Berlin-based maritime tech startup Tilla has secured €2M in funding led by Motion Ventures, with strategic participation from Belgian shipping company EXMAR. This round brings the company’s total funding to €4M.
Founded by Niklas Weidmann and Narayan Venkatesh in 2021, the company has developed an AI-powered platform that digitises crew change management for commercial shipping.
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The capital will be used to expand into international markets, including APAC and the Mediterranean, scale the global team, and enhance platform capabilities.
Tilla has already facilitated over 35,000 crew trips across 500+ vessels, serving clients including Peter Döhle Schiffahrts-KG, Essberger, Stödig Shipmanagement, Wilson, and Seatrade in ten countries.
Digitising manual maritime operations
The commercial shipping industry undertakes approximately 10 million crew trips annually, incurring estimated costs of $12B. Most processes remain manual and fragmented, relying on phone calls, emails, and spreadsheets, leading to inefficiencies and high operational costs.
Tilla’s platform integrates voyage schedules, crew details, port agency data, real-time flight information, and travel requirements to automate the complete crew change process from planning through to invoice management and reporting.
The platform integrates with existing crew management systems and enables ship managers to reduce crew change costs by up to 24 per cent whilst saving up to 40 per cent in time. The AI-powered system covers automated flight management, continuous optimisation, and comprehensive reporting across all crew change operations.
Strategic investors bring maritime expertise and networks
Motion Ventures recently launched its $100M maritime tech fund focused on digital and energy transitions across global supply chains, while EXMAR brings four decades of operational experience in gas transportation and floating solutions. The combination provides Tilla with both financial backing and deep industry expertise to accelerate market penetration.
Niklas Weidmann, co-founder and MD of Tilla, says, “Our ambition is to become the global market leader and ultimately optimise every step of every crew change, everywhere in the world. We’re very proud to have secured two such complementary and renowned investors. Their deep expertise and their global maritime networks are extremely valuable to us.”
“This funding comes at a pivotal moment for Tilla as we see growing demand for digitised crew logistics,” adds Narayan Venkatesh, co-founder and managing director. “After four years of building and creating value for our customers in Europe, we have a proven approach. Now, with Motion Ventures and EXMAR as partners who understand both the technology and industry landscape, we can accelerate our global value delivery.”
Global expansion roadmap targets APAC and Mediterranean markets
The funding will enable Tilla to expand its platform with new AI-powered planning features and comprehensive financial capabilities while entering key international markets. The company plans to rapidly scale its global team to support growing customer demand in the crew logistics sector.
“Crew logistics is often an untouched cost line in maritime operations. Tilla’s early traction shows the appetite for solutions that can drive both savings and speed with simplicity,” says Anders Vartdal, senior investment associate at Motion Ventures. “What stood out was how fast the team converted pilots into paying customers, that kind of execution speaks volumes.”
“After integrating Tilla’s platform into our own operations, we were impressed by its impact and the team’s expertise,” adds Ariane Saverys, deputy chief operating officer at EXMAR. “Investing in Tilla reflects our confidence in their future and the value they bring to maritime crew logistics worldwide.”
