David Kneen, director and head of crew employment at Cornerstone Crew Management, joins the Ben Taylor Podcast to discuss why professional crew management is far more than payroll. The conversation explores superyacht crew employment, HR support, contracts, SEAs, travel, visas, insurance, repatriation, crew welfare, and the risks owners face when employment decisions are handled incorrectly. David explains why captains need specialist support, how independent crew management protects owners and crew, and why strong HR processes can improve retention, reduce operational risk, and create a better onboard culture. For yacht owners, captains, managers, and family offices, this episode highlights the commercial cost of getting crew operations wrong.

Key Points:
- Crew management is not just payroll.
- Poor HR decisions create serious owner risk.
- Happy crew improves the owner experience.

Tytti Sirola, CEO and co-founder of Bluet Floating Solutions, joins the Founder Podcast Series to discuss how floating infrastructure can help marinas, waterfront developers, hospitality operators, and coastal cities solve one of their biggest constraints: lack of land. The conversation explores floating pools, spas, saunas, beach clubs, event platforms, utilities, crew facilities, and wellness-led marina development. Tytti also explains why floating construction requires serious engineering, how permitting and stakeholder education shape each project, and why modular floating solutions can create long-term commercial value without the environmental impact of fixed or piled structures. Bluet is a Finnish company specialising in floating construction solutions, founded in 2016 and led by Tytti Sirola and Kimmo Saharinen.

This Founder Podcast Series is produced in collaboration with Yachting Ventures and Marine Industry News. Thank you to @Hill Robinson for hosting us onboard M/Y SHEERGOLD.

Key Points:

• Floating infrastructure solves marina land constraints.
• Wellness amenities can transform waterfront commercial value.
• Quality engineering defines long-term floating performance.

David Rose, founder of LOOKOUT, joins the Founder Podcast Series to discuss how AI, computer vision, augmented reality, and sensor fusion could transform marine navigation and collision avoidance. The conversation explores why boats have lagged behind cars in safety technology, how LOOKOUT detects vessels, debris, swimmers, whales, and other hazards, and why the future helm experience may feel more like Tesla-style software than traditional marine electronics. David also shares lessons from building partnerships with trusted marine brands, integrating with existing onboard systems, and using AI to make boating safer, clearer, and more intuitive. LOOKOUT develops AI-powered marine vision technology for hazard detection and situational awareness.

This Founder Podcast Series is produced in collaboration with Yachting Ventures and Marine Industry News.

Thank you to Boatsters Black for hosting us onboard the beautiful M/Y ON TIME for this series.

Key Points:
- LOOKOUT brings AI vision to marine safety.
- Sensor fusion could redefine helm decision-making.
- Brand partnerships accelerate marine technology adoption.