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Motion Ventures Launches $100m Fund for Maritime Tech Innovation

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Motion Ventures

By Adedapo Adesanya

Motion Ventures has unveiled its $100 million second fund named Motion Ventures Fund II or Fund II, which is now the largest maritime-focused tech fund to boost the sector’s value chain.

According to a statement, the new fund will help back startups developing more asset-intensive hardware solutions in the maritime sector which has seen growing corporate demand for deeper, faster progress in sustainability, vessel operations, and port modernisation.

Over the next 18–24 months, Fund II aims to deploy cheques of $250,000 to $10,000,000 into at least 25 companies, targeting solutions that digitise and decarbonise the global maritime supply chain.

To date, Motion Ventures has raised more than half of Fund II’s target with investments already deployed in OceanScore and Fernride which builds on the proven track record of Motion Ventures’ inaugural fund.

Motion Ventures Fund I has already generated two profitable exits, placing the firm in the top 10% of 2021 vintage VC funds globally. The firm’s broader deal pipeline is underscored by a rigorous investment process, which has seen them evaluate more than 8,000 startups since its inception in 2021.

These developments cement Motion Ventures position as maritime’s most active investor, having done more than 30 investments across Fund I and Fund II, while expanding its industry consortium to 17 major maritime and supply chain stakeholders across both funds—the broadest partnership of its kind.

Motion Ventures aims to be the catalyst that transforms global maritime supply chains, now backed by the largest dedicated fund in the sector’s history. The maritime digitisation market alone is projected to reach $423.4 billion by 2031, and mounting pressure from regulators and customers alike demands faster progress.

Based on this, Fund II will harness that momentum, uniting startups and industry leaders to deliver cleaner, more efficient operations and, ultimately, shape the future of maritime commerce.

Speaking on the development, Mr Shaun Hon, Founder and General Partner of Motion Ventures said, “We launched Motion Ventures with the belief that maritime is entering a new era—one where technology, capital, and industry collaboration converge to redefine the sector’s trajectory. In recent years, we’ve seen digitalisation and decarbonisation shift from ideas to industry imperatives.

“Fund II goes beyond writing bigger checks; it’s about uniting the right founders, corporate leaders, and strategic allies to accelerate an industry-wide shift, ensuring that solutions can be tested, adopted, and scaled faster than ever before.”

On his part, Mr Nakul Malhotra, Vice President – Emerging Opportunities Portfolio at Wilhelmsen Group said being part of Motion Ventures’ journey from a concept into one of the most active maritime investors has been remarkable.

“We value industry collaboration and are impressed to see the dedication and focus they bring to the early-stage venture capital space for an industry that is hungry for innovative solutions with robust value propositions. With Fund II, they’re scaling that impact even further, and we’re proud to remain a cornerstone partner on this journey.”

Adding his input, Mr Albrecht Grell, Managing Director of OceanScore said, “Maritime is the backbone of commerce, but it’s time to move faster and bolder, especially when building digital solutions in the compliance space.

“Shaun and the Motion Ventures team get that. Having them on our cap table has fast-tracked our expansion into new markets and helped to unlock access to a strategic network within the shipping community. With their support and deep sector expertise, we’re on track to building our global leadership in maritime compliance solutions.”

Mr ⁠Jan Holm, Advisor to Motion Ventures added that “By pairing ambitious founders with strategic backers, Fund II represents a crucial step forward: bringing together fresh solutions, both digital and hardware-based, and fast-tracking their path to scale. It’s a boost this industry has been waiting for.”

This consortium-driven approach is the cornerstone of Motion Ventures’ value creation. The Motion Ventures Alliance, a network of over 80 seasoned maritime executives, provides portfolio companies with expert mentorship, enterprise access, and swift pilot opportunities.

Adedapo Adesanya is a journalist, polymath, and connoisseur of everything art. When he is not writing, he has his nose buried in one of the many books or articles he has bookmarked or simply listening to good music with a bottle of beer or wine. He supports the greatest club in the world, Manchester United F.C.

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Women Need to Own Their Stories, Collaborate—Ayo Mario-Ese

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UBA Business Series Ayo Mario-Ese

By Modupe Gbadeyanka

Celebrated broadcaster with Arise TV, Mrs Ayo Mario-Ese, has charged women to be open to collaboration and not limit themselves.

