PortXL, the pioneer accelerator of port innovation
PortXL celebrates a decade of life with more than interesting results: 132 start-ups have been part of its acceleration program with an 85% survival rate, figures that border on excellence and that contradict the ephemeral trajectory that disruptive companies usually experience. Christel Pullens, its director, shares with PierNext a pioneering business model that never stops looking to the future.
Posted on
03.14.2025
Ten years innovating in the maritime-port sector
PortXL was founded in 2015 by the Port of Rotterdam, Van Oord, Vopak, Boskalis EY, Uniper, Rabobank, Rotterdam Port Fund (then an innovation fund), Innovation Quarter (a Dutch investment firm), and the Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship, a local high-tech accelerator.
“The set-up was similar to that of HighTechXL, a Dutch technology accelerator at the time, although while their focus was on new technologies, PortXL's focus was always on start-ups in the maritime and port sector,” explains Christel Pullens, Director of PortXL.
He recalls that ten years ago there were virtually no accelerators in the industry. “Everyone knew that innovation was important and that you had to start working with start-ups to keep the business relevant, but no one really knew how to do it. That's why many institutions wanted to be part of PortXL from the beginning,” she continues.
Back to the present, the landscape has changed substantially. Virtually all of the world's leading ports have their own accelerator or associated programs. In the case of PortXL, some of the partners that were initially part of its foundation have even created their own in-house start-up programs, such as Boskalis and Van Oord.
“Our goal is to positively impact the maritime industry, so the more accelerators that focus on driving sustainable practices, the better. We actively collaborate with many around the world and also exchange start-ups,” she says.
Although competition has grown, what is it about Port XL that makes it attractive to start-ups ten years after its creation?
Pullens replies that, on the one hand, it is a question of reputation: “I am still surprised by the number of start-ups around the world that know about our program. Also, he explains, because of its neutral character, since they do not intervene in the start-ups' shareholding or impose quotas in the event of their success. “We support them to really accelerate their start-up,” she says.
Selection of start-ups
The star of PortXL is its three-month program for 8-15 start-ups pre-selected from among the hundreds that apply. Pullens explains that in 2024, for example, they spoke to around 800.
The selection criteria are based on the challenges faced by PortXL's partners, which in turn coincide with the challenges of the maritime-port sector as a whole.
“We work on an annual cycle. At the beginning of each year we talk to each of our partners individually to find out what they are going to focus on over the next 12 months, what they are finding difficult to solve on their own and how we can help them. We then document this information for each partner anonymously and create a generic canvas with these challenges, which basically match those of the maritime and port industry in terms of sustainability, energy transition or operational efficiency,” says PortXL's Director.
A program designed for piloting and scale-up
Once accepted into the acceleration program, efforts are focused on supporting the start-ups in their growth by providing them with resources and industry contacts, such as inviting a classification society to explain the requirements for approving a new technology in the maritime field.
They are also supported by expert mentors from different areas. “They can be investors, technical or commercial experts, but they all belong to the sector and are available for very specific questions. Start-ups can select their mentor who, in turn, will introduce them to relevant people in their network. You will also need to make sure that by the end of the program an agreement has been reached to develop a pilot,” explains Pullen.
“With pilots, it often takes one or two years before they are executed once the program is concluded. During these three months that the program lasts, we try to create 'momentum' to get the deals signed,” she says.
Has the way start-ups are recruited changed over the years? Christel Pullens answers that they have given the concept a twist to accommodate those disruptors who propose such radical solutions that, a priori, are difficult to fit in.
“That's why we have introduced the 'PortXL wildcard'. We ask our partners to support them, maybe not through a pilot but, for example, by assigning a person from their company with expertise in a topic that this particular start-up finds difficult to solve. That way we make sure that these new ideas also have a place in the industry,” she explains.
Another change they have introduced in these ten years is the so-called Innovator in a Day, a masterclass where they teach companies how to introduce innovative ideas in their organizations without necessarily relying on start-ups.
“Often, landing and implementing an innovative idea is complex for many companies, even if it is the solution they need. That's why two years ago we started offering this masterclass once a semester,” she explains.
Examples from the port of Rotterdam
One of PortXL's main partners is the Port of Rotterdam itself, which has been the scene of pilots developed in the accelerator to provide solutions to its needs, such as:
- Reefy: combines biology and hydraulic engineering to develop sustainable concrete blocks that form a stable structure that breaks the waves and creates an underwater labyrinth where fish and other species can shelter and reproduce. Since late 2013, the city, Rijkswaterstaat, the port and the World Wildlife Fund have been working together on sustainable riverbanks, keeping these natural banks in place and protecting them from waves caused by boats and the current itself, using the Reefy blocks.
- i4sea: monitors maritime and weather forecasts and weather risk management to systematize operations and establish responses for each case. For the port, the start-up introduced a climate risk management tool to help understand the scenario in which operations are framed and its variations throughout the year. In this context, they presented an analysis of wind records measured by sensors in the port of Rotterdam over the last 14 years, between 2007 and 2021.
- QuinteQ launched a pilot project in April 2024 focused on the implementation of sustainable energy solutions in the port industry. The flywheel developed by QuinteQ Energy is specifically designed to cope with peak power demand from port cranes and will play a key role in enabling port electrification in the Port of Rotterdam, as it not only enables more efficient energy use, but the ports will be able to expand their electrical power demand without the need to modify their grid.
Future plans for PortXL
This tenth anniversary of PortXL also represents the opportunity to refine the role of the accelerator in the entire innovation ecosystem. “Should we continue down this path or expand into other areas? The answer to these questions is up in the air, but we are at an ideal time to consider what we want to do for the next 10 years,” shares Christel Pullens.
For PortXL's director, there is no single definition of innovation, as it depends on how companies perceive themselves. In the case of the accelerator, their approach is based on open innovation because they firmly believe that there is a world out there full of ideas and learnings that can benefit many players in the industry.
They have been doing so for ten years and expect to continue for a few more decades.
