Within the context of VDS2023, Opentop will be holding the Port Entrepreneurship International Congress. This forum will be held during the first day of the international technological event that will take place on 26th and 27th October in the City of Arts and Sciences of Valencia.
The aim of the conference is to analyse the current challenges and opportunities in the logistics sector in terms of entrepreneurship and innovation. For that, the innovation hub of the port of Valencia, promoted by Fundación Valenciaport, is bringing together executives and experts from ports such as Hamburg, as well as representatives of the European Commission and international organisations such as the World Economic Forum (WEF), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Association of Ports and Harbours (IAPH).
Mar Chao, president of the Port Authority of Valencia (APV) will kick off the forum on 26 October. Throughout the presentations and round tables, hot topics for the port sector will be debated such as the articulation of innovation, the blue economy or the role of the ports as promoters of technological entrepreneurship.
Everything related to financing and investment in the logistics and port sector will be particularly relevant. Nir Gartzman, co-founder & managing partner of theDOCK; Paloma Castellano, director of Wayra Madrid, and Oliver Risse, Venture Investment partner of HHLA Next, will discuss investment opportunities in the sector, emphasising the latest technologies that are transforming the port-logistics industry and will identify strategies to attract investment in port-related startups. Belén Pérez Santolaria, Investment Manager at Telefónica, will also analyse the state and main trends of VC investment in the sector.
Ekke Van Vliet, Investment Manager, European Commission – EIC Fund, will address public funding opportunities for startups in the sector and reflect on public-private collaboration in this area.
In addition, the strategies of relevant actors in the sector to grow hand in hand with the entrepreneurial ecosystem will be analysed and success stories in open innovation will be presented.
Antonio Torregrosa, general director of the Valenciaport Foundation, will close the congress by presenting the conclusions and the roadmap to promote innovation in the sector.
