CMA CGM Creates Its First International Startup Incubator

France-based shipping giant CMA CGM Group has created Ze Box, its first international startup incubator based in Marseilles.

Located in Le Castel building, it will cover a surface of 800m² and will house, starting in June 2018, a dozen of startups coming from all around the world to develop their potential. A call for applications will be launched shortly, the company said.

As explained, the creation of Ze Box is part of CMA CGM’s strategy to make digitalization one of the pillars of its development.

The innovation is expected to accelerate the initiatives that have already been launched by the group within the past months including the appointment of a worldwide team of chief digital officers and the creation of CMA CGM Ventures, a corporate venture structure dedicated to investments in innovative technologies.

The initiatives also include the support for Le Carburateur, a startup incubator for the northern districts of Marseilles, partnerships with Aix Marseille French Tech, The Camp, Infosys and new partnerships with major ebusiness companies like Alibaba, CMA CGM added.

Ze Box is launched within a partnership with the Aix-Marseilles University and the Aix-Marseille Provence Métropole.

“As a center for exchanges aimed at accompanying startups and promote an entrepreneurial and innovative spirit, Ze Box will benefit from CMA CGM’s expertise and from the skills of researchers and PhD students,” according to the company.

“With Ze Box, CMA CGM is accelerating its digital strategy and is developing the means to become the transportation industry’s leader in innovation. By combining our expertise with the one of the start-ups that will be hosted within Ze Box, we will develop global innovations that create value for our customers and for CMA CGM,” Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, commented.