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The 5th Valenciaport Hackathon confirms the leadership of the Port of Valencia in open innovation

From May 9th to 11th, the iconic building “Edificio del Reloj” of the Port of Valencia hosted the 5th edition of the Valenciaport Hackathon, organized by Opentop, Valenciaport’s innovation hub. The event brought together 45 participants across 9 multidisciplinary teams, who worked intensively over three days to develop solutions to real challenges proposed by corporates in the port ecosystem.
The challenges addressed by participants were:
• Facilitating compliance with the NIS2 cybersecurity European directive for transport and logistics companies, proposed by ATEIA and represented by Raminatrans.
• Improving traceability and reducing emissions in the management of MARPOL ship waste, proposed by the Valencia Port Authority.
• Improving energy efficiency of reefer containers during their stay in port terminals, proposed by Logistop.

On Friday afternoon, the Hackathon partners were introduced, and the challenges were presented, followed by teams’ formation. Saturday began with a guided visit to the Port of Valencia, led by Juan Manuel Díez, Head of Innovation at the Valencia Port Authority. The teams also visited the facilities of APM Terminals, where they were welcomed by Joan Carbó, Equipment Project Engineer at APMT. The rest of the day was dedicated to the development of their solutions.

Sunday, May 11th was the highlight of the event, as teams presented their projects before the jury of the 5th Valenciaport Hackathon, composed of José Andrés Giménez (Fundación Valenciaport), Yolanda Trujillo (IDF Association), Ángela Castelló (Startup Valencia), and Francisco Macián (Valencia Port Authority).

After a difficult deliberation, the jury selected the following winning projects:
• 1st Prize (€3,000), awarded by the Juan Arizo Serrulla Foundation:
The team proposed a low-cost technological solution to monitor the energy consumption of reefer containers in real time, using an IoT device installed between the yard plug and the container. This data feeds into a smart management system that optimizes the on/off status of the containers using thermodynamic principles and data analytics. The system also detects anomalies and displays all container statuses and consumption levels on a central dashboard.
• 2nd Prize (€2,000), awarded by The Whiteam Technology Services (twt-ts):
The team presented Polaris, a SaaS platform to strengthen the cybersecurity culture in organizations. It includes interactive training, threat detection, employee progress tracking, and NIS2 compliance monitoring. The tool allows for real-time action tracking, audit generation, automation of key tasks, and role-based access -offering a scalable, people-focused solution for cybersecurity management.
• 3rd Prize (€1,000), awarded by Propeller Valencia, the port logistics executives association:
The team introduced an IoT-based solution for real-time monitoring of temperature, humidity, and energy consumption in reefer containers. The system eliminates manual intervention, triggers alerts in case of anomalies, and builds a predictive energy consumption model based on container positioning, weather conditions, and operational constraints - optimizing reefer layout and improving operational and energy efficiency.

A special audience award was also given for the originality and practicality of one of the solutions presented.

This 5th edition of the Valenciaport Hackathon confirms the Port of Valencia’s leadership in open innovation, connecting emerging talent with real challenges, and generating sustainable, smart solutions for the ports of the future.

Antonio Torregrosa, General Manager of Fundación Valenciaport, who inaugurated the hackathon, shared his enthusiasm about the event:
“It’s a great source of pride to see how the Valenciaport Hackathon is consolidated year after year as a meeting point between young talent and the real challenges of the port-logistics sector. The high technical level and motivation of the participants are remarkable, and the three proposed challenges focus on key areas to drive innovation and sustainability in our port environment.
Furthermore, this Hackathon has perfectly reflected Opentop’s goals as an innovation hub: to promote open innovation and create genuine connections between the Port Community and innovative talent.”

Juan Manuel Díez Orejas, Head of Innovation at the Valencia Port Authority, closed the event by highlighting its strategic value:
“The Valenciaport Hackathon strengthens the Port of Valencia’s position as an international reference in port innovation. Events like this not only connect with new generations, but also reinforce our commitment to opening the port’s needs to external technological knowledge, driving open innovation models that generate real value for the port community.
This hackathon is a great opportunity to engage the Valencian port cluster, discover new talent and identify applicable ideas that help us continue advancing toward a more efficient, sustainable, secure, and connected port.”

This Hackathon was made possible thanks to: Challenge sponsors: Logistop, ATEIA Valencia, Valencia Port Authority; Collaborators: APM Terminals, CiberTRS, Infoport, Raminatrans; Prize sponsors: Fundación Juan Arizo Serrulla, The Whiteam Technology Services (twt-ts), Propeller Valencia; Supporters: Valenciaport Cluster Innovation Committee, Ideas UPV, Invest in València, Startup Valencia, València Innovation Capital; Co-funded by: INCIBE, through the INCIBE Emprende program, and IDF Institute.