Maritime start-ups get matched with industry players

(l-r) Daniel Ng, CEO of start-up CyberOwl, with Steffen Knodt, Director of New Ventures at Wärtsilä

Maritime venture development firm Rainmaking has matched five established industry players with eight start-ups as part of its Trade & Transport Impact Programme, to work together on 13 separate projects with the aim of accelerating innovation in the sector.

Cargotec, HHLA, Inmarsat, Shell, and Wärtsilä have been paired up with start-up teams from eight different countries, with specialties ranging from port and cyber security to energy optimisation and crew welfare.

“There is growing recognition that the maritime industry needs to innovate, and fast. As appetite for fresh thinking, insight, and technology swells, bringing together established maritime leaders with technology start-ups is what’s needed to deliver genuine business results quickly,” said Nicklas Viby Fursund, Partner, Rainmaking.

“With our current partners Cargotec, HHLA, Inmarsat, Shell, and Wärtsilä, we’re already seeing tangible benefits emerging from the programme. It’s exciting to see the genuine impact quality tech start-ups with high engagement and energy levels can make, helping to solve the problems the corporates are facing and adding value to operations.”

The third cycle of the programme begins in Q1 2020, at which point more organisations will be able to join. Rainmaking is also concurrently launching a decarbonisation programme in Singapore, which specifically focuses on start-ups with projects that support the transition to a zero carbon future for shipping.

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Rob O'Dwyer
Rob O'Dwyer

Rob is Chief Network Officer and one of the founders of Smart Maritime Network. He also serves as Chairman of the Smart Maritime Council. Rob has worked in the maritime technology sector since 2005, managing editorial for a range of leading publications in the transport and logistics sector. Get in touch by email by clicking here, or on LinkedIn by clicking here.

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