Idinvest Partners is a pan-European private equity manager focused on the low and middle-market segments. With over 6 billion euros under management, the company has developed several complementary areas of expertise, including equity investments in buyout deals focusing on both mid-size as well as young innovative European companies; primary investments in European private equity funds focusing primarily on the middle market segment; secondary investments; mezzanine investments in Europe; and private equity consulting.  Idinvest Partners’ recent success stories include Criteo, Clear2Pay, Meetic, Prosensa, Converteam, Kwik Fit, Lastminute.com, Dailymotion, Deezer, Talend, Synthesio, Menlook, Vestiaire Collective, Pretty Simple, Curse.com, Withings, Kantox, Secret Escapes, Happn, Peakon, Dayuse, Botify, Financefox, Azalead and many more.

Idinvest Partners

Kima Ventures is one of the world's most active early-stage investors, investing in 2 to 3 startups per week all over the world; providing founders with funding, network, and support for them to reach the next steps of their journey. The firm invests from seed to Series A, mostly as lead investor but also working alongside other investors; backing ambitious founders who work hard to build awesome things that more and more people use everyday. The company helps them to build a great team, to learn very quickly, to keep the right focus and execute towards growth. Kima takes pride of itself in working side-by-side with entrepreneurs. They claim to understand that fundraising is only one step in the company’s journey, that’s why they take quick decisions and make the fundraising process as smooth as possible so the founders can get back to the work of building their business. Kima considers itself not only an investor, but a network of founders and experts sharing a pay it forward mindset. Headquartered in Paris with an office in London, the company was founded and backed by Xavier Niel, founder of Iliad and supporter of entrepreneurs through such projects as 42, Station F and 101projets. Over the last 5 years Kima has invested in over 400 startups in 24 different countries.

Kima Ventures

TA Ventures is a global, network-driven VC firm investing in early-stage tech startups that redefine the industries of tomorrow. We typically write initial checks of $100-250K for Pre-Seed and Seed companies and actively provide follow-on investments. We pride ourselves on swift execution, hands-on support, and leveraging our extensive international network. By connecting our portfolio companies with growth-oriented co-investors, we help them scale effectively through subsequent funding rounds. Additionally, we draw on our deep industry expertise to offer portfolio companies and partner VCs access to top-tier, cost-efficient R&D talent.

TA Ventures

Bpifrance provides financial solutions for companies that are booting up the listing on the stock exchange and credit equity. It includes OSEO, CDC Entreprises, FSI, and FSI Regions to offer in your area of financial solutions at every stage of the life of your business.

Bpifrance

The Family is building the largest and most sophisticated service infrastructure for startups in Europe. Their model is to take 5% equity for free in exchange of long-term support. Today, they have a portfolio of 200+ active companies in London, Paris and Berlin, including Captain Train (acquired by Trainline), Algolia and Payfit.

The Family

Gaingels is a venture investment syndicate in service of the LGBT+ community and its allies, investing in companies with LGBT+ founders and C-suite leaders at all stages of growth, as well as in more established companies resolved on building more inclusive teams, with a global portfolio of 130+ companies and $70M in deployed investment capital to date.  The Gaingels network also actively supports its portfolio in identifying and recruiting diverse talent to their C-suite and board leadership teams and fosters a vibrant global community of industry leaders, investors, operators, and entrepreneurs who share a common goal for positive social change through business and successful investments.

Gaingels

AA Sons focuses on raising venture capital for ambitious, fast-growing companies with a desire to 'make the world a better place' in retail, mobility, healthcare, care, fintech and broader tech sectors.

AA Sons

Breega propels pioneering and purpose-driven founders from idea into impact. We closed our first fund in 2015 and now have half a billion AUM and 70+ trailblazing portfolio companies. Crafted for founders by founders, we built Breega to provide start-ups with the help we wish we'd had. And we’ve created an investment proposition that’s purposefully designed. We call it full stack funding: providing capital and connections, expertise and experience, support and solidarity for entrepreneurs at every step of their journey. We invest across Europe and internationally, focusing on pre-seed to Series A+.

Breega

Eurazeo is a private equity and venture capital firm that invests in SMEs and manages a diversified portfolio of assets. With its expertise in private equity, real estate, and private debt, the group supports companies of all sizes in their development commitment through the commitment of its 235 professionals. It provides companies with the necessary investments needed to realize their growth potential. The firm was founded in 1969 and is based in Paris, Ile-de-France, France.

Eurazeo

aldeA Ventures is a Barcelona-based investment platform supporting the future European tech champions. With a 360 strategy we back best-in-class entrepreneurs across Europe through commitments in MicroVCs led by next-generation managers, and company co-investments, supporting portfolio companies from our invested funds in their breakout paths with flexible capital.

aldeA Ventures

Shipfix

Shipfix is a fast-growing collaborative workflow and data platform for the maritime and trade sectors, driven by groundbreaking AI-enabled tools. The platform streamlines maritime workflows with market and operational intelligence with a focus on shipowners, commodity traders, industrials, freight forwarders, and shipbrokers. With Shipfix, maritime and trade professionals make better-informed decisions and move faster.

