Part of ongoing efforts to further develop Nor-Shipping as an arena for the next generation, the Young Entrepreneur Award was launched in 2013. Open to nominees in all industry segments, it honors an under 40-year-old professional who has founded a successful company that addresses challenges or solutions in a new way. The award process will be managed by YoungShip International, the fast-growing international non-profit organization for young professionals in shipping.

Deadline for nomination is Thursday 6 February 2025

External link

Shortlist 2025

Alisha Fredriksson
Co-founder and CEO of Seabound

Alisha is the co-founder of Seabound, a pioneering climate tech company developing onboard carbon capture systems for ships. Launched in late 2021, Seabound aims to accelerate decarbonization in one of the world’s hardest-to-abate industries. Under Alisha’s leadership, Seabound has rapidly turned vision into action. In 2023, it demonstrated ~80% CO₂ capture efficiency onboard a 3200 TEU vessel with Lomar Shipping and Hapag Lloyd. In 2024, it partnered with STAX Engineering to trial an integrated carbon capture system for ships at berth at the Port of Long Beach.

Seabound has raised ~$8M from top investors including Lowercarbon Capital and Y Combinator, and won the UK Clean Maritime Demonstration Competition. The company was named Maritime UK’s Startup of the Year 2024 and a Keeling Curve Prize winner. Alisha has been recognized by Forbes 30 Under 30, MIT Innovators Under 35, and as Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2023 International Tanker Shipping & Trade Conference. Her global background and previous roles at Liquid Wind and Generation inform her systems-driven, optimistic approach to solving climate challenges.

Joachim Bachmann Nielsen
Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer + Chief Technology Officer, Kvasir Technologies

Joachim is the technical co-founder and CEO/CTO of Kvasir Technologies, a spin-out from the Technical University of Denmark founded in 2018. With a PhD in Chemical Engineering, his research led to Kvasir’s proprietary liquefaction technology, which converts low-value biomass waste such as agricultural residues into carbon-neutral oil products. Marine fuels are central to Kvasir’s mission, backed by investment from global shipping leader Maersk. Unlike many sustainable fuel providers, Kvasir focuses on scalability and enables existing ships to switch to green fuels without engine modifications.

In 2023, Kvasir won three awards at Shell’s New Energy Challenge, underscoring its breakthrough potential. Joachim’s vision extends beyond shipping. By redefining how oil is produced, he aims to build a scalable and carbon-neutral energy solution for the 21st century.

Fabian Fussek
Co-Founder & CEO of Kaiko Systems

Fabian Fussek is the Co-Founder & CEO of Kaiko Systems, an AI-powered frontline intelligence provider for maritime. Since founding the company in October 2020, he has been driving innovation to make the industry safer, smarter, and more collaborative. By enabling shipping companies to turn frontline work into actionable intelligence, Kaiko Systems helps operators enhance safety, streamline compliance, and optimize maintenance. Today, the platform is used by thousands of seafarers on over 1,000 vessels worldwide, preventing costly failures and regulatory penalties.

Fabian is an expert in bringing digital technology and AI to the real world, with previous experience at Deloitte Digital Ventures and Zenhomes (acquired by Scout24). He is serving in the reserve of the Armed Forces of his home country Austria, and holds a degree in Sociology, Politics & Economics from Zeppelin University, Germany.

Josephine Le
Managing Director & Founder of the Hood Platform Ltd

Josephine Le’s journey into maritime is anything but conventional. With no family ties to shipping and a career that began in the skies with Emirates Airlines, she was pursuing a degree in Accounting and Commercial Law in New Zealand when she entered the world of crewing and recruitment. What started as a role quickly became a mission: to modernize workforce management in an industry still reliant on outdated systems. Fuelled by insight and purpose, Josephine founded The Hood Platform — a digital space breaking down barriers for cadets, students, and professionals without industry connections. With its award-winning design and bold, youth-driven vision, The Hood has already reached thousands of young seafarers and maritime academy students worldwide.

The platform tackles unethical recruitment, digitizes paperwork, and offers holistic support from career guidance to mental health. Named to the Top 100 Women in Shipping 2024, Josephine and her growing team aim to make The Hood the go-to hub for an inclusive, transparent, and future-ready maritime industry.

Young Entrepreneur Award

The award will be handed out in front of a prominent industry audience at the After Work kick-off at Aker Brygge on 2 June 2025.
The winner receives a free display area at the Nor-Shipping exhibition hall during the week, and promotion during and after the Nor-Shipping week, including a portrait interview distributed to leading maritime media. The passion and enthusiasm of past winners have made this award a highlight of the week.

Qualifying criteria

Eligible candidates can come from any segment of the industry and anywhere in the world but may not be over the age of 40 at the time of Nor-Shipping 2025.

The award winner shall have excelled within one or more of the following areas:

Representing new concepts and solutions for existing or new industry challenges; technically, digitally and/or commercially
Have the audacity & boldness to address a substantial/complex global challenge, creating new opportunities for the maritime industry
Inspiring our industry to adopt best-practices from other industries, strengthening the industry position in an even more globalized world in rapid change
New logistical solutions, looking at new ways for the industry to become even more efficient
Creating jobs within the maritime sector
Taking on the environmental challenges of the industry through one or several of the above criteria

Call for entries

Nominations can be made by anyone within the international maritime community. Self-nominations are encouraged! You can nominate more than one candidate, using separate forms.

An independent jury will select the four nominees, as well as the winner.

The Jury for YEA 2025:
Knut Arild Hareide – CEO Norwegian Shipowners Association
Pia Meling – Managing Director Evigo
Sebjørn Dahl – COO Höegh Autoliners
Ingrid Due-Gundersen – On garden leave from CEO of Havfram
Ada Jakobsen – CEO Maritime Cleantech
Thecla Bodewes – CEO of Thecla Bodewes