The charming media personality was one of the panellists at the UBA Business Series themed Introducing Gen W – The Evolved Woman, held at the UBA House in Lagos last Thursday.

At the event moderated by popular actor, Mr Tobi Bakre, the Morning Show anchor on Arise TV expressed worry about females who are usually laidback about speaking up and sharing their achievements, and said that women need to own their stories.

“A lot of women are doing phenomenal work and are sometimes afraid of showcasing what they are doing. As an evolved woman, you have to find out what you are comfortable doing, create your own unique offering, and also be open to collaboration,” she submitted.

Another panellist, Ms Joycee Awosika, described an evolved woman as one who has awareness of who she is.

“That woman does not need to ask to sit at the table; she is creating her own table and adding value. As your company is growing, you must grow too, and always do an audit of where you need to become a better leader,” the energy economist stated.

For a digital entrepreneur, Ms Tomike Adeoye, the question of what a woman is bringing to the table has now become obsolete, as the evolved woman is now bringing their own table.

“She is now more vocal about their struggles, setting the standards, and she is not ready to give up on her dreams,” she declared.

For the founder of Fine-Funky, Ms Olufunke Davies, she remarked that, “Creating unique designs that are affordable remains my driving force and something that has helped me grow as an evolved woman.”

In her remarks, the Group Head for Brand, Marketing and Corporate Communications at UBA, Ms Alero Ladipo, said, “Raising each woman is actually not that hard, because everyone has their community as well as their story; and so as women, we need to take a position so that we can give to others.”

She said the Gen W platform of the lender is dedicated to the evolved woman, adding, “Through expert insights, real stories, and practical resources, the platform connects women who are building brands, creating businesses, growing careers, and leading across industries. They also have access to a plethora of discounted products and loans. The best part: it is open to every woman. No UBA account needed. This is Gen W, for the evolved woman.”

This edition of the UBA Business Series was hosted to mark International Women’s Month.

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Navy Intensifies Crackdown on Oil Theft in Rivers, Calabar

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oil theft

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal bunkering, destroying a reactivated illegal refinery site in Rivers State and intercepting suspected stolen petroleum products in Calabar.

The Director of Naval Information, Captain Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, revealing that personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship SOROH, operating under Operation Delta Sentinel, destroyed a reactivated illegal refinery site at Okolomade Community in Abua-Odual Local Government Area (LGA) of Rivers State.

He said the action followed credible intelligence that a previously dismantled illegal refining site had resumed operations.

According to him, an Anti–Crude Oil Theft (Anti-COT) team deployed to the location discovered that the dismantled refining oven had been reconstructed.

“Further exploitation of the area led to the discovery of additional refining equipment and storage facilities containing about 3,000 litres of product suspected to be illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO),” he said.

Mr Folorunsho added that the illegal refining infrastructure—including ovens, storage tanks, hoses, connected pipes and newly acquired metal components used for illegal refining—was destroyed in line with operational procedures.

He said personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship Victory, in another operation, intercepted about 3,950 litres of suspected stolen petroleum products at the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) area in Calabar, Cross River.

He said the interception was based on credible intelligence on suspected siphoning of petroleum products from vessels berthed at the port.

The naval patrol team, according to him, swiftly deployed to the area and traced the illegally siphoned products to a trailer park within the port facility.

“On sighting the naval patrol team, the suspected perpetrators fled the scene, after which the area was cordoned off and the illegally siphoned products secured,” he said.

The official said further inspection led to the recovery of about 3,950 litres of Automotive Gas Oil stored in drums and jerrycans, which had been evacuated to the naval base for further necessary action in line with extant regulations.

He noted that the successes aligned with the directive of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, to intensify operations against crude oil theft and other maritime crimes across Nigeria’s maritime domain.

The captain reiterated the Navy’s commitment to sustaining the operational tempo of Operation Delta Sentinel through intensified surveillance, patrols and intelligence-driven operations aimed at combating crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and other forms of economic sabotage.

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Mastering SEO: Proven Methods to Grow Your Online Presence

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RiseGrower

Search Engine Optimization isn’t what it used to be.