Shipfix is a collaborative workflow and data platform that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to streamline maritime operations. The company's platform aggregates, deduplicates, and systematizes clients' data, presenting a customized live environment tailored to users' needs. Shipfix's AI recognizes various data points in emails, including ships, cargoes, companies, people, and fixture details, even with typos or misspellings, enabling efficient work processes and unique shipping-specific filters.

Shipfix: Unleashing AI's Power to Boost Productivity with Spire Maritime's AIS Data

Shipfix + Veson

Shipfix + IMOS

RightShip partners with Shipfix to enable safe and sustainable maritime freight choices

Trade Smarter, Move Faster

Veson Nautical extends data analytics and collaboration capabilities with acquisition of Shipfix

Veson Nautical acquires Shipfix

Veson Nautical strikes twice with acquisition of Shipfix

Shipfix to add live RightShip ratings to trade platform

Using autonomous, green, IoT, and digital technologies to shape the future of ocean-based transportation

Shipping Tech

Riviera - News Content Hub - Veson Nautical acquires Shipfix shipping software platform

Shipfix is a collaborative workflow and data platform that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to streamline maritime operations. The company's platform aggregates, deduplicates, and systematizes clients' data, presenting a customized live environment tailored to users' needs. Shipfix's AI recognizes various data points in emails, including ships, cargoes, companies, people, and fixture details, even with typos or misspellings, enabling efficient work processes and unique shipping-specific filters.
The platform consolidates multiple data sources, such as parsed email information, vessel and port directories, maps, and company and market insights, providing a comprehensive market intelligence solution. Shipfix leverages Spire Maritime's historical and real-time Automatic Identification System (AIS) data to increase the accuracy of its distance calculator, voyage estimator tools, and vessel movement pattern analysis.
In March 2024, Veson Nautical, a maritime freight management solutions provider, acquired Shipfix to enhance its data analytics and collaboration capabilities. The acquisition aimed to deliver an integrated workflow and data experience for the shipping and trading industries. Shipfix's pre-fixture data and insights were combined with Veson's end-to-end workflows, creating a comprehensive freight trading and operations solution.

Groke Technologies is a Finnish company established in October 2019 with the aim of becoming a leading provider of situational awareness systems and autonomous navigation solutions for the maritime industry. Its flagship product, Groke Pro, is a comprehensive situational awareness system that integrates data from various sources such as cameras, GPS, radar, and AIS messages. The system uses machine vision and machine learning to detect and classify vessels, even those without AIS, in both day and night conditions. Groke Pro's unique blending feature combines images from day and thermal imaging cameras, providing a clear view of the vessel's surroundings even in low-visibility situations.
The system continuously records, collects, and annotates data, enabling the machine learning models to enhance its capabilities for detecting objects of interest in challenging environments with increasing accuracy. Groke Pro offers tools such as risk analysis, intuitive risk compass, closest point of approach alarms, and relative velocity tracking to support decision-making. In March 2024, Groke Technologies partnered with BAR Technologies to develop situational awareness systems for BAR's WindWings wind propulsion technology, installed on the Pyxis Ocean bulk carrier.

Groke Technologies

Sea Machines Robotics is a pioneering company that develops autonomous command and control systems, as well as advanced perception technology for the maritime industry. Their flagship product, the SM300 Autonomous Command and Control System, enables vessels to seamlessly transition between unmanned autonomous mode and human manual navigation. It employs cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence, computer vision, and sensor fusion to facilitate precise control over vessel position, steering, speed, route planning, obstacle avoidance, and data collection during voyages.
In April 2024, Sea Machines unveiled SELKIE, an unmanned surface vessel (USV) designed for various applications such as hydrographic surveys, offshore asset inspections, environmental studies, and security missions. The SELKIE 7, a 7-meter HDPE hull vessel powered by the SM300 system, boasts impressive range and endurance capabilities, with a capacity of up to 500 nautical miles and 15 days of operation. Its robust autonomous functions, intuitive user interface, and survey-ready features, including sonar mounts and payload deployment capabilities, make it a versatile and efficient solution for marine operations.
Sea Machines' technology has demonstrated its potential in groundbreaking achievements. In October 2021, the autonomous tug Nellie Bly, equipped with the SM300 system, successfully completed the world's first 1,000-plus-nautical-mile autonomous and remotely commanded voyage of a commercial vessel at sea, covering 96.9% of the journey in fully autonomous mode.
The company's innovations have garnered significant interest and investments. In February 2024, Sea Machines secured a USD 12 million funding round led by Emerald Technology Ventures and other prominent investors, enabling further technological advancements and market expansion. Additionally, Sea Machines has collaborated with the US Coast Guard (USCG) to evaluate and refine its computer vision technology for maritime domain awareness, collision avoidance, and target detection on USCG vessels.

