Why This Entrepreneur’s Vision for Philadelphia’s Waterfront Is Game Changing — digitalundivided

Georgette Luna is, perhaps, the only young woman of Latina descent to own and charter a boat on the Delaware River in Philadelphia. She might even be one of a handful of women in the country to own a river-boat-based company.

Luna founded Sea Philly Philadelphia’s first intimate private picnic boat available for charter. Like many of you, Georgette also questioned being a founder in a space she didn’t have insider knowledge of.

“I think that what helps me get through those bouts of impostor syndrome is when I’m authentic and honest about my vision and the potential that I see for a city that has given me so much,” she explains. “This is my city, and I want to see it shine. I want to see all the beautiful opportunities that it could have as a destination waterfront city and also that it can provide for communities that deeply need well-paying jobs and opportunities.”

Take a deep dive into this week’s Founder Feature to learn more about how this river fairing entrepreneur came into her profession, her vision for Philadelphia’s future, and how digitalundivided’s Breakthrough program gave her a community to tackle her imposter syndrome.

digitalundivided: What is your founder’s origin story? What inspired you to create your company?

Georgette Luna, Sea Philly: My founder story builds off a choice my husband and I made to live thoughtfully and intentionally.

My parents immigrated to the US in the 80s from Chile, and I grew up in a middle to low-income family in Queens, New York. I’m very much a city girl. I did not grow up with boats or access to any lifestyle associated with vessels. Then, I went head over heels for a Southern boy who grew up fishing, boating, hunting, the whole nine. He was the one who introduced me to boating, and honestly, not a day goes by that I don’t feel so grateful for it.

In 2018, we were looking for more apartment space. He jokingly said, “What about a sailboat?” I said, “The only thing I know about boats is that they’re actively trying to sink. So if you can manage (preventing) that, I’m in.”

I always share that story because it’s such a precipice for how we found ourselves on the Delaware River and what brought us to building Sea Philly. We’d wake up in the morning, sit in our cockpit, have coffee, and watch the sunrise. On weekends, we’d invite friends out onto the river with us. These were people who were born and raised in Philadelphia. Undoubtedly, everyone would share how much they had never been on the waterfront. Everyone said, “Enough; you guys must start a business with this. This is amazing.”

At the time, I was with a private equity firm, and they transitioned my role, so I wasn’t happy. I left, and I was looking for another job opportunity and wasn’t finding anything on the market that I was enjoying. I looked at my husband and said, “Hey, I think I’d like to make a business out of this boat.” That’s how Sea Philly was born.

digitalundivided: What has been the biggest struggle you’ve had to overcome while building your business?

Georgette Luna, Sea Philly: The city has been disconnected from its waterfront for decades. There’s just no connection to our waterfront in this city, which is wild because it’s a city that’s essentially a peninsula, right? It has two significant waterfronts that are also incredibly historic to the United States. When you think about the US, these are the foundational grounds of where everything happened.

There are a couple of things that have played into all of this. One major factor is I-95. When built, I-95 just cut off the city from its waterfront. All you have are these small narrow pathways that don’t really seem inviting to getting people down to the waterfront. They are breaking ground on the cutting off of I-95 — that will be a huge success for people to get from the old city directly to the waterfront by walking through a gorgeous lush Green Parkway. That’s coming down the pipeline, but it’s a 20-year vision.

One of the other more significant challenges, specifically concerning the city and nonprofits I interact with, is this pushback on growing a maritime market and Philadelphia. I think the pushback also comes from the concept that they identify boating with the rich and the white. I’m looking at this, and there’s such an opportunity to create equitable and sustainable well-paying careers on the waterfront if we built a waterfront based around tourism.

digitalundivided: How did participating in digitalundivided’s founder program help you navigate your founder journey?

Georgette Luna, Sea Philly: The program gave me such a profound sense of community and this ability to have women that knew and understood the challenges I was facing. Before the program, I felt overwhelmed by the idea of just an imposter syndrome. It boils down to this idea that, like, who am I? What right do I have to be in a boating industry I’m so new to and know nothing about? I’m learning as I go. Being in these virtual rooms with this community to say, “Your journey is valid, and you’re doing great,” gave me a sense of belonging and deep love.

digitalundivided: How have you navigated the path of imposter syndrome, and what has that journey looked like for you?

Georgette Luna, Sea Philly: I am still on the journey. It is a process. It takes a lot to push that down, overcome, and self-talk. I mean, this has not been passed down to me, as is so typical when you speak to people in the boating communities. It is definitely something like, your grandfather had a boat, and then you know, your brother was out on the boat, or something in this way of lineage. There’s also the gender aspect. I’m a woman and a woman of color, too, in a male-dominated industry. I can safely say that within our region, I am the youngest Latina woman to be a boat charter owner within this region. Having a space that digitalundivided provided was so needed for me and so beautiful because it just made me feel a level of comfort that I was starting to feel uncomfortable. Someday, I want to inspire someone in my position to come in and know that, like, you know, don’t feel that imposter syndrome, push that little voice down and tell it to hit the road, and you know. However, I have to be honest, I’m still figuring that out and having the ability to find that space for myself.

digitalundivided: What advice do you have for other entrepreneurs on their journey?

Georgette Luna, Sea Philly: My number one advice is to be true to yourself; be genuine, find that purpose, and staple it as your North Star. There’s so much to be said when you walk a path with purpose and when you walk a path with intent. When you wake up in the morning loving what you do, that drives everything. If you’re starting a business, make sure it feels right.

Are you an Oakland-based, early-stage founder looking to better understand your customer, grow marketing strategies, and gain networking opportunities to scale your venture? Apply to digitalundivided’s BREAKTHROUGH Oakland program today! Each company accepted into the program will receive a $5,000 grant — applications close May 21st.

[Editors note]: This interview has been lightly edited from its original transcription.