for the busy month of February over the coming days.

“This is typically our busiest month of the season so it’s great to see things ramp up again so quickly – this is just the news we have been waiting for. Not only is it brilliant news for those travelling but it will also provide a welcome boost to all of our ski instructors” 

Maison Sport has proven to be a game-changer for independent ski and snowboard instructors who can significantly increase their earnings using the platform. The marketplace has surpassed 34,000 hours of lessons taught in 364 ski resorts across Europe. 

Nick Robinson comments: “The old rules were perhaps in place for 2 to 3 weeks more than they needed to be based on the fact that they were implemented mainly to slow the spread of Omicron, but Omicron was dominant in the UK from the 17th of December or earlier so it’s clear that rules were causing more harm than good to certain industries.

“It’s really important that moving forward there is a clearer plan for the travel industry with regards to how we deal with new variants in the future.” 

Founded in 2016 by former ski champion brothers Nick and Olly Robinson and fellow ex-British Ski Team member Aaron Tipping, Maison Sport now boasts the third-largest selection of instructors in comparison to any ski school in the world.

With its innovative platform continuing to grow, overcoming the significant challenges facing the global travel industry, the company plans further expansion into Asia and South America over the course of 2022.

For more information visit www.maisonsport.com 

Maison Sport reports 200% growth in customer base

  • Huge boost for UK travel tech business indicates increasing consumer confidence 
  • Business announces plans to target Italian ski tourism market 

Ski instructor marketplace, Maison Sport has reported a 200 per cent rise in customers compared to previous seasons, raising confidence that ski tourism is set for a strong recovery despite recent covid developments. 

The Edinburgh-based company, founded by three ex-British ski team members which connects its customers directly with the best independent ski and snowboard instructors, has also announced plans to target the Italian market for the first time.  

Maison Sport says it is currently averaging £100k a week of new bookings, up from its pre-pandemic level of £30k a week at the same time in 2019. The company has also doubled the number of instructors on its books compared to the 2019/2020 season to 1300 and has reported a 30 per cent rise in customer spending for this time of year, all pointing to growing post-Covid confidence in the recovery of the European ski tourism market.  

This latest news follows Maison Sport’s successful fundraise in May where the company secured £1.25million in external investment from both individual investors and a crowdfunding campaign.     

Founded in 2016 by former ski champion brothers Nick and Olly Robinson and fellow ex-British Ski Team member Aaron Tipping, the company now boasts the third largest selection of instructors in comparison to any ski school in the world.  

Over the past year, Maison Sport grew its team to 20 people and also opened a new, larger head office in Edinburgh. With its innovative platform continuing to grow, overcoming the significant challenges facing the global travel industry, the company plans further expansion into Asia and South America over the course of 2022.  

Maison Sport has proven to be a game changer for independent ski and snowboard instructors who can significantly increase their earnings using the platform. The marketplace has surpassed 34,000 hours of lessons taught in 364 ski resorts across Europe.  

Founder and CEO, Nick Robinson said: “The significant growth in our customer numbers underline both the success in developing our business model and the rising consumer confidence in the resurgence of the ski tourism market.

“Even though the recent identification of the new Omicron variant may disrupt some travel plans people are obviously keen to get back on the slopes and our instructors are ready and waiting. 

“Despite the difficulties posed by Covid-19, this latest development follows a pivotal year for the business where we secured significant investment, grew our base of instructors, and entered new markets.     

“This progress continues with our expansion into Italy, where we’re already seeing impressive numbers of customers signing up to our platform. Italian customers, who’ve have typically had to book ski or snowboard lessons last minute, are now benefitting from our platform which allows them to source the best instructors and book them in advance of their ski holiday.”  

Edinburgh’s Maison Sport secures Future Fund investment

Game-changing ski instructor platform Maison Sport is among only a handful of travel businesses to secure finance from the UK Government’s Future Fund.

The trio behind the innovative tech start-up, which connects skiers and snowboarders with some of Europe’s best instructors, set out to apply for the funding support in May 2020, at the height of the pandemic, when the scheme launched.

With the travel sector hit hard by the impacts of Covid-19, Maison Sport felt the effects of closures at countless resorts across Europe and ski holidays cancelled for many.  The funding has given the tech start-up a much-needed financial boost, allowing the platform to continue to support independent instructors across Europe.

The Future Fund – developed by government and delivered by the British Business Bank – was established to support the UK’s innovative businesses affected by Covid-19. It was created for businesses unable to access other government business support programmes, due to being pre-revenue or pre-profit and typically reliant on equity investment. 

With a third-party investor willing to support the growth and ambitions of Maison Sport, the trio of founders were able to apply for the convertible loan which saw the government match their investor funds.

