Marine Weather Intelligence joins the PIER71 Smart Port Challenge 2026 accelerator in Singapore

A new market, a new culture

From 7 to 10 September 2026, Marine Weather Intelligence was in Singapore for the kick-off of SPC Accelerate, the 10-week acceleration programme of the Smart Port Challenge 2026, run by PIER71. Founded in 2018 by the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) and NUS Enterprise, PIER71 is the reference innovation platform for the maritime industry in one of the largest maritime hubs in the world.

Marine Weather Intelligence is part of the 2026 cohort in the Smart Shipping thematic area, in the scale-up category. Our team was represented by Basile Rochut, COO and co-founder, who joined the 22 other selected startups, chosen from several hundred applications.

For Marine Weather Intelligence, the stakes are high: Asia is a new market, with a business culture of its own. And for Basile, this kick-off was also a personal first, his first trip outside Europe.

Day one: meeting the cohort and our mentors

The first day was dedicated to welcoming the cohort, meeting the other startups and, above all, our mentors. They know the Singapore network and the way business is done locally inside out, and they will be key to opening doors to our future partners and clients throughout the programme.

Among the startups selected, three are working on maritime routing. As a scale-up, Marine Weather Intelligence was the most advanced of them, with MWI Shipping already deployed on vessels in operation.

Day two: intercultural management and port visits

The second day alternated between workshops and site visits. The intercultural management workshop was particularly instructive. In Singapore, business is built on relationships: face-to-face meetings matter enormously, communication is often indirect, and an informal lunch that runs longer than planned is part of how trust is built. Understanding these codes is essential before approaching a new market.

The cohort then went into the field, with visits to a shipyard and to PSA (formerly the Port of Singapore Authority), the operator of the Port of Singapore and one of the world’s leading port groups, whose global network spans more than 45 countries. A concrete way to see the scale of Singapore’s maritime ecosystem, and the operational challenges our weather and routing solutions can address.

Ten weeks to build our presence in Asia

The kick-off week was also an intense networking opportunity: Basile came back with around 20 qualified contacts among corporates, investors and ecosystem players.

Our objectives for the programme are clear:

• Develop our presence on the Asian market Within ten weeks, building on Singapore as a gateway to the region.
• Secure Letters of Intent From maritime companies, as a first step towards pilot projects with local corporates.
• Prepare the opening of an office in Singapore To stay close to our future clients and partners in Asia.
• Compete in the Grand Finale Great Circle, on 11 November 2026 at the Sheraton Towers Singapore, where finalists pitch their go-to-market strategy to the maritime industry and compete for the prizes.

Next steps

The programme continues: Christian Dumard, CEO and co-founder, will travel to Singapore the week of 12 October to carry on the work with our mentors and meet the contacts made during the kick-off. Basile and Christian will then both be at PIER71 in November for the Grand Finale.

This programme follows our participation in the ZEBOX acceleration programme and our work with shipping companies on fuel optimisation through weather routing.

Thank you, PIER71

A warm thank you to PIER71, MPA and NUS Enterprise for this first week, and to our mentors for their time and advice. See you on 11 November for the Grand Finale.

Key figures:

• 10 weeks of acceleration in Singapore
• 23 startups in the 2026 cohort
• 20 contacts made during the kick-off week
• Grand Finale on 11 November 2026