Hafnia, the world’s largest tanker company, is collaborating with tech giant Microsoft and companies DNV, IMC Ventures, and Wilhelmsen to launch a new digital venture studio, ‘Studio 30 50’.
A crucial target for the maritime industry today is to reduce emissions significantly by 2030 while aspiring to be Net Zero by 2050. Studio 30 50 will identify innovative solutions by startups that solve both near-term and long-term goals of building a sustainable and agile maritime industry of the future.
The studio’s objective is to address a broad range of ESG topics concerning the maritime industry, and fund innovative proposals that improve efficiencies across the whole maritime supply chain.
Shanker Pillai, Head of Innovation and Change at Hafnia, will lead efforts on Studio 30 50 and reiterated the urgent need for a collective approach to address change, not only at an organizational level but from anyone with an interest in driving the sustainable future of the maritime industry.
Building a sustainable maritime industry of the future is a vision shared by all partners, and the studio aims to attract a new type of talent to the maritime sector in the form of individual founders and early-stage start-ups who have an ambition to solve complex challenges around emissions reduction, building a circular economy, solving social issues and the broader supply chain inefficiencies facing the maritime industry.
The venture will help new founders in their journey of raising sufficient capital, bridging the product-market fit, providing a successful point of entry and in building scalable, sustainable business models that offer unique added value in a competitive and strict regulatory landscape.
“Our first-in-Singapore collaboration with leaders in the global maritime space will infuse innovation in data & AI, sustainability and security into all parts of their industry,” said Richard Koh, Singapore Chief Technology Officer, Microsoft. “We are confident that this ecosystem collaboration will empower Singapore to transform the global maritime industry at scale with homegrown innovation on the Microsoft Cloud, while addressing challenges in sustainable energy use, resourcing and process optimization.”