Gone are the days of stuffing keywords, buying random backlinks, and expecting overnight rankings. Today, SEO is a sophisticated blend of technical precision, content authority, brand positioning, and strategic digital PR.

At RiseGrower.com, we’re launching with one mission:

To help brands grow through ethical, scalable, authority-driven SEO.

This isn’t just another SEO agency. This is the next evolution of ranking strategy.

🌍 SEO in 2026: What Has Changed?

Search engines—especially Google—have become dramatically smarter.

Modern ranking systems analyze:

  • Topical authority
  • Content depth and expertise
  • User engagement signals
  • Link quality (not quantity)
  • Brand credibility
  • Search intent satisfaction

SEO today is no longer about “gaming the algorithm.” It’s about becoming the most trusted answer in your industry.

That’s where RiseGrower comes in.

🚀 What RiseGrower.com Is Built For

We specialize in performance-focused SEO strategies designed to:

  • Increase organic traffic
  • Improve high-intent keyword rankings
  • Strengthen domain authority
  • Build sustainable backlink profiles
  • Turn search visibility into revenue

Our approach combines:

  • Advanced technical SEO audits
  • Strategic content architecture
  • Authority guest posting campaigns
  • White-hat link acquisition
  • On-page optimization
  • Data-driven reporting

We don’t chase vanity metrics. We build growth systems.

🧠 Our Philosophy: Authority Wins

Search engines reward expertise and trust.

That’s why our strategy centers around three pillars:

1️ Topical Authority

We help brands dominate entire keyword clusters—not just single keywords.

2️ Editorial Authority

Through high-quality guest posting on real industry publications, we build contextual backlinks that move rankings safely and effectively.

3️ Technical Excellence

From crawl optimization to structured data, we ensure search engines fully understand and prioritize your content.

🔥 Why Most SEO Strategies Fail

Many businesses struggle with SEO because:

  • They focus only on backlinks without strategy
  • They publish content without search intent research
  • They ignore technical site health
  • They chase short-term wins instead of long-term growth

SEO is not a trick.

It’s a system.

RiseGrower builds systems.

📊 Our Approach Is Data-Driven

Every campaign starts with:

  • Competitive analysis
  • Keyword gap research
  • Link profile audit
  • SERP intent mapping

We analyze what’s ranking—and why.

Then we engineer a strategy that outperforms it.

🏢 Who We Work With

RiseGrower is built for ambitious brands:

  • SaaS companies
  • eCommerce brands
  • Agencies
  • Startups
  • Enterprise businesses
  • Niche industry leaders

If your goal is sustainable organic growth, you’re in the right place.

⚖️ White-Hat SEO Only

We believe in:

  • Real editorial placements
  • Ethical outreach
  • Genuine authority building
  • Search engine compliance

We do not use:

  • Private Blog Networks (PBNs)
  • Spammy link schemes
  • Automated backlink tools
  • Manipulative ranking shortcuts

Long-term growth requires integrity.

📈 The Rise of Performance-Based SEO

The future of SEO isn’t “deliverables.”

It’s measurable outcomes.

At RiseGrower, we align our strategy with:

  • Ranking milestones
  • Traffic growth targets
  • Lead generation goals
  • Revenue impact

Because rankings are only valuable if they drive business growth.

🌟 What Makes RiseGrower Different?

We blend:

  • SEO strategy
  • Digital PR
  • Authority guest posting
  • Content intelligence
  • Conversion-focused thinking

We don’t just improve rankings.

We build market leaders.

🔮 The Future of Search

AI-generated content is flooding the internet. Competition is rising daily.

Search engines will increasingly reward:

  • Authentic expertise
  • Brand mentions
  • Trusted backlinks
  • Valuable long-form content
  • Real-world credibility

The brands that invest in authority now will dominate tomorrow.

RiseGrower was created for that future.

🚀 Launching Soon

RiseGrower.com is preparing to launch with a clear promise:

Growth through strategic SEO authority.

If you’re ready to:

  • Outrank competitors
  • Scale organic traffic
  • Build long-term visibility
  • Turn search into revenue

We’re ready to grow with you.

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