OUR VISION
Vision in motion
The new era of big data
Vantage is a cutting-edge, app-based platform designed for ambitious competitive sailors. Our mission is to empower sailors with advanced performance analytics, comprehensive tracking tools, and actionable insights to elevate their game on the water. Vantage stands as an essential companion for those striving to push their limits and achieve peak performance.
Core Team
Founder & CEO
Nicolai Jacobsen
Nicolai is a competitive sailor and Data Science student at Northeastern University. He has a strong passion for data, technology and sailing, which led him to create Vantage. Nicolai is also an accomplished Moth sailor, currently holding the title of European Champion in the class.
CFO
Henrik Haaland
Henrik is an ocean sailor and M.S. student in Industrial Economics and Technology Management at NTNU. He brings experience in managing operations and overseeing financial strategies at Vantage, while also contributing to the development of Vantage.
Product Manager
Victoria Schultheis
Victoria is a competitive sailor with a background in high-performance classes, including 49erFX, Waszp and Switch. She is studying Computational Business Analytics at the Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. At Vantage she is combining her sailing experience and practical approach to data, by focusing on developing meaningful use cases and aligning product features with the real needs of sailors.
Research & Development
Emanuele Collia
Emanuele is a student and competitive 420 sailor with experience as a data analyst and software engineer for the Italian Olympic 470 national team. His research on topological methods for modeling turbulence in hydrofoils of AC75 and AC40 boats earned him a prize-winning paper at Cambridge University. At Vantage, he explores innovative strategies to enhance data analysis, grounding his work in his mathematical expertise.
Marketing
Julia Jacobsen
Julia is a competitive sailor competing in the Olympic 470 class. She is also a student at King's College London. At Vantage, Julia manages all aspects of our social media presence and marketing campaigns.
Board of advisors
Vantage is backed by an industry-leading board of advisors, ensuring the company makes well-informed and strategic decisions.
Advisor of science
Olav Aleksander Bu
Olav Aleksander Bu is an internationally renowned high-performance coach and sports scientist. He is best known for coaching arguably the two greatest triathletes in the world, the Olympic, WTCS, Ironman and Ironman 70.3 world champion, Kristian Blummenfelt and the two-time Ironman 70.3 and Ironman world champion, Gustav Iden. Additionally, Olav also supports the Norwegian Olympic Sailing team and consults for multiple world tour cycling and elite track and field teams. Olav is also co-founder of the companies Santara Tech and Entalpi.
Advisor of strategy
Knut Frostad
Knut Frostad is a former professional sailor, racing in the Volvo Ocean Race and the 1992 Olympics. After retiring from professional sailing, Knut established and led multiple professional sailing teams, before eventually becoming the CEO of the Volvo Ocean Race (now renamed as the Ocean Race), the world’s most prestigious offshore race around the world. In 2019, he became president of Navico, a global leader in marine technology and navigation software and majority owner of B&G. As of early 2024, Knut is now the executive chairman of Henri Lloyd.
Advisor of strategy
Rune Jacobsen
Rune is a former professional sailor, competing at the 1992 Olympics in the Soling class. After his retirement from professional sailing, he has worked in BCG as a managing director and senior partner, specializing in consumer retail.
Representative of the Norwegian Sailing Team
Eirik Verås Larsen
Eirik is a former professional sprint kayaker and one of the greatest Norwegian summer olympians in recent history, winning 4 medals, including two golds, from 2004-2012. Eirik has since served as the director of sports in the Norwegian Kayak Federation until 2021, after which he took up the same position in the Norwegian Sailing Team.
Advisor of strategy and sport
Russell Coutts
Russell Coutts is a New Zealand sailor and five-time America's Cup winner, also earning Olympic gold in 1984. He has won multiple World Championships and is known for his innovation in competitive sailing. Coutts now leads SailGP, focusing on advancing the sport through technology and talent development.
Powerful analytics at your fingertips.
Your advantage.
NEWS
Vantage in the press
