Will Ellison
WHAT I DO
Product strategy, scope and architecture. Products defined and shipped across data analytics, AI applications and consumer tech.
Full tech builds, using agentic AI engineering. Software taken from idea to prototype to production in rapid time.
Commercial strategy and partnerships. Products taken from zero to hundreds of thousands of users and seven-figure annual revenue.
SELECTED WORK
Co-founder · 2023 — Present
Cruise tracking app with live AIS and ten years of historical voyages. Bookings, merchandise and custom map partnerships with major cruise lines.
Led product strategy and technology development from inception to Series A.
built with next.js · fastapi · supabase · aws · stripe
Fractional CPO · 2026 — Present
AI assistant for technical experts writing field reports: gathers and triages unstructured evidence and drafts cited reports where every claim traces back to source. Starting in maritime surveying.
Advising on early-stage product discovery and strategy, and leading the initial tech build.
built with next.js · express · supabase · aws · claude api
Consultant · 2026 — Present
AI-led ship-broking platform for the workboat sector. Connecting charterers with operators in a market that still runs on email.
End-to-end product definition, strategy and first build.
built with next.js · express · supabase · aws · claude api
Co-founder · 2020 — 2023
Data-powered logbook for commercial seafarers. Used AIS analytics to turn sea time into verifiable experience metrics for crewing.
Led the business from zero to launch, building the product, and developing relationships across the shipping industry.
Community project · 2026 — Present
Tide and weather dashboard for a Norfolk harbour where activity and access are dictated by the tide. Flood windows and harbour states from a tidal curve fitted to real observations. Detailed UI gives the day at a glance.
Designed and built solo — data sourcing, tide model and interface.
built with vanilla js · python · cloudflare pages
Commercial Director · 2018 — 2020
A global ship and commodity tracking service, providing real-time operational awareness and analytics for the shipping, security and finance sectors.
Led development of a maritime analytics product, quantifying global cargo trade for financial and commodity markets.
Consultant Product Manager · 2023
Marine insurance AI/ML platform. Helping underwriters quantify and manage risk.
Led a project with the data science team to visualise vessel-behaviour risk for underwriters.
Product & Project Lead · 2020 — 2021
3D digital parts catalogue for the manufacturing sector, incorporating predictive analytics to minimise operational downtime.
Product strategy and management of Innovate UK predictive-maintenance grant data science project.
Product co-lead · 2014 — 2018
Navigation reconstructions and data visualisations for casualty investigations, used in hundreds of high-profile shipping incidents.
Joined the consultancy as its first employee and co-led development of the product from there.
MARITIME · TECHNOLOGY · DATA
ABOUT
I'm a business builder with a naval architecture background, based between Norfolk and London. I read Ship Science at Southampton and started in P&I underwriting in London and Singapore, before spending five years on shipping casualties at Solis Marine Consultants. From there I joined MariTrace as commercial director, building a global ship-tracking product sold into JP Morgan, Trafigura and Bloomberg.
In 2023 I co-founded The Cruise Globe and led product strategy and technology development from inception to a Series A led by one of the world's largest travel agency groups. The app now has over 150,000 users. I've since stepped back, with my co-founder taking the reins, and returned to consulting on product and business strategy for maritime founders, operators and technology companies.
I'm a highly experienced product lead, and I now use that experience to build directly using an agentic AI approach to engineering that makes prototyping and getting to market far faster.
GET IN TOUCH
The easiest way to reach me is LinkedIn.
LINKEDIN
