Port Innovation docks once again at VDS

For the second year in a row, VDS will host the Port Entrepreneurship International Congress, the largest international forum on port innovation, organized by Opentop, the innovation hub of the Port of Valencia, backed by Fundación Valenciaport.

The congress will take place on the first day of VDS2024, October 23rd, at the Discovery Stage in the Museum Area. Top executives and port experts will discuss the current challenges and opportunities in the logistics sector, focusing on entrepreneurship and innovation.

Through presentations and panel discussions, the forum will highlight successful innovation experiences and showcase how startups are providing disruptive solutions for the sector.

The event will kick off with a welcome address by Mar Chao, President of the Valencia Port Authority. The Port Innovators Network (PIN), founded during last year’s congress, will also be featured, with hubs from the Port of Hamburg and Port of Halifax (The PIER), alongside Salvador Furió, Deputy Director-General of Fundación Valenciaport. Mare Straetmans, founder of Platform Zero, will explain how they are building a collaborative climate tech ecosystem within the port sector.

More than ten startups will present projects related to key port and logistics areas such as safety, sustainability, decarbonization, and energy transition. Additionally, the startups participating in Opentop’s Business Growth Program will present their solutions, and Juan Manuel Díez, Director of Innovation at the Valencia Port Authority, will explain how the industry connects with emerging companies.

A major focus of the forum will be on financing, covering private investment, public-private collaboration, and public funding. Ekke van Vliet, Investment Coordinator at the European Innovation Council; Emmanuel García de la Peña, CEO of Koalalifter; and Ángel Galán, CFO of Leunamme Technology SL, will discuss how public funding can support maritime entrepreneurship. Sriram Giridhar, Investment Director at HHLA Next GmbH; Joshua Gold, venture investor at TMV; Eduardo Valença, Director of Digital Transformation at Wilson Sons; and Bart Huybrechts, General Partner at Ninepointfive VC – Tidal, will explain the growing interest of VCs in the port and maritime sectors. Juan Manuel Díez will also present Puertos 4.0 as an example of successful public-private collaboration.

Finally, Antonio Torregrosa, General Director of Fundación Valenciaport, will conclude the congress by presenting the key takeaways and the roadmap for fostering innovation in the sector.