It is the latest success in Maison Sport’s fundraising drive to ensure the business survives and thrives through the pandemic.  

Over the past six months, the business has secured further funds from their existing advisory board members Kevin Byrne, Founder of Checkatrade.com and serial entrepreneur Lorenz Bogaert, as well as new investor, Gareth Williams, Co-Founder of Skyscanner. This will enable Maison Sport’s expansion into new markets globally and will help to grow their impressive international portfolio of instructors and customers.

Started by three former ski champions – brothers Nick and Olly Robinson and Aaron Tipping – Maison Sport has more than doubled the number of instructors in its marketplace throughout the pandemic. It is currently represented in more than 350 resorts, with over 1,200 qualified instructors across France, Switzerland, Italy and Austria.

The aim now is to expand into four new markets this year – Scotland, Norway, Sweden and Japan – with plans to move into Asia and South America next year.

Founder and CEO Nick Robinson says: “We’ve worked so hard to remain positive and ambitious over this past year or so. The Future Fund initiative has really given us a boost to move on to the next level.

“As the only platform dedicated to independent instructors, we’re really optimistic about the way Maison Sport is evolving and we’re looking forward to spreading our vision globally.”

Future Fund, delivered by the British Business Bank, has allowed companies to apply for a convertible loan with private investors at least matching the government investment. 

For more information visit www.maisonsport.com

Edinburgh entrepreneur’s ski start-up gets set for global growth

Ski instructor marketplace aims to raise £400,000 in second crowdfunding campaign, to complete £1.4M raise

Tech start-up Maison Sport – founded by a trio of former members of the British Ski Team, including Edinburgh-based CEO Nick Robinson – has launched a crowdfunding campaign on Seedrs in a bid to raise £400,000 as part of a larger £1.4M raise.

Covid-19 has undoubtedly hit the ski industry hard, but the challenges have accelerated the trio of founders’ determination to make the start-up flourish. 

The funds will allow the independent ski instructor platform to grow, evolve and expand into new countries across the globe.  Having already raised £1m at the end of the summer 2020 from a collective of investors, the additional crowdsourced funds will complete their fundraise, enabling the three co-founders to take the marketplace global.

Maison Sport was created to connect people with the very best independent and passionate ski and snowboard instructors, reducing costs to the customer, and providing a more profitable practice for instructors, affording them more control over their earnings and teaching schedules.  

Started in 2016, the tech company was founded by three former British ski champions – Edinburgh-based Nick Robinson, CEO and Co-founder and his brother Olly Robinson, COO and Co-founder, and Aaron Tipping, CFO and Co-founder. 

Starting in The Alps, the market leading platform has since grown rapidly to include more than 350 resorts and over 1000 trusted and fully qualified instructors across France, Switzerland, Italy and Austria.  The new round of funding is expected to help the business expand into more than four new areas across the globe over the next six months, including Scotland, Norway, Sweden and Japan.

Co-founder and CEO Nick Robinson, former member of the British Ski Team explains; “Myself and co-founders Olly and Aaron are all passionate ski instructors at heart, which is why it’s so important to us that this business grows but grows in the right way to ensure the best possible experiences for our customers and for our instructors. 

“The funding we’ve secured to date, along with the funds we hope to secure on Seedrs, will give the business the boost it needs to go truly global, and importantly, support independent ski instructors who have been hit hard in the current climate.”

Maison Sport raised £786,000 from a combination of an initial Seedrs crowdfunding campaign in 2018 which exceeded target by 135%, as well as two angel funding rounds in January 2016 and December 2016, which allowed them to launch their innovative concept and facilitated early growth. 

Last year, the founders raised an additional £1 million and have brought serial entrepreneur Lorenz Bogaert on board, to join the company as a non-executive director.  Bogaert joins non-executive chairman Graeme Gunn, and an impressive advisory board including some well-known fund managers and Kevin Byrne, Founder of Checkatrade.com.

Early funding also allowed the founders to attract some of the best tech talent to ensure technology remains at the forefront of the business and that the user experience for both the customer and instructor is accessible, fast and seamless. Over the course of the past 6 months, the business has gone from 7 employees to 15 and expects to grow to 21 once further funding is secured.

As the only platform dedicated to independent instructors, Maison Sport has proven to be a game changer for ski and snowboard instructors who can significantly increase their earnings using the platform.

The marketplace has recently surpassed 20,000 hours of lessons taught and prides itself on the site’s 3,100+ individual instructor reviews left by over 70% of customers, placed on instructor’s profile after their lessons, over 90% of which are rated 5 stars.

For more information visit www.maisonsport.com