The ShipTech Connect event in Athens aims to bring together startups with the shipping industry.
With great opportunities to improve and disrupt the current business models with digital technologies, the maritime industry has been dubbed by some as a hidden trillion dollar sector.
However, while early stage startups are creating brilliant products or services for the maritime sector, more work needs to be done to connect these startups with the industry.
Which is where ShipTech Connect comes in. The event, co-organised with Deloitte, which takes places in Athens this week, is bringing together established and upcoming startups with leaders of the maritime world, in an effort to foster greater communication.
Event organiser George Cambanis says its important for startups to get greater access to shipping.
“We are in the midst of the fourth Industrial Revolution and at the threshold of the fifth Industrial Revolution where datasets, machine learning and artificial intelligence will be part of the decision making of any ship owner. On the other hand many startups do not have the access to the shipping they so badly need. The vision of ShipTech Connect is to bring together the shipping and start-up ecosystems. It my intention to run these events in all the important shipping capitals of the world,” Cambanis told MarineTraffic on the eve of the event.
He says hosting the event in Athens was important for a number of reasons. “Greece is arguably the most important maritime hub with approximately 20 percent of the global fleet. The Greek start-up community need the shipping community and needs Venture Capital funding to innovate and to scale fast. Maritime technology has only just started which leaves the space wide open for Greek innovators.”
Cambanis says more events such as this event are vitally important and can make Greece a global maritime innovation hub, but is quick to point out that the event will also include representatives from other countries with a strong innovation culture. “The venue can host 200 people. We are hoping to be left with standing room only. This time we have invited start-ups from the US, Israel and of course, Greece. We have attendees from all three countries.”
Ship Tech Connect will include 15 “incredibly strong” startups, together with Venture Capitalists, family offices and an Accelerator that will make short presentations but more importantly form part of a panel that will discuss the startups, maritime technology and will take questions from the audience. The event will conclude with a networking lunch that will allow for further discussions between attendees and the founders.
One of the companies attending the event is Athens-based VesselBot, a software enabled chartering marketplace that brings strategic, operational and financial benefits to Ship Owners and Charterers within the Dry Bulk Maritime Industry.
Co-Founder Constantine Komodromos believes events such as Ship Tech Connect are of high importance because they connect the maritime industry with new innovative companies and new technologies but at the same time they educate the market stakeholders.
“In a world that new technology emerges in every industry and business models are constantly changing the maritime industry should not be left behind. By participating is such events you keep both yourself and your business updated regarding new trends and initiatives from inside and outside the industry players.”
Also attending is Grigoris Lamprou, CEO and Co-Founder of Procureship, a platform that integrates with registered ship managers and marine suppliers creating efficiencies for both sides across the entire vessel supply process. The platform serves as both a process optimisation tool and an online marketplace where registered Buyers can reach selected high-quality Suppliers in an efficient manner.
He says that in the startup world, adoption and eventually success are largely dependent on awareness and stakeholder buy-in. “Events like these not only give us the momentum we need to get more awareness and stakeholder buy-in but also become opportunities to interact with other industry players and continuously reiterate how we position our business and how we can align incentives with others. The need for all of the above is clearly manifested in the shipping industry, as it is a still very traditional space where a lot of exciting innovations can flourish.”
Sea Machines is one of the many non-Greek companies that will be represented at Ship Tech Connect. Headquartered in the tech hub of Boston with a new office in Hamburg, Sea Machines is pioneering autonomous and advanced perception technology for the marine and maritime industries. The company builds software and systems that increases productivity, predictability and safety of commercial vessels operations.
CEO Michael Johnson says Ship Tech Connect, and events like it, are vital in providing a forum to connect with decision makers and other change agents who are located around the world. “These opportunities give attendees the opportunity to share industry insights and best practices, collaborate and solve for challenges. For these reasons, attending industry events like this one is increasingly valuable.”