Yachting Ventures and Balearic Marine Cluster will hold an Innovation Exchange Session at the Mediterranean Superyacht Forum 2026, scheduled to run 28 April in Palma.
Taking place the day before the Palma International Boat Show (PIBS), the Mediterranean Superyacht Forumn 2026 brings together professionals and investors looking to connect in an effort to broaden participation and accelerate collaboration across the Mediterranean superyacht ecosystem.
The Innovation Exchange Session will run from 15:30 in the main auditorium on Tuesday 28th April 2026, welcoming up to 300 attendees (including those without a ticket to the main conference)
Hosted and moderated by Gabbi Richardson, founder of the global growth platform Yachting Ventures, which supports innovation across leisure marine industry, the Innovation Exchange Session will explore how emerging technologies and new business models are shaping the future of superyachting, before spotlighting practical solutions through a pitching showcase.
Companies pitch to the superyacht industry
The afternoon will open with a panel discussion exploring ‘The Role of innovation in the future of yachting‘. It will bring together senior voices from across the industry for a high-level conversation exploring how innovation is redefining competitiveness, operational efficiency, and sustainability in the superyacht sector.
This will be followed by a live pitch showcase, where eight companies will deliver five-minute presentations focused on scalable solutions for the superyacht market (yachts above 24 metres) across four categories:
- AI & digitalisation: Technologies enhancing efficiency, predictive maintenance, data-driven decision-making and smarter vessel management across the superyacht ecosystem.
- Onshore operations: Innovations improving shipyard performance, refit coordination, supply chain optimisation and marina infrastructure.
- Offshore operations: Solutions designed to enhance onboard performance, crew efficiency, safety and operational reliability at sea.
- Sustainability: Scalable approaches addressing emissions, energy optimisation, alternative materials, waste management and environmental compliance.
The afternoon will close with relaxed networking sundowners on the Mediterranean Superyacht Forum terrace overlooking the marina, giving attendees the opportunity to continue conversations, make new connections, and build relationships ahead of PIBS.
Expanding the conversation beyond startups
Startups, scaleups, and corporates are all invited to apply to pitch at the Innovation Exchange Session, across the four categories.
Importantly, this is not a showcase of ideas but a focused exchange designed to accelerate implementation, unlock collaboration and drive measurable progress across the superyacht sector.
While Yachting Ventures has traditionally focused on early-stage ventures, this collaboration acknowledges that technology is increasingly being developed by scaleups and forward-thinking corporates who recognise the need to innovate or fall behind.
“Startups continue to play a critical role, but innovation in yachting today is increasingly coming from multiple directions,” says Richardson.
“To reflect this, we’re beginning to expand our focus and content beyond pure early-stage startups to also support more established ventures, and the MSF is the perfect platform to begin those conversations.”
Pedro Suasi, director of Balearic Marine Cluster, says: “The yachting industry is undergoing significant changes, and innovation driven by emerging companies has the potential to become a real game changer.
“At Balearic Marine Cluster, we actively foster innovation and entrepreneurship within the sector, and we believe that the Mediterranean Superyacht Forum, bringing together some of the industry’s leading voices, provides an excellent platform to showcase the new technologies shaping the future of the industry.”
How to get involved
Applications will be reviewed to ensure participating companies represent high-quality, disruptive solutions relevant specifically to the superyacht sector. The application deadline is 25 March 2026, and you can apply online.
For shipyards, management companies, suppliers, investors, or institutional stakeholders, this event offers the opportunity to discover which solutions will shape the future of yachting, to identify scalable technologies before they reach mass adoption and connect directly with the founders and teams behind them. Tickets are priced at €30.
Yachting Ventures
Yachting Ventures recently launched a new podcast, the Founder Podcast Series, in collaboration with podcast producer Ben Taylor. The new series focuses on the founders of leisure marine startups and examines how their companies are being developed.
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