Motion Ventures launches maritime tech fund at $100m to meet industry’s new pace of adoption

Motion Ventures, a Singapore-based venture capital fund catalysing digital and energy transitions across global supply chains, has unveiled its $100 million second fund (Motion Ventures Fund II), the largest maritime-focused tech fund to date.

Shaun Hon, Founder and General Partner, Motion Ventures: ''We launched Motion Ventures with the belief that maritime is entering a new era - one where technology, capital, and industry collaboration converge to redefine the sector’s trajectory. In recent years, we’ve seen digitalisation and decarbonisation shift from ideas to industry imperatives. Fund II goes beyond writing bigger checks; it’s about uniting the right founders, corporate leaders, and strategic allies to accelerate an industry-wide shift, ensuring that solutions can be tested, adopted, and scaled faster than ever before.''

Over the next 18 - 24 months, Fund II aims to deploy cheques of $250k to $10 million into at least 25 companies, targeting solutions that digitise and decarbonise the global maritime supply chain. By design, the new fund can now back startups developing more asset-intensive hardware solutions, recognising that maritime innovation demands solutions beyond software alone - an evolution spurred by growing corporate demand for deeper, faster progress in sustainability, vessel operations and port modernisation.

To date, Motion Ventures has raised more than half of Fund II’s target with investments already deployed in OceanScore and Fernride. These developments cement Motion Ventures position as maritime’s most active investor, having done more than 30 investments across Fund I and Fund II, while expanding its industry consortium to 17 major maritime and supply chain stakeholders across both funds - the broadest partnership of its kind.

Fund II builds on the proven track record of Motion Ventures’ inaugural fund. Launched in 2021, Motion Ventures Fund I has already generated two profitable exits, placing the firm in the top 10% of 2021 vintage VC funds globally. The firm’s broader deal pipeline is underscored by a rigorous investment process, which has seen them evaluate more than 8,000 startups since its inception in 2021.

Albrecht Grell, Managing Director, OceanScore: ''Maritime is the backbone of commerce, but it’s time to move faster and bolder, especially when building digital solutions in the compliance space. Shaun and the Motion Ventures team get that. Having them on our cap table has fast-tracked our expansion into new markets and helped to unlock access to a strategic network within the shipping community. With their support and deep sector expertise, we're on track to building our global leadership in maritime compliance solutions.''

Looking ahead, Motion Ventures aims to be the catalyst that transforms global maritime supply chains, now backed by the largest dedicated fund in the sector’s history. The maritime digitisation market alone is projected to reach $423.4 billion by 2031, and mounting pressure from regulators and customers alike demands faster progress. Fund II will harness that momentum, uniting startups and industry leaders to deliver cleaner, more efficient operations and, ultimately, shape the future of maritime commerce.

www.motion.vc

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