The fund is part of the technology incubator at the Port which was established subsequently to the innovation strategy of the Port.
Since its establishment, in 2021, the incubator has accompanied over 90 startups in various fields, including operations, logistics, cyber, safety, etc.
Roee Avrahami, the Director of the Port's innovation and investment arm, notes that the three promising startups were carefully selected upon the conclusion of a pilot program that lasted about six months on average, during which the technologies they developed were tested in a unique process in close cooperation with the Port's staff.
The startups chosen for investment are:
The Makalu Optics company, founded by the veteran entrepreneurs Shai Agassi and Sagi Tz'daka, which develops groundbreaking LiDAR technology that grants the Port powerful perception and planning capabilities and meets diverse requirements for various applications at the Port.
The company operates in several defense industries and is focused on the autonomous vehicle market.
The Treedis company develops and markets an advanced digitally compatible solution based on virtual and augmented reality that has real time connectivity features, integration with existing systems and advanced collaboration capabilities, in conjunction with knowledge retention benefits for the organization.
The Flyz Robotics company has developed an autonomous system that operates miniature drone robots with unique capabilities that enable the execution of complex tasks for extended periods of time, in a wide variety of scenarios, including security, safety and logistics.
The company carries out groundbreaking projects in Israel and Singapore.
The Chairman of the Ashdod Port Board of Directors, Shaul Schneider, stated: “The Ashdod Port Company views investments in technology companies as a strategic move, which will help us meet both the challenges of the current period of time and the global challenges faced by ports all over the world and, in parallel, optimize our competitive ability.
We are confident that this investment will yield optimal results for the Port of Ashdod, for the Israeli economy, as well as for the international port industry."
Nissan Levy, the CEO of the Port of Ashdod, added: “We congratulate the startups that were chosen to intensify the joint activity and see this as a significant opportunity to improve and optimize the service and the performance capability of the Port in the various fields.
The value proposals of the Port and of its innovation system is in its ability to combine the professional knowledge gained at the Port together with the thinking “outside the box" attributes of the startups, in a manner that brings innovative and groundbreaking solutions together.
We also provide these companies with a global commercial relations infrastructure that allows us to attract the most high quality and promising companies, a necessary condition for the success of the operation."
Photo: Meni Ben Harush