According to the Venture Acceleration Alliance (VAA), maritime scale-ups developing low-carbon technologies are being stalled by the very corporates that claim to need them.
A survey of 30 founders found no company scored above 6.5 out of 10 for collaboration, pointing to slow decisions, scarce funding and few clear routes in.
The findings are published in the Startup Collaboration Index 2025, the first global benchmark of how maritime and energy corporates work with start-ups. The index is produced by VAA, a collaboration between Platform Zero, Safetytech Accelerator by Lloyd’s Register, and Erasmus Centre for Entrepreneurship (ECET). VAA was formed to accelerate collaboration between corporates and start-ups in hard-to-abate industries such as shipping and energy.
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. Mid-performers score on average a point lower than the leaders, while the lowest group trails by two points.
But for most start-ups, the barriers are described as ‘stubbornly familiar’:
- No dedicated resources. Many corporates still have no budgets or teams tasked with working with start-ups, which means good ideas fail to get off the ground and opportunities are missed before they even start.
- Siloed pilots. When pilots do happen, they are often confined to one business unit or department. Without a coordinated approach, promising trials never scale across the wider organisation.
- Risk-averse cultures. Founders describe projects being approved at pilot stage, only to be cancelled later by senior management as ‘too risky’. This late-stage caution leaves start-ups stranded midstream and undermines confidence.
- Slow and unclear decisions. Entrepreneurs report lengthy negotiations with corporates that never result in a clear yes or no, draining time and resources and delaying the rollout of new technologies.
- Weak long-term partnerships. Even when collaboration begins, it rarely goes beyond the pilot phase. Few corporates make the long-term commitments needed for start-ups to embed and scale their solutions.
Mare Straetmans, Platform Zero Founder, said: “This benchmark is a call to action for corporates to embrace start-up collaboration as a driver of transformation. Working with start-ups is about scaling value for your corporate – this understanding changes the game for everybody.”
Marius Suteu, MD Safetytech Accelerator, added: “When corporates start to share the results of pilots with the ecosystem, it increases accountability and speeds up learning for the whole industry.”
The index is designed to provide transparency, celebrate those companies leading the way, and highlight where visible gaps remain. Its authors say the goal is to encourage corporates to commit resources, make faster decisions and open clearer pathways for start-ups — or risk slowing the technologies the industry needs to meet its climate targets.
