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When Ayşe Aslı Başak stood at the helm of a merchant vessel navigating open seas, she was already reading two horizons: the one ahead of her and the global horizon – maritime supply chains as an industry responsible for carrying over 90% of world trade. Today, Ayşe captains a different kind of vessel: Shipsider, a maritime technology company buildingAI-driven platforms that help shipping companies operate more efficiently, reduce emissions and remain commercially viable as the sector charts its course toward decarbonization.
Ayşe’s career path is one that few women have travelled. After years at sea on a merchant ship and as port captain, she noticed a considerable gap between global climate regulations and on-the-ground reality of industrial shipping operations because of non-digitized industry dynamics and operational workflow, particularly those in developing markets:
“Shipping companies, especially in developing markets, need to comply with complex carbon regulations like EU ETS and FuelEU, but many still rely on paper, spreadsheets, or manual calculations. This directly affects livelihoods and local industry,” says Ayşe. “Smaller operators risk losing access to trade routes, while women, already underrepresented in maritime decision-making, are absent from digital and sustainability leadership roles. I realized that if sustainability tools were not accessible, localized, and operationally realistic, the transition would leave entire regions behind.”
Decarbonization without de-industrialization
To solve this problem, Ayşe founded Shipsider in 2023. A company that develops modular, AI-powered platforms that translate complex regulations into practical, operational tools, from carbon emission monitoring and EU ETS cost modeling to voyage optimization and commercial decision support for freight operators, maritime companies and shipping charterers.
What sets Shipsider apart, Ayşe argues, is not just the technology; it is the operational knowledge of the maritime industry behind it. “Our systems are designed by captains, engineers and technologists together,” she says. “We focus on automation, customization and real operational data, helping maritime companies to transition step-by-step, regardless of their digital maturity.”
Shipsider impact reaches beyond emission dashboards. Its technology replaces manual carbon calculation workflows with AI-driven systems, giving maritime companies, including smaller operators in developing markets, real-time overview of emissions, fuel use and carbon costs, while protecting jobs and operational continuity. For Ayşe, this is the core of the mission: “decarbonization without de-industrialization”. With shipping carrying over 90% of global trade, making it cleaner directly strengthens the supply chains, energy efficiency and climate resilience that communities around the world depend on.
Different seas, same headwinds
Ayşe speaks about gender barriers in the maritime sector from personal experience. As a woman and a former ship captain, she routinely had to prove technical credibility before being heard, working twice as hard as male colleagues just to be taken seriously. On ships, she was the only woman. Moving into technology and business development, she found the same reality.
“Women seafarers represent less than 2% in global shipping industry and women who got VC funds in tech businesses represent less than 2% globally,” says Ayşe. “Different sectors, same challenge. Access to funding, visibility and trust can be harder for women-led industrial startups, and especially harder in the maritime industry.”
Her response was not to wait for conditions to improve. "I chose to turn that challenge into strength by building evidence-based solutions, strong pilots and global partnerships that speak louder than bias," says Ayşe.
Why gender equality is not optional in climate solutions
For Ayşe, gender equality in climate technology is a design requirement. "Climate solutions fail when they ignore lived experience," she says. "Sustainability is not just about technology. It is about people, adoption and continuity." Women bring systems thinking, operational empathy, multi-tasking, problem-solving and long-term resilience. Gender-inclusive leadership ensures that the solutions are practical, scalable and socially embedded.
Her message to policymakers is equally direct: “Listen to women entrepreneurs and recognize that all women entrepreneurs in all areas work harder, double, triple times than their male colleagues and competitors. Women-led solutions are not symbolic; they are efficient, resilient and impact-driven.When you invest in women leaders, you invest in solutions that work in real life.”
And to the next generation of women in energy, climate and sustainability industry, she is unequivocal: “Do not wait to be ready. Your experience, especially from the field, is your superpower. Step into leadership even when the seas are rough, and the industry was not designed for you. The future needs builders, not perfection.”
A global stage in Istanbul
Ayşe’s work has already earned international recognition. As an alumni company of the GCIP Türkiye, which is part of UNIDO’s Global Cleantech Innovation Programme funded by the Global Environment Facility,she participated in the pitching competition together with innovators from around the world at the Cleantech Days 2025 in Istanbul, winning the global pitching competition. The victory underscored not only the commercial viability of Shipsider’s technology, but the growing interest among governments, industry and the private sector for solutions that are built from genuine operational experience and designed for global scale.
Navigating toward a decarbonized future led by women
Ayşe's vision connects three horizons at once: industrial development, climate protection and shared prosperity. It is a future where technology is both low-carbon and empowering: "A future where ships, supply chain systems and societies move in the same direction: more efficient, decarbonized and shaped by women who understand both the field and the future, built by combining intelligence, experience and intuition together."
The goal ahead for Ayşe is to scale Shipsider’s platforms across more regions, especially emerging markets, advance real-time emissions monitoring using onboard data and developing IoT, digital twin integrations, support compliance with global climate frameworks while protecting local industry, as well as train and mentor more women into maritime technology and sustainability leadership.
AyşeAslı Başak is Co-Founder and CEO of Shipsider, a maritime technology company developing AI-driven platforms for sustainable shipping operations. She is an alumni entrepreneur and national winner of the Global Cleantech InnovationProgramme in Türkiye, implemented by UNIDO and the Scientific and TechnologicalResearch Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK), with the funding support from the GlobalEnvironment Facility.
