PortXL PortConnectors
During PortConnectors the 11 startups participating in the PortXL program are not on stage to impress you, they are there to ask for one specific thing they need, and to find out who in the room can provide it.
Everyone attending is part of the Rotterdam port and maritime ecosystem: corporate partners, ecosystem partners, investors, mentors, and PortXL alumni. That focus is the point. A room that knows the sector produces connections that matter.
How it works
1. Ask: Each start-up takes five minutes to explain what they do and, more importantly, what they need right now. A pilot site. A vessel to test on. A buyer in a specific segment. A regulatory route.
2. Offer: The room responds. If you know the person, the company, or the door that opens it, you say so.
3. Connect: The founder picks the offer that fits.
Ten minutes per company, six companies per room, two rooms running in parallel. Then everyone comes back together.
Program
15:00 — Walk-in
15:30 — Plenary welcome
15:45 — Ask, offer, connect (6 start-ups per room, 10 minutes each)
17:00 — Plenary networking and drinks
18:00 — End
What we ask of you
Come with your network in mind. You are not expected to solve everything, one relevant name for one company is a good afternoon. The cohort profiles are sent in advance so you can think ahead about where you can help.
Practical
Attendance is by invitation.
Getting to Hotel New York
Koninginnenhoofd 1, Rotterdam (Wilhelminapier, next to the Erasmus Bridge)
By car: Park at the World Port Center garage next to the hotel, or at Q-Park De Rotterdam, Fenix, or Boston & Seattle (5–10 min walk). Book parking in advance.
By public transport: Take metro D or E, or tram 20, 23, or 25, to Wilhelminaplein. There are direct connections from Rotterdam Central.
Photographs will be taken during the event and may be used in PortXL communications. If you prefer not to appear, let us know at imke.greven@portxl.org