An alliance of maritime tech founders is launching a new support network that aims to smooth the path for new entrants to the start-up sector.
Ocean Founders said it aims to “advocate for industry step changes which could reduce friction for innovation and amplify resources for start-ups facing go-to-market hurdles”.
The Singapore-based initiative is backed by sector leaders including Greywing co-founders Nick Clarke and Hrishi Olickel, Portcast founder Nidhi Gupta and Shipskart co-founders Dhruv Sawhney.
Ocean Founders said it will spearhead three key initiatives including a platform for maritime start-up founders, support from over 60 maritime corporate executives and government leaders, and mentorship for future founders.
The alliance said it will run a mix of closed-door and public dialogues with start-up founders, to shed light on hurdles obstructing innovation in the sector.
An annual report capturing the state of maritime tech will also be published to give industry decision-makers a candid view of hurdles, progress made and opportunity gaps to leverage on.
Ocean Founders said it will lead dialogues with Motion Ventures’ Alliance to give decision-makers across maritime’s private and public sectors a better understanding of founder needs and hurdles.
Motion Ventures’ Alliance includes more than 60 leading industry veterans, including Kent Paulli, Hans Feringa, Henrik Ramskov, Peter Borup and Steen Lund.
The alliance said it will also open to emerging or future founders, such as current maritime corporate employees or interested entrepreneurial students.
“Engaging with the talent pipeline from an early stage is hoped to increase the number of quality founders and operators in the ecosystem, which will improve the industry’s ability to react and respond to rising challenges,” the alliance said.
Greywing co-founder and chief executive Nick Clarke said: “The maritime value chain is too complex for a single actor to innovate alone.
“While ecosystem support services are developing around us, the voices of founders on the front lines of innovation are still being overlooked.
“Launching Ocean Founders is our collective effort to advocate for what’s really needed to bring barriers down so the industry at large can make progress to really innovate,” he added.
Shaun Hon, founder and general partner at Motion Ventures, said Ocean Founders will offer start-ups a “platform to voice out what’s obstructing innovation while connecting with ready-to-disrupt corporates who want to be clued into the industry’s next frontier”.
