Valenciaport Sandbox Showcased at PEIC’26 as Port Innovation Bridge
The Port Authority of Valencia has presented its Valenciaport Sandbox at the 2026 International Port Entrepreneurship Congress (PEIC’26), according to the port authority. The congress opened with a session featuring a discussion between Valenciaport President Mar Chao and Valenciaport Foundation Director Antonio Torregrosa, and the port authority described the event as a global meeting point for innovation and entrepreneurship in the port sector.
Sandbox as a bridge to implementation
Chao framed innovation as a requirement for continued growth and for remaining competitive, sustainable and resilient. She said the Sandbox was created with the straightforward aim of allowing innovative solutions to be tested in a real port environment, and she expressed the hope that such projects would make the path from innovation to implementation faster, more efficient and more valuable for all involved.
The Port Authority of Valencia and the Valenciaport Foundation are working to build international networks and collaboration with startups in order to accelerate open innovation and strengthen the sector’s competitiveness.
International participation
Torregrosa pointed to strong interest from ports, major companies, investors and innovation leaders in taking part, which he said shows the emergence of a growing international community that views open innovation as a key driver of the future of the maritime and logistics sectors.
The opening discussion, titled Opening Perspectives: Enabling Port Innovation and Entrepreneurship, launched the fourth edition of the congress and brought together startups from 12 countries in Valencia to present their technologies to the port community. More than 45 selected startups have gathered for the event.
Across the two-day programme, 20 startups are expected to take the stage, alongside five selected to compete in the VDS pitch competition, others demonstrating their technologies in a new demonstration area at the lake of the City of Arts and Sciences, and 13 taking part in the PEIC Resilience Forum.
New features and programme
Held at the City of Arts and Sciences, the fourth edition introduces several new features, including PEIC Demo on the Lake and a new, larger Agora Stage. The port authority said these additions build on the spirit of previous editions by connecting startups, international port companies and institutions, and specialised venture capital investors.
According to the port authority, PEIC has established itself as a key event on the port innovation calendar, with Valenciaport serving as a meeting point for ports from Spain and around the world to share common challenges, discover innovative solutions and connect directly with the companies developing them.
Chao said events of this kind are important because they bring together those who understand the sector’s operational challenges and those working to address them, adding that this is where partnerships are formed and often turn into innovations with tangible impact.
