The PortXL accelerator programme responds to that by offering port-related start-ups the opportunity to kick-start their ideas over a three-month period. Since PortXL started in 2015, Van Oord has been closely involved in its development, the company said in its press release.
After months of scouting within the Transport & Logistics, Energy, Chemicals & Refining and Maritime sectors, nineteen port-related start-ups have been invited to take part in the PortXL selection days. They are coming to Rotterdam from all over the world, hoping to earn a place in the programme. During the selection days on 20 and 21 February, they have introduced their ideas to an audience made up of port, innovation, and financial experts.
After selection by the audience and the jury of PortXL partners, eleven start-ups have been selected on Tuesday afternoon for participation in the programme. Over a one-hundred-day period, they will be coached intensively by mentors to get their plans off the ground. This year too, Van Oord will be involved, as one of the partners, by coaching start-ups, giving them access to its network, and helping them get ready to enter the market.