Ashdod Port Partners with Chartered Group Investment Fund for Innovation

The Chartered Group investment fund, managed by Eyal Agmoni and handling investments of $400 million, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Ashdod Port for collaboration in innovation and investment in startups operating within Ashdod Port's technological HUB. The decision for collaboration was made during conferences held by Ashdod Port in Osaka and Tokyo, Japan, where the port presented its unique model of the technological HUB and the startups it has invested in.

Following meetings in Tokyo between Eyal Agmoni and Shaul Schneider, Chairman of the Port, and Roi Avrahami, Head of Innovation, Agmoni visited Ashdod Port to sign the memorandum of understanding and collaboration. Under this agreement, the investment fund will be able to invest alongside Ashdod Port in selected startups. Additionally, the fund will assist startups in promoting business in Japan and other countries in Asia. The startups will gain access to the investment fund and its significant influence in management, as well as to the extensive connections of the fund's chairman, Eyal Agmoni.

This agreement joins 27 other agreements that Ashdod Port has signed with ports and shipping companies worldwide in recent years. It serves as another milestone in the port's innovation strategy, aiming to expand the activity of the technological HUB of the port world established by Ashdod Port. It also aims to open a joint channel to promote technologies in logistics, supply chain, and cyber, and to find growth channels, investments, and joint business development in Japan and the Asian continent.

The technological HUB of Ashdod Port operates under a unique model, where the port serves as a testing field (POC) for dozens of startups and advanced technologies. This is part of a built-in entrepreneurial integration program that has accompanied over 100 startups in the fields of supply chain, cyber, logistics, and operation in recent years. These startups provide innovative, revolutionary solutions to improve the global supply chain. Ashdod Port recently launched a dedicated venture capital fund with a potential volume of up to $55 million, intended for investment in promising startups. So far, the port has invested in eight startup companies that have undergone the process. Similar partnerships established in collaboration with Ashdod Port and have been successfully operating in recent years include New York, New Jersey, Barcelona, Florida, Santos Port in Brazil, Thessaloniki Port, and more.

At the signing ceremony at Ashdod Port, Chartered Group Chairman Eyal Agmoni said: 'I thank Ashdod Port for the collaboration agreement. The combination of the port's experience and the fund's resources will allow the jointly selected startups an opportunity to break into international markets, especially in Asia and Japan, and to create a platform that promotes not only the companies but the entire Israeli economy, through innovation and joint investments. Ashdod Port presents a unique model in the field of technology and maritime logistics, and we see great value in collaborating with them and thank all the partners for the journey.'

Ashdod Port's Board Chairman Shaul Schneider said: 'This is the first time a significant foreign investment fund has signed a strategic agreement with a government company, and I am proud of that. We thank Eyal Agmoni for his visit to Ashdod Port, for his expression of confidence, and for his support in strengthening the ties between the countries. I am confident that together we can work to promote and strengthen the regional collaboration of the port in Japan and the Asian continent. The maritime world has entered a new era. Not only trade and geopolitics, but technology, cyber, artificial intelligence, advanced innovation - they are reshaping our industry faster than ever. Ashdod Port is proud to be at the forefront of this change for the benefit of the Israeli economy and to strengthen the global supply chain.'

Ashdod Port CEO Nissan Levy said: 'We congratulate the collaboration with Eyal Agmoni, which allows promoting the world of innovation and startups at a global level. Thanks to the unique way Ashdod Port operates with the various startups in its technological HUB, the port and the startups have the ability to contribute greatly to ports worldwide. This ability has already been realized several times, and as Israel's national port, we will continue to assist in exporting Israeli innovation overseas.'

Ashdod Port's Innovation Manager Roi Avrahami said: 'The collaboration with the Chartered Group allows a joint response to the global challenges existing in the world of ports and, in addition, emphasizes advanced technological solutions for cyber, security, and operational efficiency, alongside the exchange of information and experience in the fields of global technology front.'