Hoopo raises $10 million Series A to digitize fleets

Israeli maritime-focused VC theDOCK's new fund hits first close, makes debut bet

NYK and theDOCK announced earlier today NYK's strategic investment in theDOCK's fund. NYK joins a roster of leaders in terminal operations, ship ownership/management and logistics who invested in the fund which focuses on maritime and logistics innovation.

Israeli maritime tech venture capital firm theDOCK said it plans to launch a second fund—Navigator II—that will focus on investments in digital solutions attending to the needs of maritime, supply chain and offshore operations.

Driving this wave of momentum has been rising Israeli venture capital hub theDOCK. Founded by Israeli Navy veterans in 2017, theDOCK works with early-stage companies in the maritime space to bring their solutions to market. The hub's pioneering efforts ignited Israel's maritime technology sector, and now, with their new fund, theDOCK is motivating these high-tech solutions to also address ESG criteria.

A focused investor from the start-up nation sees oceans of potential in collaboration with Hong Kong

Back in October 2018 we opened a previous article with a question we stumbled over back then (by a financial investor) – “Why would I invest in a sector that barely has any exits?”. We decided to take action. We rolled our sleeves and conducted a study reviewing years 2016-2018 to figure out numbers and trends.

Our “Chief Dreamer” Hannan Carmeli in an interview with Greg Trauthwein of Maritime Reporter and Engineering News, sharing the story behind founding theDOCK, and the path to facilitating meaningful technology innovation for ports, shipping and logistics sectors through collaboration with deep tech startups.

Data is power. An average ship generates 2 GB of data which if used effectively can streamline and smoothen operations remarkably, said Hannan Carmeli, Founder and CEO of theDOCK, a leading innovation company based in Israel. Hannan spoke in detail on data and its optimum use and several other aspects of the shipping and maritime industry during an interview with Sea News.

PSA unboXed, the Singapore-based innovation and corporate venture capital arm of PSA International, and Israeli-based theDOCK Innovation Hub have entered into an agreement to leverage innovative technologies that will benefit the port, maritime and supply chain sector. Under the agreement, theDOCK will facilitate for PSA unboXed, scouting, screening and investment in promising startups which provide solutions addressing specific challenges cited by PSA. 

David Grzebinski, Kirby’s President and Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We look forward to joining hands with theDOCK which offers insight into innovation in the maritime and other industries. It is an opportunity to embrace innovation and technology to support Kirby’s safety initiatives, improve operational agility and efficiency.”

Cybersecurity, agritech, digital health and autonomous vehicles have all put Israel on the map as a global innovation center in recent years.

Now, two former Israel Navy commanders are riding the wave of innovation to transform the Jewish state into the port of call for global maritime technology.

An Israeli startup called Pick a Pier is bringing the Airbnb concept to boat marinas. Another Israeli startup, Loginno, built a smart container-tracking solution to monitor location and cargo conditions. These are two of the seven companies in the first cohort of theDOCK, an Israeli innovation hub and accelerator that has set sail on a big blue ocean of opportunities for maritime innovation.

Wärtsilä announces an official partnership with theDOCK Innovation Hub, an Israel-based maritime-focused startup accelerator, in a move it hopes will see the Technology giant connecting with the hottest local talent and emerging technologies within the marine sector. theDOCK brings together maritime stalwarts and aspiring creative startups to deliver practical innovations for port, shipping and logistics operations.

Since the hub was launched, Carmeli says Israeli interest in the maritime industry has grown steadily. “There were about 5 or 6 operating startups when we first started,” he tells NoCamels. “Now, partially because of us and partially because of the growing trends, there are about 20 initiatives targeting the maritime sector in Israel.”

The world’s largest carrier will use the partnership as an opportunity to meet start-ups. Founded by veteran Israeli technology leaders, along with port and maritime experts, theDOCK aims to deliver practical innovation to port and maritime operations. The logistics domain presents an ocean of opportunities for innovation following decades of conservative evolution.

Funded and supported by theDock Innovation Hub, Israeli team – DockTech - wins first place and Smart Port Prize at the World Port Hackathon held in Rotterdam.

“Israel, as the startup nation, has relevant technology assets such as Automation, Big Data, Cyber and IoT, and yet it is not on the map in the maritime industry,” says Hannan Carmeli. “theDock Innovation Hub considers that an opportunity to act”.

(Article is in Hebrew)