DeCurtis Corporation, one of the cruise industry’s leading behind-the-scenes software providers in safety, location and proximity solutions, has received a majority strategic growth investment from Los Angeles-based Shamrock Capital.
“They have a stellar, leading technology software suite in a growing and addressable market,” said Andy Howard, partner at Shamrock Capital, which has approximately $1.5 billion of assets under management, investing exclusively in the media, entertainment, and communications sectors.
With a growing cruise industry and need for advanced software and location tracking solutions, Howard said DeCurtis was at a key inflection point and that the company’s management team was what really attracted Shamrock to the table.
Negotiations started late in the fourth quarter of 2018 and closed earlier this month.
DeCurtis’ software solution has many applications, Howard said, and with a challenging infrastructure environment in the cruise industry, those solutions can now be applied to a diverse set of industries ranging from hospitals to hotels and restaurants.
“We look at the cruise environment as an opportunity to get it right in one of the toughest possible (environments) that exists,” said Derek Fournier, president, DeCurtis.
Fournier said the experience platform was taking off in the cruise space, meaning more demand for the company, and a new partner would accelerate development and growth.
“The marketplace is clamoring for the solutions we are providing,” he told Cruise Industry News.
Among recent deals, DeCurtis is providing e-Mustering software to Crystal Cruises. Last May, it signed a major contract with Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings to develop the company’s fleetwide new technology platform, based on the company’s end-to-end, enterprise grade software solution that enables location and proximity-based services.
“In May 2018, we partnered with DeCurtis Corporation and launched Cruise Freedom, our technology platform aimed at enhancing the guest experience from booking to disembarkation,” said Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, in a prepared statement. “While personal interaction will never be replaced with technology, the seasoned professionals at DeCurtis have provided us with a software solution that will empower our team to provide guests with seamless and unforgettable vacation experiences.”
Other key solutions include activity and voyage reservations, free-flow embarkation and disembarkation modules, e-mustering, food & beverage reservations and ordering, table management, wayfinding, cabin and housekeeping notifications, kid activity and safety solutions.
DeCurtis Corporation has approximately 170 employees with offices and presence located in Orlando, FL; Miami, FL; Raleigh, NC; Dallas, TX; and Bangalore and Jaipur, India.
