Danish Students and Companies Explore Maritime Opportunities in California

Last semester, a group of talented students of diverse educational backgrounds from the Danish Technical University (DTU) participated in the X-Tech Entrepreneurship program established by DTU Entrepreneurship. The program runs over various tracks, and Innovation Centre Denmark Silicon Valley hosted those participating in the Maritime track for a week in Silicon Valley.

X-Tech, which runs throughout the semester, is an accelerator learning program that brings together students of engineering and business backgrounds to work on inventions and technological needs from industry partners and research labs. The students passionately work with technical solutions, prototypes, and business plans in small entrepreneurial teams. The teams on the Maritime track mainly focused on digitalisation and better use of predictive data in the maritime industry. And what better place to study data-driven business models than Silicon Valley?

By the end of the semester, Innovation Centre Denmark in Silicon Valley organised a visit to The Bay Area for these students, five maritime companies, DTU, and industry experts to gain insights into entrepreneurship, innovation, and the green American maritime market. The purpose of the visit was for the students and companies to learn about the Silicon Valley entrepreneurial ecosystem, corporate innovations, the latest green maritime trends, and commercial opportunities. By connecting Danish knowledge and American stakeholders within the maritime sector, the visit laid the grounds for future collaborative development of sustainable maritime solutions.

Denmark and Silicon Valley as Frontrunners

Although Denmark is a small country, it stands as a strong and influential player in the maritime global industry. The country fosters a stable ecosystem that delivers some of the world's safest, most energy-efficient, climate-friendly, long-lasting, and well-designed maritime equipments. These include large marine engines, advanced ship designs, marine paint, life-rafts, exhaust and ballast-water cleaning systems, sensors, and numerous other solutions. The maritime industry in Denmark takes credit for 27 percent of Denmark's export and contributes to a wide range of jobs in e.g., shipping, ports, offshore energy production, and fishing.

As the maritime industry contributes immensely to the Danish economy, the nation keeps maritime research and science high on the agenda: In 2018, a maritime plan was launched by the Danish government to create sustainable economic growth in the maritime industry. Some of the plan’s main focus areas are digitalisation, testing, and development of new solutions, access to highly qualified labour as well as research and science. Furthermore, it's noteworthy that in 2022, Denmark topped the world ranking in climate change action, as indicated by the Environmental Performance Index from Yale University.

Denmark’s experience and knowledge in the maritime industry can and should be utilised in international collaborations. Silicon Valley is one of the world’s leading hubs and start-up ecosystems for high-tech innovations. Being at the heart of innovation, it is also an immense hotspot for green maritime technology and home to world-class maritime research environments, such as UC Berkeley.

Experiencing Silicon Valley

To foster this knowledge sharing, Innovation Centre Denmark Silicon Valley arranged for the Green Maritime Entrepreneurship to visit Silicon Valley. The group visited various universities and companies, broadened their knowledge from expert presentations, and expanded their network in true Silicon Valley style.

On the first day of arrival, the delegates soaked up the energetic atmosphere of San Francisco. They met the Innovation Centre Denmark Silicon Valley team and heard about their projects and purpose. The program included company visits, like Nvidia, who demonstrated their latest advances in AI and industrial applications of their omniverse. Flexport, shared knowledge on how to make global trade easier to manage. Spire, a world leader in Maritime AIS vessel tracking data, and Ivalldi, who helps shipping companies 3-D print critical spare parts while at high sea. The group also participated in thought-provoking workshops on Data-driven Business Models with startup advisor and venture capitalist, Shomit Ghose. Further, Jan Beranek of U.plus, taught the students how large and complex corporations keep on innovating. Since Silicon Valley is the hotspot for startups, it was natural for the group to also visit accelerator programs and innovation platforms such as Plug and Play and the Berkeley Skydeck.