The tour of Colombia allowed them to connect with players from different industries and understand the challenges in shipbuilding
The startups Mine Analytics, Moderniza and Bosses SpA, finalists of the Desafío Avante 04 of the Chilean Navy (Armada de Chile), took part in GoFest in Bogotá and visited Cotecmar in Cartagena, Colombia’s main state-owned shipyard and a regional benchmark in innovation and development of the naval and maritime industry, to explore business opportunities.
As reported by Infodefensa.com, Avante 04 is an open innovation initiative focused on solving naval problems through science-based ventures that also have potential civilian applications. The challenge was first held in 2020 and helps strengthen the national research, development and innovation ecosystem.
According to Know Hub Chile, the Avante program, driven by the Chilean Navy’s Technological Innovation Center (Cita) and Know Hub Chile, with support from Anid and funding from Corfo through the ITP Cita project, has become a benchmark for dual innovation in the country. Its fourth edition focused on shipbuilding, a key area for national technological autonomy.
The Avante 04 finalist teams presented high-impact solutions for shipbuilding. Mine Analytics created planning and management software that integrates data from different units in shipyards, optimizing coordination and productivity.
Moderniza developed advanced tools to control the costs and timelines of naval projects, addressing one of the sector’s main challenges.
Meanwhile, Bosses SPA designed a hybrid propulsion system for small vessels that can cut fuel consumption by up to 30%, resulting in lower operating costs and a smaller environmental impact.
International perspective
During the tour, the entrepreneurs highlighted what they learned. José Pablo Herrera of Mine Analytics said that “the visit to Cotecmar allowed us to understand their shipbuilding challenges and identify a concrete opportunity to pilot our solution, opening doors following the validation we are currently carrying out at Asmar.”
Sergio Salazar of Moderniza valued that GoFest allowed them to “connect with players from different industries and learn about scale-up cases in areas such as energy, education and artificial intelligence, as well as explore potential synergies with Cotecmar.” And Bruno Osses of Bosses SPA noted that “Cotecmar’s infrastructure and capabilities were impressive, and the experience in Cartagena Bay gave us input to adapt our solutions to engines used in Colombia’s maritime tourism.”
Regarding this activity abroad, Lieutenant Francisca Lema of Cita said:
“This tour allowed us to get to know Colombia’s ecosystem. GoFest, with a strong presence of startups and high-level international speakers in areas such as corporate venture capital, technology and entrepreneurial culture, opened concrete possibilities to connect and create synergies with the ventures, companies and organizations present.”
The officer also highlighted the importance of the visit to Cotecmar: “Giving the teams the chance to get to know the Science and Technology Corporation for the Development of the Naval Industry, its vision, talent development, knowledge management and technological developments, opens potential opportunities for collaboration and coordination.”
Héctor Cifuentes, New Projects manager at Know Hub Chile, stressed that this trip reinforces the spirit of Avante by connecting science, defense and industry around strategic challenges. “For the teams it was a turning point: it allowed them to validate their developments in an international setting and explore synergies that boost the reach of Chilean innovation in naval markets,” he said.
Read the original article at https://www.infodefensa.com/texto-diario/mostrar/5418117/startups-ganadoras-desafio-avante-04-armada-chile-visitan-cotecmar-explorar-oportunidades-comerciales
