The Marseille-based CMA CGM Group, a global player in shipping and logistics, is scaling up its support for Zebox, the international startup accelerator, which Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group set up in 2018 alongside 17 major partner groups. At an event held in Paris on April 12, 2023, attended by leading players in the French tech ecosystem, Rodolphe Saadé, laid out fresh goals for Zebox.
The French giant led-by Saadé has created Zebox Ventures, a seed fund intended to accelerate the funding and development of French and international startups. The seed fund aims to invest in around 50 startups every year.
With an average deal size of €50,000 to €250,000, Zebox Ventures will cover a diverse range of sectors connected to Zebox´s main areas of focus – optimized shipping and logistics, mobility, decarbonization and the energy transition, process digitalization and AI, and the future of work.
Two new hubs have also been announced in Singapore and Manchester, bringing Zebox’s hubs to a total of six by the end of the year.
Going forward, Zebox and Zebox Ventures will be under the umbrella of CMA CGM’s Startup Hub, to achieve seamless coordination of interactions between the Group and the startup ecosystem.
CMA CGM said the Zebox community, which was originally established during 2018 in Marseille, now counts 17 partners and over 130 startups. It has helped to raise more than $235 million in funding and launched over 100 co-innovation processes between startups and corporate partners.
