• 4 min de lectura
• 4 min de lectura
The Valenciaport Foundation and the Port Authority of Valencia hosted a working visit from Pier71, Singapore's first maritime innovation ecosystem, driven by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and NUS Enterprise. The meeting highlighted the shared desire of both organizations to build bridges between their respective ecosystems.
The event, organized by Opentop, Valenciaport's open innovation hub, brought together institutional representatives from both ecosystems along with a selection of startups in an intense session that combined institutional presentations, pitchings, and networking opportunities.
The exclusive, invitation-only event had a hybrid format to allow for international participation. It had over 50 attendees, both in-person and remote, with broad attendance from the port community, through representatives of the Valenciaport Cluster's Innovation Committee.
The day began with a welcome from Juan Manuel Díez, Head of Innovation at the Port Authority of Valencia, followed by Lucía Calabria, representing Valencia Innovation Capital. Next, Salvador Furió, Director of Innovation and Cluster Development at the Valenciaport Foundation, presented the entity's activities.
For Díez, "it was very gratifying to share with the Pier71 team everything we are building at Valenciaport in terms of open innovation. Singapore is a world leader in the port sector, and finding an ecosystem in Pier71 with a vision so aligned with ours fills us with energy to continue working. We are eager to explore the collaborations that may arise from this meeting in Valencia."
"Receiving MPA and Pier71 in Valencia is a sign that Opentop is being recognized as an international benchmark in open port innovation. We share the same vision: that collaboration between ecosystems is a good way to accelerate the transformation of the maritime sector. This visit is the beginning of a relationship that we hope will be very fruitful for startups and for the ports of both regions," said Furió.
The institutional block concluded with a presentation of Opentop by its head, Jorge Marcos, who then gave the floor to Jasper von Meien from the Port of Hamburg, who presented the Port Innovators Network (PIN), a global network of 10 port innovation hubs of which Opentop is a founding member.
After this first block dedicated to Valenciaport's innovation ecosystem, Danial Talib, community engagement manager at Pier71, and Loh Sin Yee Loh, regional director (Europe) at MPA, spoke, presenting their ecosystem model and acceleration programs, with the Smart Port Challenge 2026 as the flagship program. The session highlighted multiple points of convergence in methodology, startup community, and collaborative innovation approach with the industry.
"Visits like this remind us why collaboration is at the heart of maritime innovation. At Pier71, we believe that the best solutions emerge when maritime communities open their doors to innovation. Our stay at the Port of Valencia has led to interesting conversations about how to connect actors from both ecosystems, and we look forward to supporting your startups that are ready to expand into Singapore's maritime sector," declared Talib.
"The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore appreciates the warm hospitality and valuable exchanges that Valenciaport has provided us during our visit. We eagerly look forward to further strengthening our collaboration and jointly driving maritime innovation, from sustainable port development to emerging technologies, including participation in the Smart Port Challenge 2026," stated Loh Sin Yee.
Another relevant block of the day was the pitching session where 13 startups presented their solutions to the innovation leaders of Pier71 and the broad representation of Valenciaport's innovative community. The participating companies were Synnect, Beecharge, Caponnetto, Connectainer, DMS, Imperia, MarinaChain, Nexus Ocean AI, NOW Systems, OneCare Group, Stowlog, Whale Dock, and XRF.
This visit coincides with a period of special activity for both organizations regarding startup programs. Pier71 currently has an open call for the Smart Port Challenge 2026, its annual innovation challenge, with a deadline of June 15, 2026. For its part, Opentop has just closed registrations for the 6th Valenciaport Hackathon 2026 and is preparing for the upcoming opening of the call for PEIC (Port Entrepreneurship International Congress), which will be held in October.
