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Innovation and future at Opentop’s Port Entrepreneurship International Congress

• Opentop, an initiative led by the Fundación Valenciaport, celebrates the second edition of the Port Entrepreneurship International Congress within the framework of the Valencia Digital Summit.
• During the event, a new international member, SmartportLab, was announced as a new member of the innovation hub network PIN (Port Innovators Network).
• The startups and technology companies participating in Opentop’s Business Growth Program presented the solutions developed for the port sector.

24/10/2024. Yesterday took place the second edition of the Port Entrepreneurship International Congress (PEIC) 2024, an event promoted by Opentop, the innovation hub of Valenciaport, with an outstanding participation of international leaders of the port logistics sector, investors and technology companies.

The congress was held within the framework of the Valencia Digital Summit and is positioned as one of the main platforms of reference to discuss the future of technology and entrepreneurship in the port logistics sector.

PEIC 2024 offered a full agenda, with tables and presentations that addressed the challenges and opportunities of the future of ports, digitization and sustainability.

The day began with a welcome from Francesc Sanchez, deputy director of the Port Authority of Valencia (APV), who highlighted the Port of Valencia’s leadership in innovation projects in the Mediterranean, “playing a key role in driving the future of maritime operations through cutting-edge research, development and training. A leadership made possible by the vision of the APV, a global example of how public institutions can successfully foster innovation within the industry.” Sanchez also highlighted the great support of the Fundación Valenciaport “the research and development arm of the Port of Valencia” and Opentop, the innovation hub of the Port of Valencia, whose ultimate goal is to become a global benchmark in open innovation in the maritime sector. 

Next, Mare Straetmans, founder of Platform Zero, gave an interesting presentation in which he highlighted how the combination of talent and entrepreneurship can accelerate innovation in ports, “by bringing together the brightest minds from companies, startups, universities, funding and governments, we will create and scale business solutions that have impact”.

In another of the most important round tables of the morning, the key role of innovation communities around ports was discussed, highlighting cases such as the Port Innovators Network (PIN), of which Opentop is a founding member. The announcement of the incorporation of the Argentinean hub SmartportLab into PIN took place. PIN is now made up of the port innovation hubs The PIER (Port of Halifax, Canada), HomePORT (Port of Hamburg, Germany), Cubo Maritime & Port (based in Sao Paulo, Brazil), Opentop (Port of Valencia, Spain) and SmartportLab (Port of Bahia Blanca, Argentina).

Another relevant panel was focused on security and resilience in the port sector with the participation of the general director of the APV, Enrique Belda and representatives of Paddify, i4Sea, XRF and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. In this block, both startups and industry experts presented the latest technological advances and strategies that are being implemented to protect critical infrastructure and optimize operational resilience in the face of digital challenges.

Enrique Belda used his speech to emphasize the need for large companies to “help bring ideas to the real world” and also highlighted the importance of solutions aimed at security “as the current geopolitical situation has changed trade and also security needs”.

The event also highlighted the importance of technological growth, with the participation of the technology companies participating in Opentop’s Business Growth Program: Sciling, Now Systems, Hydros Power and Synnect Technologies. These companies presented innovative solutions aimed at the challenges posed by the initiative and partners such as Inforport, Valenciaport and ARSINOE to improve efficiency, sustainability and automation in ports and the logistics sector. 

The day continued with a focus on supply chain efficiency, where strategies to make port operations more agile and sustainable were shared. Experts from DMSlog.ai, Spartacus Technologies, Nextpor.ai and ICT 4.0 highlighted how these innovations are being adopted to optimize connectivity and the flow of goods through ports.

Another relevant topic was sustainability and decarbonization of the sector, where strategies and solutions to reduce the carbon footprint of port operations were addressed. Speakers from H2SITE, Oxcem, Cargokite, Alicante Port Authority and Konecranes shared advances in clean technologies, such as the use of hydrogen and other alternative energy sources, which are transforming the way ports operate and manage their energy resources.

Finally, a talk on the Venture Builder model by Daniel Buttjes, Head of Venture Building at HHLA Next, outlined how this approach is revolutionizing the port sector. 

The event concluded with a summary and reflection of the topics discussed, where Antonio Torregrosa, Manager Director of the Fundación Valenciaport, reflected on the importance of collaboration between companies and startups, of thinking “as a system” and of detecting opportunities, and also encouraged those present to be attentive and participate in the upcoming activities of the PIN network (Port Innovators Network), of which the Port of Valencia through Opentop is a founding member.