The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and NUS Enterprise, the entrepreneurial heart of the National University of Singapore (NUS), held the annual PIER71 Great Circle 2025, featuring the 9th Smart Port Challenge (SPC) Grand Finals and a Maritime Technology (MarineTech) Innovation Showcase.
MPA Chief Executive, Mr Ang Wee Keong, officiated at the event, which brought together over 300 participants from start-ups, venture capital firms, research institutions, and the maritime community.
Following the Call for Proposals in June 2025 to invite startups to develop innovative solutions for the maritime industry, roadshows were conducted across 13 cities—including for the first time, in Boston and Los Angeles—as well as cities in China, Germany, India, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. A record 288 submissions from 35 countries were received in response to the 15 challenge statements addressing key issues and opportunities in the global maritime industry. These covered digitalization, smart ports, smart shipping, and maritime green technologies
From these submissions, 19 start-ups were selected for the 10-week SPC Accelerate program, receiving mentorship, hands-on workshops, and market validation support. Together, these start-ups have secured over 30 Letters of Intent with local maritime companies to explore proof-of-concept or pilot trials.
At the SPC 2025 Grand Finals, Cyntegra emerged as the Top Start-up winner, sponsored by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). One care Group emerged as the Top Scale-up winner, sponsored by Reefknot Capital. The winners were awarded USD$11,400 (S$15,000) each.
Thematic prizes of USD$7600 (S$10,000) each were presented to:
The judging panel comprised Associate Professor Chai Kah Hin, Dean, School of Continuing and Lifelong Education, NUS; Mr Chin Yi Zhuan, Deputy Chief Executive (Industry & Corporate), MPA; Dr Gu Hai, Vice President of Technology, American Bureau of Shipping; and Mr Marc Dragon, Managing Partner, Reefknot Capital.
Since its establishment in 2018, PIER71 has nurtured close to 170 start-ups, which have collectively raised over USD$99 million (S$130 million) in venture capital funding. Many have gone on to deploy their technologies commercially or scale their operations
This year, PIER71 also launched a MarineTech Directory to connect maritime companies and investors with promising start-ups.
