Ashdod Port Company continues to invest in innovation and launches a call inviting start-ups from Israel and around the world to join the port's maritime technological hub and present advanced technological solutions in the fields of supply chain and ports. Registration will be open in the coming weeks, and at the end, the companies selected to join the program will be chosen.
Start-ups entering the port’s technological hub will receive professional and strategic guidance and will be able to conduct proof of concept (POC) in a real operational environment at the port. The start-ups will have direct access to various departments at the port, including operations, logistics, engineering, energy and environment, security, cyber, safety, and sales.
Recently, Ashdod Port launched a dedicated venture capital fund, which may reach up to $55 million, aimed at investing in promising start-ups from those joining the hub. The new fund establishes Ashdod Port as a global center for innovation in the field of ports and supply chains and offers entrepreneurs a rare opportunity to integrate their technologies into the traditional industry and enjoy both international exposure to ports, potential customers, and investors.
The start-up companies that have received equity investments in the past and are already operating at Ashdod Port include: Makalu, which develops LiDAR technology; Salvador, which enables rapid recovery from cyberattacks; Spinframe, which develops automated technology for identifying car damages; Treedis, which develops a digital twin based on augmented reality; Enwize, which develops technology for training operational teams; Cyber 2.0, which develops technology for defending against cyberattacks; and Flyz Robotics, which develops a system of miniature drone robots with unique capabilities.
According to Shaul Schneider, Chairman of Ashdod Port's Board of Directors: "Ashdod Port offers start-up companies from around the world a unique opportunity for long-term business partnerships with the port, alongside global exposure and the creation of international collaborations. Ashdod Port views innovation as an important growth engine that adds value and creates breakthrough opportunities both for the start-ups themselves and for the port’s innovation arm, offering groundbreaking solutions that add significant value to the traditional port industry."
According to Nisan Levy, CEO of Ashdod Port: "Ashdod Port's technological hub offers a unique opportunity for start-ups to conduct POC experiments in a real environment with a strategic partner like the port, which can be both a customer, an investor, and a party that exposes the start-up to additional clients. The port provides start-ups with an exceptional opportunity to move forward and bring about changes in the global supply chain."
According to Roy Avrahami, Head of Innovation: "The port offers start-ups a complete package in the fields of supply chain and ports in particular. In recent years, Ashdod Port’s maritime technological hub has guided about 90 technology companies that conducted POCs at the port, received business and technological support, and gained international exposure. In addition, Ashdod Port offers joining ports exposure of technologies to potential buyers and investors, along with international exposure to innovation ambassadors worldwide, including the Port of Barcelona, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the Port of Tampa, the Port of New Orleans, the Port of Thessaloniki, and Maersk shipping company."