Directory

Maritime startup ecosystem

We track 13 organisations in this sector across 4+ countries.

13 entries.

Breakbulk Summit 2026 (October 2026)

Antwerp, Belgium · Event

The inaugural, biennial Breakbulk Summit draws on Antwerp’s breakbulk heritage to convene the international breakbulk community to share insights, discuss trends and strategise on the opportunities and challenges shaping modern breakbulk logistics. The programme spans two days at venues including the Kinepolis Business Center, with an evening networking reception.

Erwin Verstraelen

Antwerp, Belgium · Person

Chief Digital and Innovation Officer at Port of Antwerp-Bruges, leading the port's digital transformation and innovation strategy. He is a confirmed speaker at the DroneHorizon summit during Port of the Future Week 2026 in Antwerp.

Karsten Schönewald

Antwerp, Belgium · Person

Chief Security Officer at Hamburg Port Authority and a confirmed speaker at the DroneHorizon summit during Port of the Future Week 2026 in Antwerp, addressing port security, resilience and the use of unmanned systems for critical infrastructure.

Klaipėda Science and Technology Park

Klaipėda, Lithuania · Event Organisator

Klaipėda Science and Technology Park (KMTP) is a Lithuanian innovation hub supporting startups, researchers and industry in the Baltic port city of Klaipėda. It organises Portathon, an international port-technology hackathon bringing together students, founders and maritime professionals to prototype solutions for the maritime and logistics sectors.

Lennart Kinau

Antwerp, Belgium · Person

Head of Strategy and Communications at Hamburg Port Authority and a confirmed speaker at the DroneHorizon summit during Port of the Future Week 2026 in Antwerp, focusing on port strategy and cross-port collaboration on autonomous technology.

Pascal Coppens

Antwerp, Belgium · Person

China expert, author and keynote speaker on innovation and technology trends, and a confirmed keynote speaker at the DroneHorizon summit during Port of the Future Week 2026 in Antwerp, addressing global innovation and strategic autonomy.

Pieter-Jan Note

Antwerp, Belgium · Person

Co-founder and CEO of MAHI, working on autonomous and maritime technology solutions. He is a confirmed speaker at the DroneHorizon summit during Port of the Future Week 2026 in Antwerp, addressing autonomous systems for ports.

Port of Antwerp-Bruges

Antwerp, Belgium · Event Organisator

One of Europe’s largest ports and a hub for maritime logistics, energy and industrial innovation. It organises events including Port of the Future Week and the Breakbulk Summit, convening port authorities, technology providers and the autonomous-systems community to shape the future of port operations and breakbulk logistics.

Port of the Future Week 2026 (September 2026)

Antwerp, Belgium · Event

A three-day showcase of autonomous and sustainable port technology at Quay 102 in Antwerp, with live demos, expert sessions and international cross-port collaboration. It opens with DroneHorizon, a B2B and B2G matchmaking summit on unmanned and autonomous systems for ports and critical infrastructure, positioning Antwerp as a European testbed for future port operations.

Portathon 2026 (September 2026)

Klaipėda, Lithuania · Event

Portathon is an international port-technology hackathon, in its 8th edition in 2026, held in Klaipėda and gathering 100+ participants into multidisciplinary teams to build prototypes solving real maritime and port-sector challenges. Themes span IT and digitalization for the maritime industry, cybersecurity, AI integration and sustainability, with the event acting as a launchpad for ventures such as PortMI.

PortXL

Rotterdam, Netherlands · Accelerator

Founded 2015. World's first port and maritime industry accelerator based in Rotterdam (now also Antwerp and Singapore). Three-month program with 100+ mentors and a Shakedown demo day; alumni include We4Sea and CargoLedger. Scope: International.

Spire Global Luxembourg

Luxembourg City, Luxembourg · Startup

The European headquarters of Spire Global (founded 2012, originally San Francisco), established in Luxembourg City in 2017 with backing from the Luxembourg Future Fund. Spire operates one of the world's largest commercial nanosatellite constellations — over 110 CubeSats — collecting maritime, aviation, and weather data sold as space-to-cloud analytics. Luxembourg is home to Spire's maritime data team and served as the anchor for a $70 million Series C round led by the Luxembourg government.

Steven Luys

Antwerp, Belgium · Person

Representative of Exail Robotics Belgium working on autonomous and unmanned maritime systems. He is a confirmed speaker at the DroneHorizon summit during Port of the Future Week 2026 in Antwerp, addressing autonomous robotics for ports and critical infrastructure.