CMA CGM launches international startup incubator

The French conglomerate said its startup incubator, dubbed Ze Box, will house and facilitate the digitalization initiatives already put forth by the company.    The CMA CGM Group has launched its first international startup incubator, Ze Box, which is based in Marseille, the French shipping company revealed Tuesday.
   The incubator will occupy an 800-square-meter space in the Le Castel building and will house a dozen startups in July 2018. A call for applications will be launched shortly, CMA CGM said.
   The creation of Ze Box is part of CMA CGM’s strategy to make digitalization one of the pillars of its development, the company said.
   In addition to its shipping incubator, also in Marseille, Ze Box will compliment and strengthen the initiatives that have already been launched by CMA CGM within the past months, including the creation of CMA CGM Ventures, investments in Nyshex, support for Marseilles startup Le Carburateur, and partnerships with Aix Marseille French Tech, The Camp, Infosys and Alibaba. 
   “Ze Box is launched within a strong and ambitious partnership with the Aix-Marseille 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,” CMA CGM said. As its first international incubator, CMA CGM “confirms its leading role in the economic development of the regional territory by boosting the emergence of a digital ecosystem to help create disruptive and innovative products and services,” the group added.
   The incubator will be headed by Matthieu Somekh, previously head of entrepreneurship and innovation at the French institute Ecole Polytechnique.
   “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,” said Rodolphe Saadé, chairman and chief executive officer of CMA CGM.
   “Thanks to Ze box, our ambition is to attract to France the best start-ups from all around the world,” he added. “Its creation in Marseilles also shows our strong will to contribute to the economic development of this territory.”