Managing emissions has become a paramount concern for maritime industry players, with the EU’s decision to expand the Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) to shipping from January 2024 carrying significant implications. Meanwhile, the Carbon Intensity Indicator (CII) regulations introduced in 2023 continue to present challenges for the sector. Although sustainable fuels and new ship designs hold promise for the future, they remain unavailable in the short term and come at a high cost, making technology solutions mandatory for immediate emission reduction.
zero44 was founded in May 2022 in Berlin with the support of Flagship Founders to offer easily deployable technology, empowering companies to swiftly address emissions while benefiting from the team’s expertise in navigating complex regulatory issues.
Raises €2.5M investment
Female-founded zero44, a SaaS startup for CO2 management of merchant ships, has grabbed €2.5 million in funding led by early-stage investor Atlantic Labs (which backed tozero, Kadmos, nilo.health and others). In addition, Starthub Ventures and Bernhard Schulte Innoport as well as several business angels from the logistics and shipping industry also invested in the company.
The new capital will be used for the further development of zero44’s software, new customer acquisition, and the further expansion of the team.
Friederike Hesse, co-founder and CEO of zero44 said, “We offer them an answer and can help them to quickly become sustainable and reduce emissions. The fact that we were also able to convince Atlantic Labs of this vision and win them over as an investor is an important sign – for us and the entire market – especially in times when VC money is being awarded much more sparsely than before.”
Nils Obermann, co-founder and also CEO of zero44, added, “The new funds as well as Atlantic Labs’ great expertise and network will give us tailwind for the future: We want to further develop and optimise our product, and our team should also continue to grow. In addition, time is pressing to prepare as many companies in the shipping industry as possible in time for the EU Emissions Trading System. We need resources for this as well – through this financing round, we have them. We are very happy and proud of our team, which has achieved so extremely much in just one year since we started.”
Christophe M. Maire, Founder and Managing Partner of Atlantic Labs commented, “Decarbonisation in shipping is an extremely important, promising field in which we want to invest more. And zero44 has convinced us: the team is doing great work and the timing is perfect. The entire market is urgently looking for the best options to reduce emissions and make the transition to the EU Emissions Trading System as smooth as possible. With zero44, they are finding that solution. We are sure: the company has a great future ahead of it.”
Helps maritime industry manage CO2 emissions
Founded by Friederike Hesse and Nils Obermann in Berlin, zero44 helps companies from the shipping industry (shipping companies, charterers and ship managers) to set up the optimal and commercially most sensible CO2 strategy and to reduce CO2 significantly and quickly. In particular, zero44 supports its customers in participating in EU emissions trading.
With the help of the zero44 solution, shipping companies receive a comprehensive and daily updated overview of their CO2 emissions, the necessary EU certificates, and the corresponding cash flow. In addition, users can purchase certificates via the platform and transfer them to contractual partners. This makes zero44 a comprehensive digital solution that enables players in the shipping industry to set themselves up for sustainability quickly and effectively.
