A survey of 30 founders of green tech shipping companies found no company scored above 6.5 out of 10 for collaboration, pointing to slow decisions, scarce funding and few clear routes in, reports Safety4sea.
Startup–Corporate Divide
Maritime scale-ups developing low-carbon technologies say they are being stalled by the corporates that claim to need them. The Startup Collaboration Index 2025, published on 18 September by the Venture Acceleration Alliance (VAA), has identified key barriers hindering effective partnerships between corporates and start-ups.
These include a lack of dedicated budgets or teams, pilot projects isolated in silos, risk-averse boards that cancel initiatives late in the process, and slow decision-making that leaves entrepreneurs without clear answers.
In addition, the Index also highlights the corporates most open to collaboration and investment, with Finland’s Wärtsilä, Britain’s Shell, and Norway’s DNV leading the 50-company ranking. The benchmark aims to guide funding toward more receptive partners and give scale-ups a better chance to deliver the technologies the industry claims it urgently needs.
The results show a divided picture. At the top, Wärtsilä (Finland), Shell (UK) and DNV (Norway) lead the ranking of 50 corporates. Other leaders in the Top 10 include Kongsberg, Maersk, Siemens Energy, CMA CGM, MOL, Port of Rotterdam and ABB.
As explained, mid-performers score on average a point lower than the leaders, while the lowest group trails by two points.
The Index is produced by the Venture Acceleration Alliance (VAA), a collaboration between Platform Zero, Safetytech Accelerator by Lloyd’s Register, and Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECET). The Alliance was formed to accelerate collaboration between corporates and start-ups in hard-to-abate industries such as shipping and energy.
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Source: Safety4sea
