As a committed shipowner, Marfret is pursuing a strategic diversification by becoming a long-term investor to support the energy transition, emerging technologies, and innovation in the maritime and mobility sectors. Structured around a dedicated governance framework, Marfret Ventures has supported more than 27 innovative companies since 2022.
Against a backdrop of technological and economic transformation in the maritime sector, Marfret is reinforcing its ambitions to support innovation by adopting a structured investment strategy targeting high-growth-potential companies, through a “fund-of-funds” approach.
Marfret Ventures is designed to invest in specialised funds, primarily in the fields of mobility, maritime technologies, and electrification. “Marfret Ventures, structured around internal governance, is built on an investment thesis—our roadmap. We do not take direct stakes; instead, we rely on experienced funds,” explains Guillaume Vidil, Chief Executive Officer of Marfret.
Under the impetus of Gwen Salley, former executive at Station F and Ze Box, Marfret Ventures has consolidated its investment strategy over recent months. “My initial role was to structure the approach: defining a strategy, putting governance in place, and establishing the necessary monitoring tools,” says Gwen Salley, who has been leading this initiative since May 2025.
Building bridges between innovation and operational excellence
Two initial funds have been selected to date: Impact Océan, a €60 million French fund managed by Go Capital that targets innovations linked to the blue economy, and Shift4Good. This Franco-Singaporean venture capital fund dedicated to sustainable mobility has a portfolio of 17 investments, with €220 million raised.
A third fund is currently being finalised. This approach enables Marfret to observe the dynamics at work in key maritime regions (Asia, Scandinavia, North America), while positioning itself in the longer term as a co-investor or direct investor.
“The objective is to learn the investor’s role so that Marfret can eventually participate directly in certain fundraising rounds. This is a long-term project, with a path toward autonomy by 2030. The idea is for initial returns on investment to help finance new commitments and grow an innovation portfolio that is useful to Marfret’s core businesses,” emphasises Gwen Salley, citing the example of deploying AI agents in administrative tasks.
Marfret Ventures already indirectly supports companies active in decarbonisation, navigational assistance, digital twins, maritime routing, and environmental compliance. For Raymond Vidil, Group Chairman, this strategy aims to make Marfret an engaged player in maritime innovation rather than a “free rider” in the sector’s transformation.
Since its first fundraising rounds in 2022, Marfret Ventures has supported 27 companies, including Kemiwatt (energy storage for ports), Bound4blue (wind-assisted propulsion), and GCK (electric retrofitting).