The 2026 International Port Entrepreneurship Congress (PEIC’26, for its initials in English) opened its fourth edition in Valencia this Wednesday. At the opening session, the Valenciaport Sandbox, the Port Authority of Valencia’s (APV) testing environment, was presented as a tool to help innovative solutions move from the testing phase to use at the port more quickly. APV President Mar Chao described innovation as «an essential requirement for continuing to grow and remain competitive, sustainable, and resilient».
Chao opened the event with Antonio Torregrosa, director general of the Valenciaport Foundation (FV). The two held a conversation titled «Opening Perspectives: Enabling port innovation and entrepreneurship». Representatives of ports, startups, logistics corporations, and investors from various countries are attending the congress. According to its organizers, it has become an international meeting point for port innovation and entrepreneurship.
The APV president devoted much of her remarks to the Sandbox, one of the initiatives through which the Port Authority applies innovation to real-world operations. «The Sandbox was created with a simple goal: to allow innovative solutions to be tested in a real port environment,» she explained. Chao also said she hopes that, with projects of this kind, «the path from innovation to implementation will be faster, more efficient, and more valuable for everyone involved».
The president also championed forums such as PEIC because they bring together those who understand operational problems and those who develop solutions. «That is why gatherings like this are so important. This is where those who understand the sector’s operational challenges meet with those working to solve them. This is where collaborations begin and, in many cases, become innovations with a tangible impact,» she said.
Antonio Torregrosa spoke about the interest shown by ports, large companies, investors, and innovation leaders in taking part in the congress. In his view, this response demonstrates that a growing international community sees open innovation «as a key driver for the future of the maritime and logistics sectors».
The Port Authority and the Valenciaport Foundation are organizing the event. Its aim is to build international networks and work with startups to accelerate open innovation and improve the sector’s competitiveness. Startups from 12 countries are taking part in this edition, coming to Valencia to showcase their technology to the port community.
During the two-day program, 20 startups are scheduled to take the stage. They will be joined by the five selected for the VDS pitch competition, those exhibiting in the new demonstration area on the lake at the City of Arts and Sciences, and the 13 participating in the PEIC Resilience Forum. In total, more than 45 selected startups are presenting their projects at the congress.
The fourth edition is being held at the City of Arts and Sciences. New features include the «PEIC Demo on the Lake» area and a new, larger stage, the Agora Stage. The format remains the same as in previous editions: connecting startups, companies, and international port institutions with specialized venture capital funds.
According to the organizers, during these days Valenciaport is bringing together national and international ports that face shared challenges. They are coming to Valencia to learn about solutions and engage directly with the companies developing them.
The Sandbox and PEIC follow the same approach: opening the port to external companies to test and learn about technology that can be applied to its activities. The Sandbox does this through trials in a real port environment. PEIC does so through direct contact between ports, startups, and investors over the two days of the congress.
