sources : https://sg.linkedin.com/company/imc-ventures

Maritime and logistics startups often face significant barriers in scaling their innovations due to the fragmented nature of the industry and the high capital intensity of infrastructure deployment. Many promising technologies struggle with limited access to strategic partners, real-world testing environments, and early customers critical for validation and growth. Additionally, startups frequently encounter regulatory complexities across diverse Asian markets, slowing down adoption and integration. 

IMC Ventures addresses these pain points by providing not only capital but also hands-on support, infrastructure access, and regulatory guidance, helping startups overcome these operational and market-entry challenges that typically hinder maritime and logistics innovation.

IMC Ventures is a corporate venture capital firm headquartered in Singapore, established in 2021 by the IMC Industrial Group. It focuses on early-stage investments in the maritime and logistics technology sectors, aiming to foster sustainable growth and operational synergies while delivering positive environmental and social impact.

Launched as the strategic innovation arm of IMC Industrial Group, IMC Ventures was created to bridge the gap between emerging maritime-tech startups and IMC’s deep infrastructure and client ecosystem. With a lean team of four to five members in Singapore, the firm extends hands-on support, offering startups access to IMC’s extensive network and resources to scale effectively within global supply chain and port operations.

IMC Ventures was founded under the umbrella of IMC Industrial Group, a Singaporean conglomerate. The venture team includes key professionals such as Axel Tan (Venture Partner), Bruno Lorenzon (Principal), James Ong (Associate), and Qiu Peng (Associate) operating from Singapore and Shanghai.

IMC Ventures’ offering is a comprehensive platform of strategic capital, industrial partnership, and ecosystem access tailored for startups in maritime, logistics, and sustainability tech. As a corporate venture arm of IMC Industrial Group, headquartered in Singapore, IMC Ventures provides seed-to-Series B capital, alongside hands-on support such as pilots, infrastructure deployment, regulatory guidance, and customer network access particularly within Asia Pacific markets and IMC’s existing shipping, port, and logistics operations. Notably, IMC Ventures invests in impact-driven firms like Everimpact which develops hardware and software to track real carbon emissions onboard vessels and ports and BeeX, a Singapore-based startup creating autonomous underwater vehicles for coastal infrastructure inspection and offshore wind projects. IMC also collaborates with maritime innovation platforms like PIER71, maritime authorities, and entities such as Hafnia, Microsoft, DNV, and Wilhelmsen through initiatives like Studio 30 50, a venture studio focused on ESG-centered maritime solutions like emissions reduction, circular economy, and supply chain efficiency. Through these multi-faceted engagements, IMC Ventures offers more than financing, it offers integrated deployment pathways, co-development projects, and routes to early customers and pilots, especially in the maritime domain where infrastructure access is critical to startup scalability.

As a corporate VC fund, IMC Ventures invests capital in its portfolio companies, but it does not disclose external investors. The firm itself is funded and backed by IMC Industrial Group, based in Singapore, with investment interests in maritime, logistics, and climate-focused technologies 

IMC Ventures does not publicly disclose its total assets under management or fund size. According to available data, the firm has made five investments between 2021 and 2024, mainly in seed and Series B rounds, with average round sizes ranging from approximately USD 1.8M (seed) to USD 14.1M (Series B).

Notable Portfolio Highlights

IMC Ventures has invested in five early-stage companies, including:

• Sea Machines Robotics (USA): Developer of autonomous maritime systems (SM300, SM200). IMC joined a Series B round in December 2023, co-investing in a USD 14.1 million funding round led by Emerald Technology Ventures and others.
• SWAT Mobility (Singapore): AI-powered corporate transport platform. IMC participated in its Series B round in April 2024, which raised USD 7.2 million, alongside Nippon Express and other strategic co-investors.
• Additional investments include BeeX (autonomous surface/underwater vessels, Singapore), Fresh Factory (cold-chain logistics platform, Indonesia), and Everimpact (climate-tech carbon-monitoring company, Denmark).

Final Thoughts

IMC Ventures represents a strategic corporate venture platform that combines capital, domain expertise, and infrastructure to accelerate disruptive innovation in maritime, logistics, and climate tech. Though relatively young—with its founding in 2021 and a compact investment portfolio—the firm has already co-led meaningful rounds in global startups like Sea Machines and SWAT Mobility. Backed by the IMC Industrial Group and committed to ESG outcomes, IMC Ventures is well-positioned to catalyse sustainable transformation across Asia’s maritime and supply chain ecosystems.

References

1. IMC Ventures. (n.d.). Official Website. Retrieved July 30, 2025, from https://imcventures.vc
2. IMC Industrial Group. (n.d.). IMC Group Official Website. Retrieved from https://www.imcgroup.net 
3. TechNode Global. (2021, June 19). IMC Ventures partners with PIER71 to invest in maritime and supply chain ecosystem in Singapore. Retrieved from https://technode.global/2021/06/19/imc-ventures-partners-with-pier71 
4. Tracxn. (2025). IMC Ventures Portfolio and Investment History. Retrieved from https://tracxn.com/d/companies/imcventures.vc  (subscription required)
5. Studio 30 50. (n.d.). About the Venture Studio. Retrieved from https://www.studio3050.com 
6. IMC Group. (2023). Shipping’s Largest Conglomerates Are Backing Everimpact to Bring the Only Hardware to Measure Real Carbon Emissions Onboard Vessels. Retrieved from https://www.imcgroup.net/newsroom/imc-group/shippings-largest-conglomerates-are-backing-everimpact 

Contributor : Dyah Ayuning Tyas

Reviewer : Imam Buchari