The original press release was published Valenciaport with Opentop. You can find out more about the visit here.

The Valencian port ecosystem and Asia’s leading maritime technology innovation reference come together in a hybrid session of institutional presentations and startup pitching, reflecting Opentop’s growing international standing as an open logistics-port innovation hub.

Fundación Valenciaport and the Autoridad Portuaria de Valencia have hosted a working visit by PIER71, Singapore’s first maritime innovation ecosystem, established by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and NUS Enterprise.

The event, organised by Opentop — Valenciaport’s open innovation hub — brought together institutional representatives from both ecosystems alongside a selection of startups in an intensive session combining institutional presentations, startup pitches, and networking.

The exclusive, invitation-only event was held in a hybrid format to allow international participation. It attracted more than 50 attendees — both on site and online — including a broad representation of the port community through the Valenciaport Cluster Innovation Committee.

Two ecosystems, one shared agenda: advancing open port innovation

The visit highlighted the shared commitment of both organisations to building bridges between their ecosystems. The session opened with a welcome address by Juan Manuel Díez, Head of Innovation at the Autoridad Portuaria de Valencia, followed by Lucía Calabria representing Valencia Innovation Capital. Salvador Furió, Director of Innovation and Cluster Development at Fundación Valenciaport, then presented the foundation’s activities. The institutional block concluded with a presentation of Opentop by its head, Jorge Marcos, who handed over to Jasper von Meien, joining from the Port of Hamburg, to present the Port Innovators Network (PIN), the global network of ten port innovation hubs of which Opentop is a founding member.

Following this first block, Danial Talib from PIER71 and Loh Sin Yee from MPA (Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore) presented their ecosystem model and acceleration programmes, with the Smart Port Challenge 2026 as their flagship initiative. The session revealed multiple points of convergence in methodology, startup community, and collaborative innovation approach with industry.

Thirteen international startups pitched to both ecosystems

A central highlight of the day was the pitching session, in which thirteen startups presented their solutions to the innovation leads at PIER71 and the broad representation of Valenciaport’s innovation community.

The participating companies were Synnect, Beecharge, Caponnetto, Connectainer, DMS, Imperia, MarinaChain, Nexus Ocean AI, NOW Systems, OneCare Group, Stowlog, Whale Dock and XRF.

Open calls: opportunities for maritime startups on both sides of the world

The visit coincides with a particularly active period for both organisations in terms of startup programmes. PIER71 currently has its call open for the Smart Port Challenge 2026, its annual innovation challenge, with a deadline of 15 June 2026.

For its part, Opentop has just closed applications for the 6th Hackathon Valenciaport 2026 and is preparing to open the next call for the PEIC (Port Entrepreneurship International Congress), to be held in October.

Quotes

“It has been truly rewarding to share with the PIER71 team everything we are building at Valenciaport in the field of open innovation. Singapore is a world reference in the maritime sector, and finding in PIER71 an ecosystem so closely aligned with our own vision gives us great energy to keep moving forward. We very much look forward to exploring the collaborations that can grow from this meeting in Valencia.”

— Juan Manuel Díez, Head of Innovation, Autoridad Portuaria de Valencia

“Welcoming MPA (Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore) and PIER71 to Valencia is a signal that Opentop is being recognised as an international reference in open port innovation. We share a common vision: that collaboration between ecosystems is a powerful way to accelerate the transformation of the maritime sector. This visit marks the beginning of a relationship that we hope will be very fruitful for startups and for the ports of both regions.”

— Salvador Furió, Director of Innovation and Cluster Development, Fundación Valenciaport

“The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore appreciates the warm hospitality and valuable exchanges extended by the Port of Valencia during our visit. We look forward to strengthening our partnership and advancing maritime innovation together, from sustainable port development to emerging technologies, including participation in the Smart Port Challenge 2026.”

— Loh Sin Yee, Regional Director (Europe), Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA)

“Visits like this remind us why collaboration is at the heart of maritime innovation. At PIER71, we believe the best solutions emerge when maritime communities open their doors to innovation. Our time at the Port of Valencia has sparked meaningful conversations about connecting stakeholders across both ecosystems, and we look forward to supporting startups that are ready to expand into maritime Singapore.”

— Danial Talib, Community Engagement Manager, PIER71

About Opentop

Opentop is Valenciaport’s Innovation Hub. This initiative, led by Fundación Valenciaport with the support of the Autoridad Portuaria de Valencia, aims to bring open innovation closer to the companies and entities operating in the three ports managed by the APV (Valencia, Sagunto and Gandía), strengthening their competitiveness. Opentop is a founding member of PIN (Port Innovators Network). opentop.es

About PIER71

PIER71 is Singapore’s first maritime innovation ecosystem, co-founded by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and NUS Enterprise. It brings together more than 190 startups globally and has generated over 170 innovation opportunities in collaboration with more than 70 industry corporations. Its flagship programme, the Smart Port Challenge, has been held annually since 2017. pier71.sg

Press contacts

Opentop: hortiz@fundacion.valenciaport.com