CMA CGM Startup Awards: 4 winning startups driving innovation in shipping, logistics, and media

The CMA CGM Group, a global player in sea, land, air and logistics solutions, today revealed the winners of the second edition of the CMA CGM Startup Awards, an international innovation competition organized in collaboration with BFM Business, La Tribune, and ZEBOX.

This new edition confirms the success of the CMA CGM Startup Awards, with more than 200 applications received from around the world and 42 finalists selected to present their innovative solutions before a jury made up of experts from across the Group.

The winners were announced following a morning of pitches by the 42 finalist startups at AIM (Artificial Intelligence Marseille), France's largest Artificial Intelligence event, which gathers nearly 4500 participants for this third edition.

Addressing four key challenges for the CMA CGM Group

In a constantly evolving world, the CMA CGM Group aims to identify the most promising solutions developed by startups to meet four major challenges:

• Disruption Forecast & Transport Tracking: Design accessible, scalable, and intelligent tools to monitor flows and anticipate disruptions.
• Safe & Compliant Transportation of Hazardous Goods: Offer innovative technologies to ensure the safety and compliance of sensitive cargo and employee well-being.
• Warehouse Humanoid Robotics: Integrate humanoid robots capable of performing complex tasks-independently or in collaboration with humans-in automated warehouse settings.
• Media Experience Diversification & Monetization: Imagine new formats and revenue models to enhance audience engagement and develop sustainable business models.

Startups recognized for their impact and collaboration potential with the Group

The selected startups stood out for the viability of their projects, their level of innovation, impact, and synergies with the CMA CGM Group's activities. The four winners of this second edition are:

• Disruption Forecast & Transport Tracking category: Philippe Lebas, Airudit - Airudit provides a voice-based AI technology to interact with different systems.
• Safe & Compliant Transportation of Hazardous Goods category: Charles Irving-Swift, Rux Energy - Rux Energy works on hydrogen storage solutions designed for the aviation, maritime and heavy-transport sectors.
• Warehouse Humanoid Robotics category: Kelvin Zhou, Zelos - Zelos develops autonomous electric vehicles intended for use in ports, warehouses and urban environments.
• Media Experience Diversification & Monetization category: Ando Eniwumide, Happaning - Happaning designs an AI technology that synchronises and assembles videos.

Tailored support to accelerate their development

Each winner of the CMA CGM Startup Awards will benefit from:

• A collaboration with the CMA CGM Group, enabling them to test and deploy their solutions in real-life operating environments.
• One year of support from ZEBOX, the international innovation accelerator dedicated to the positive transformation of the maritime, logistics, and media sectors, bringing together leading experts from these industries and the innovation ecosystem.
• Funding of up to €150,000, granted following an investment review, to support project growth.

Startups from the first edition (2024) are scaling up their projects with the Group

One year after the first edition, several winning startups have materialized collaborations with CMA CGM Group entities. In maritime transport, GBMS conducted a pilot project for real-time vessel motion tracking, while Elonroad continues to deploy its electric charging solution at the Malta terminal.

In logistics, Optioryx has tested its warehouse optimization tool at several European sites. In the media sector, Argil's automated video generation technology has been deployed within CMA Media, illustrating its strong integration potential within the Group's activities.

Pursuing the Group's dynamic of innovation and entrepreneurship

Initiated by the CMA CGM Group, the CMA CGM Startup Awards aim to identify the most promising startup solutions in transport, logistics, and media worldwide.

They also seek to encourage co-innovation between startups and large corporations by providing concrete opportunities for development and deployment.

This event is part of the Group's broader strategic projects in the field of Artificial Intelligence, including partnerships with leading technology players such as Google and Mistral AI, collaborations with startups such as Happy Robot and XXII, and the Kyutai research laboratory co-founded by Rodolphe Saadé in 2023.