Inmarsat, the global leader in mobile satellite communications, has joined forces with two leading start-up programmes, Rainmaking’s Trade and Transport Impact (T&TI) and Bluetech Accelerator, to create initiatives that directly support start-ups focused on IoT and big data innovation in the maritime, ports and logistics supply chain, the company said in its release.
The programmes will fund, support and mentor start-ups developing applications that aim to harness the power of IoT and big data to enhance safety, efficiency and sustainability.
Inmarsat will collaborate with those start-ups to find a route to market via its global, high-speed satellite communications infrastructure that connects over 160,000 ships and yachts, as well as ports, road and rail networks across the world.
The Trade & Transport Impact (T&TI) programme initiated by Hamburg-based Rainmaking will help connect established leading players, such as Inmarsat, Cargotec and Wärtsilä, with innovative start-ups and work collaboratively to address the biggest commercial and operational challenges facing the global supply chain today.
The Bluetech Accelerator, sponsored by the Portuguese Government and based in Lisbon, was launched at the end of January and will take on six business partners including Inmarsat to help select and finance the first batch of winning start-ups, which will be chosen in the last quarter of 2019.