Sea Machines Robotics

Orca AI is an Israeli startup that offers an AI-powered, real-time navigation safety platform for the maritime industry. The company's technology combines computer vision, deep learning, and existing onboard sensors to enhance situational awareness for crews, reduce sensory overload, and enable better navigation decisions. Orca AI's system processes visual information during navigation, mimicking and enhancing human watchkeeping capabilities. By detecting and alerting crews to high-risk marine targets, the platform optimizes operations to avoid unnecessary maneuvers and speed drops, leading to reduced fuel consumption and emissions.
In 2023, Orca AI's technology resulted in an average fuel cost reduction of USD 100,000 to USD 300,000 per vessel per year (3-5% improvement) and a significant CO2 reduction of 172,716 tons. The system has been installed on hundreds of merchant ships, including vessels from major companies like MSC, Seaspan, Maran Tankers, TMS Cardiff Gas, ENESEL, and Latsco.
In February 2022, Orca AI achieved a historic milestone by powering the world's first autonomous commercial voyage in congested waters in partnership with NYK and the Nippon Foundation. The autonomous vessel completed a 40-hour journey, performing 107 maneuvers to avoid colliding with 400-500 vessels while operating autonomously 98% of the time.
Key customers and partnerships
Orca AI works with global shipping companies, including MSC, NYK, Maersk, and Seaspan, among others. The company has also entered into partnerships with industry leaders like NYK in Japan to develop automated watchkeeping capabilities, potentially reducing the manning of ship bridges under specific conditions.
In 2023, Orca AI announced a partnership with Marubeni Corporation for sales of its AI-powered situational awareness platform, particularly in Southeast Asia and Japan.

Orca AI

Buffalo Automation is a pioneering company that has developed cutting-edge technologies for the maritime industry. Their flagship product, Automate, is a predictive boat navigation system that utilizes artificial intelligence (AI), neural networks, and thermal imaging to detect obstructions and safety hazards, providing critical warnings and assistance to safely navigate around them. Automate has already been adopted by multiple commercial ships operating on the US Great Lakes.
The company has also developed Pegasus, a comprehensive navigation and safety system designed for smaller recreational boats. While compatible with today's gas-powered engines, Pegasus technology has been adapted to create Greycraft, an innovative product line that combines electrification, renewable energy, and modular design.
Greycraft is the world's first solar-powered, autonomous vessel capable of carrying passengers and traversing busy waterways. Its modular design allows for easy transportation and assembly, eliminating the need for trailers. Greycraft's vessels are designed to operate on the water for several years without maintenance, powered primarily by solar panels with battery backup.
In December 2020, Buffalo Automation successfully demonstrated the Greycraft concept in Knoxville, Tennessee, with plans for a fully operational launch of the Greycraft Water Taxi service in early 2021, initially offered free of charge to residents.

Buffalo Automation

Ladar Limited is a maritime technology company that designs, develops, and deploys laser and computer vision-based solutions for the maritime and offshore industry. The company's flagship product is the Ladar Sensor Suite, a smart system that enables real-time, highly accurate surveillance of the ocean surface layer and water column. This system utilizes sensor-based data and artificial intelligence to fuse data aggregation systems into a comprehensive decision support system, available 24/7. The Ladar Sensor Suite prioritizes the safety of crew, passengers, vessels, and cargo by presenting a visual consolidation of feeds for swift decision-making.
One of Ladar's key innovations is the PlasticDetect system, which offers an end-to-end solution for real-time detection, classification, and tracking of marine plastic pollution. This system comprises a unique multispectral, internally developed and patented laser-based maritime lidar sensor (Ladar Sensor Suite), visual and thermal sensors, and computer vision with AI and machine learning. It is complemented by a web portal data service.
Ladar's technology aims to transform the global maritime transport industry through the adoption of automated ship collision avoidance and (semi-) submerged target detection technologies. The company's solutions address the industry's needs for increased ship safety and collision avoidance, as well as the demands of the emerging unmanned and autonomous vessel technologies market. Ladar's systems are designed to meet regulatory compliance standards, protect the environment, and explore the digitalized and automated future of maritime operations.

Ladar Ltd

Software solutions that streamline the transportation process, including ocean-based shipping, from booking and tracking shipments to managing customs compliance and invoicing.

Technologies that improve the efficiency and productivity of ports and terminals, such as automated container handling systems, real-time monitoring of cargo and vessel movements, predictive maintenance systems, and port automation systems.

Developers of technologies for ships that can decrease carbon footprint, reduce energy consumption, and increase efficiency (this excludes autonomous and remotely operated ships).

Unmanned (either autonomous or remotely-operated) vessels that use AI and ML to navigate and perform various tasks, including cargo and passenger transport. Technology also includes systems that assist navigation by providing technologies such as collision avoidance and advanced perception.

Data analytics, sensors, and IoT devices that collect data on cargo, vessel, and environmental conditions to optimize shipping routes, reduce fuel consumption, and improve safety. These software solutions may use data analytics and predictive modeling to optimize shipping operations.

Data analytics and sensor technologies and automated solutions broadly falls under Industry 4.0

Data analytics and sensor technologies segment uses IoT

Green ships promote sustainable operations

Smart ports improve the efficiency and productivity of ports and terminals, facilitating smart cities

Autonomous ships sometimes use robotic solutions

Some companies use AI/ML tech for autonomous navigation

Shipfix

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