Peeking into the startup novelties

Bright new ideas are often the starting point for new companies. From a clever perceived plan towards a fully developed product is a challenging process. When this first challenge from concept to a tangible product is overcome, the next phase is to find clients. In their startup phase, a lot of companies will need the help of experienced entrepreneurs and marketing professionals. Or just a launching platform, like the Startup Zone at Metstrade. At the upcoming edition, 21 newly launched companies will present their novel products and services to the audience of leisure marine professionals. Sixteen startups will exhibit at the Startup zone in hall 7, five more will inhabit the space reserved for Superyacht Startups in hall 8.

Accelerator

Getting the industry’s attention is a hard thing to achieve when you start from a laboratory of a small scale manufacturing site. The British startup accelerator Yachting Ventures tries to help with just that. This agency helps the innovators and product developers to get introduced to the community of the leisure marine industry and uses marketing and events. Yachting Ventures helps to design and publish a company website, introduces the yachting press and organises startup spaces at important trade shows. This year’s Metstrade will host the Startup Zone for the third time, organised in co-operation with Yachting Ventures. 

Springboard

“We invite these startups to spotlight the most promising new technologies in the marine sector. The Startup Zone has established itself as a springboard for ambitious founders over the previous two editions,” Yachting Ventures founder and CEO Gabriella Richardson remarks.

New for 2025 is the shared booth hosting Superyacht Startups. The new space will be dedicated to technologies and solutions designed for vessels over 24 metres in length, including products and platforms targeting operational efficiency, digitalisation, and sustainability within the superyacht sector. Halfway October, five participants were signed to join in this specialised space. Richardson is anticipating more companies to join, three weeks before exhibit hall doors open.

Preview

Looking forward to exploring all of the innovations at display in the startup areas, some coincidental conversations with the companies there, provide a preview of what is to be seen. The uplifting spirit of innovation is immanent.

Boatee

Cesare Malescia, founder and CTO of Boatee, kicks off: “Metstrade is our official world premiere! We are incredibly excited to unveil the Boatee Smart 1.3, our first 1.3kW electric outboard. It features an external LiFePo4 battery, weighs only 6kg, and offers up to 5 hours of autonomy at 3 knots. This is just the beginning of our journey, as we'll be showcasing Boatee at other major international boat shows soon after.”

Malescia has practised the pitch:

“We didn't just electrify an outboard; we re-engineered it from the ground up with a focus on simplicity and user experience. Key benefits are its elegant, minimal construction for greater reliability and its unmatched lightness at just 6kg, which is a game-changer for portability. Our innovative touch-display control system makes it as intuitive and connected as a smartphone.”

After four years of research and product development. The company Boatee was officially established this year.

www.boatee.it

Marlic

Kristian Rosenberg Larsen, press officer at Marlic, enthusiastically tells about his company’s involvement in the Zone:

“Marlic A/S was established in 2022. What began as an attempt to optimise the inventor’s own boat turned out to be a groundbreaking innovation with patent potential: the Full-hydraulic power steering system with integrated design. This discovery became the foundation of Marlic. Our first product, the Marlic 3520, was finalised, certified and introduced in November 2024. It represents the first full hydraulic power steering system with integrated electronic interface. Marlic’s hydraulic power steering eliminates the need for electro-hydraulic pumps, autopilot pumps, electrical actuators, and large battery packs. It provides full hydraulic power steering at the helm and offers direct plug-and-play interface capabilities for autopilot and joystick control – but with minimal power consumption, higher energy efficiency, simplified installation, and greater cost-effectiveness. Our goal is to find a global partner interested in adopting and commercialising our integrated hydraulic steering technology, allowing us to focus on further innovation within marine hydraulics.”

www.marlic.dk

Competr

Leopoldo Cavina, marketing and sales lead at Competr, hopes that particapating at Metstrade will spark long term collaborations:

“Metstrade is the ideal platform for our first major industry showcase. Our objective is to engage directly with OEMs, boatbuilders, and distributors who are looking for high-performance electric propulsion systems that combine design, power and sustainability. Beyond visibility, we aim to initiate long-term collaborations and gather direct feedback from the market to fine-tune our pre-series production.”

Competr introduces an ultra-light electric powertrain system featuring an outboard motor with counter-rotating tractor propellers. This propulsion set has been developed up to the advanced prototype stage in which it will be presented at Metstrade. Next year the prototype will be validated on the water, and pilot deliveries to selected shipyards and yachtclubs are expected to begin in 2026.

Cavina: “The Startup Zone is the first full public showcase of the system in a trade fair context, an important step toward its commercial debut.”

www.competr.it

Nauticare

Matteo Senes will showcase the new yacht management software as developed by his company Nauticare at the Superyacht Startup space.

“Nauticare aims to offer an integrated digital ecosystem for yacht management,” Senes explains. “Our software combines fleet management, maintenance tracking, crew management, compliance to maritime and flagstate regulations and more into one intuitive platform. Unlike traditional services, we focus on automation and user experience, enabling operators to manage their vessels more efficiently and reduce administrative workload. Beta testers have already reported significant time savings and improved operational visibility across their fleets. We haven’t officially launched our product yet, it's currently in development and beta testing. We’re gathering feedback from early users to ensure a strong market-ready launch soon.”

Nauticare was founded in 2024 with the mission to simplify and modernize yacht management through AI driven solutions.

“Our primary goal at Metstrade is to showcase Nauticare to the wider superyacht industry and connect with management companies, captains, and yacht operators who share our vision for a smarter, more connected yachting ecosystem. We’re also looking to build strategic partnerships and expand our network of beta testers to further refine and validate our solution.”

www.nauticare.io

Pitching for funding

Additional to the Zones, the upcoming edition of Metstrade will also feature the second Startup Pitch Competition. Five startups get  the chance to pitch their innovations live on stage to a panel of industry experts and investors. Pitches will be judged on criteria such as originality, scalability, market potential, and industry impact. Pitching starting entrepreneurs get exposure and access to investors. A winner is chosen by the panel, which does not automatically mean that they will invest however. The winning startup will have the option to either participate again as a startup or register for a stand at Metstrade 2026 with a special discount. The Startup Pitch Competition will take place on the final day of the show, Thursday 20th November 2025 from 14:45–16:15 in the Metstrade Stage. 

for a brief overview of ALL the participating startups at Metstrade 2025, see:  https://www.metstrade.com/zones/startups