Rodolphe Saadé, chairman and chief executive officer of CMA CGM Group and French minister in charge of transport Elisabeth Borne inaugurated ZeBox, a new start-up incubator and accelerator in Marseilles.
Initiated by CMA CGM, ZeBox is a human-sized incubator and accelerator with two objectives: Support start-ups throughout their development by immediately projecting them into an international dimension; and enable large companies to benefit from the innovations developed by these start-ups in their respective business sectors.
On the occasion of the inauguration of ZeBox, Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of CMA CGM Group and President of ZeBox, said: "The close relationship between major groups and start-ups creates value. With our current partners and all those who wish to join this exceptional adventure, we will offer start-ups unique support and give them access to an unprecedented international network. Our ambition is for ZeBox to become an essential element of innovation in France and around the world."
Elisabeth Borne, Minister in charge of Transport, stated: “The French government believes that innovation is a major force in addressing economic and ecological challenges in transport, logistics and mobility. ZeBox incubator will be one of these strengths. It is in line with the CMA CGM Group's vision of 21st century shipping, focused on digitalization. With this new ambition, CMA CGM is once again making our country proud”.
It will be able to house 15 start-ups for a 12 to 18 month period. A fast-track programme will be launched by the end of the year to support 8 start-ups over a period of 6 to 8 months.
A sound and initial network of partners: CMA CGM, Accenture, BNP Paribas, Centrimex and EY Start-ups housed by ZeBox benefit from a strong network of partners as in major French and international companies from different and complementary backgrounds such as CMA CGM, Accenture, BNP Paribas, Centrimex and EY. This channel will provide start-ups with expertise and give them access to an international network to support their development.
As of now, ZeBox has launched its incubation program and already hosts 5 start-ups. Three of them are from the South of France and two from abroad.
