Scale Up Nation Conference Held at Ashdod Port

This week, Ashdod Port Company hosted the Scale Up Nation conference. The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ashdod Port, Shaul Schneider, and the CEO of Ashdod Port, Nissan Levy, hosted representatives of venture capital funds from Israel and abroad, regulators, government bodies, and leading startups at the conference. Among them were Dr. Yossi Vardi, co-founder of Pitango, Rami Kalish, Head of Business Development and Innovation at Bazan Group, Neta Nei, CEO of Retsio Technologies, Danny Winteraub, partner at ICI FUND, Prof. Yaron Wolfsthal, CEO of Unit 81 Alumni Association, Chen Kamin, founder and CEO of ArguEye startup, Ido Deutsch, CEO of Airwayz, Eyal Tzur, founder and CEO of Conbo AI, Eran Farg and other CEOs from startups operating in Ashdod Port's maritime technology HUB, led by the Innovation Manager of Ashdod Port, Roi Avrahami.

The unique model of Ashdod Port's technology HUB was presented at the conference. The port serves as a testing field for dozens of startups and advanced technologies as part of a built-in entrepreneurial embedding program. In addition, an exhibition was held where 12 startups at various stages of growth were presented. Ashdod Port recently launched a dedicated venture capital fund with a potential volume of up to 55 million dollars, designed to invest in promising startups. The new fund establishes Ashdod Port as a global center for innovation in the port and supply chain sector, offering entrepreneurs a rare opportunity to embed their technologies in the traditional industry and benefit from both international exposure to ports, other potential customers, and investors.

Shaul Schneider, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ashdod Port, said at the conference: "We see investment in innovation as a future investment that is at the heart of our work. The board leads a strategic concept according to which beta sites are not just testing platforms - but a basis for long-term partnerships with startups, investment funds, and global corporations. In order for Israel to be not only a nation of startups but also a nation of scale-ups, we promote smart partnerships between the public sector, industry, and entrepreneurship. Ashdod Port implements this approach on the ground - and invites all participants to be part of it."

Nissan Levy, CEO of Ashdod Port, said at the conference: "Ashdod Port Company is proud to hold a conference that connects industry, entrepreneurship, and investments around a common goal: to promote applied innovation in the national infrastructures of the State of Israel. We see the technology HUB as a strategic move with a clear concept: a competitive port in the 21st century does not rely only on the depth of the water or the width of the dock - but also on its ability to embed innovative technological solutions, to act as a beta site for Israeli startups, and to be a true partner for the growth of technology companies."

Roi Avrahami, Manager of the Innovation System of Ashdod Port: "The conference we are holding today is an expression of Ashdod Port's strategy to become not only a leading beta site, but also a business and technological partner for growth. Our vision is clear: Ashdod Port will not only be the leading national port in Israel - but also the most innovative port in the Middle East, one that serves as a model for integrating operational, security, energy, and logistics technologies."