Our path to proven and patented

Earlier this month, MarkSetBot hit two big milestones.  We exceeded 8,000 Bot days on the water.  And we further etched our position with our international patent on race course automation tools!  As we reflect on our progress over the last seven years, the word “proven” best describes MarkSetBot today.

So what does proven mean to us?

Field-tested, trusted (earned through experience) and established.

Our journey started back in 2014 with our robotic buoy prototype.  We tinkered and tweaked and rolled out the first models to a beta test in 2017.  Fast forward to 2021, MarkSetBot is trusted by clubs and organizations worldwide and on track to reach 10,000 Bot Days this year.

In that time, we’ve seen a lot of conditions and use cases.  And it’s one of our biggest points of product confidence — we know the MarkSetBot buoys are going to perform in your scenario because we’ve been there and done that. MarkSetBot is used around the world at all levels of events, from local weekday racing to world championship regattas.  We’re even developing a new, super-sized mark for the SailGP F50 racecourse!

Early on, we spent our time mastering the art of holding position without anchors.  Then we moved to ensuring the technology is easy to use and reliable in any situation. Lately, we’ve focused on integrations with other cool race committee tech.  Along the way, we’ve also built out hundreds of feature requests for customers, embracing our community and their big ideas.

Now seven years in, what started as a one-man show has blossomed.  We’ve built a team of ten (and growing!) to support the product, serve our customers, and continue to innovate and grow.  Our international dealer network also is growing up, now in eight countries on four continents.

Did you know MarkSetBot is patented?

Innovation is at the core of MarkSetBot.  We’ve pioneered a new race management market—from anchorless robotic marks to a full suite of race management technology.

Our technology is protected through multiple patents.  Back in 2018, we were awarded two patents for our autonomous mark.  Our latest patent is focused on our race management suite, RaceOS.

Being patented was important to us because we’re very proud of the work and time that we’ve invested in first conceptualizing the idea and prototyping, but then making the big leap to mass-production and distribution.  As we created this brand new market, it became important to protect our intellectual property.  In addition to the rights and protections that it gives us, it’s a nice recognition of our work.

MarkSetBot is a team of trailblazers and creators.  We’re always pushing forward, always improving, and we’ll continue to look for new ways to advance what’s possible in race course management.