Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem are you solving?
ZeroEx: At ZeroEx, our mission is to combat climate change and support farmers on the pathway to sustainable agriculture necessary to achieve the goals of the Green Deal and other global agreements in the coming years. We are the first company in Germany launching local Carbon Removal projects via the method of Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW).
ERW describes the natural process of rock reacting with carbonic acid in rain and forming stable bicarbonates, permanently storing atmospheric carbon dioxide for 10.000+ years. To accelerate the process from normally thousands of years to merely years, fine rock powder is spread on agricultural land, sequestering not only carbon but also providing soil with essential nutrients and creating several co-benefits for plant-growth.
Our project is focused on optimizing the net carbon removal by reducing emissions along the value chain – this is done solely using byproducts from existing quarry operations and limiting the delivery radius from quarry to field to a maximum of 30km.
“We are focusing on the development of novel, accurate measurement devices”
Munich Startup: But that’s nothing out of the box!
ZeroEx: While the process of spreading rock powder on fields might seem simple and straightforward, the real innovation lies in the specific project set-up and the measurement process to prove that a measurable impact was created. Soil is an incredibly complex system, and numerous factors from the specific crop that is planted to the fertilizer choice of the farmer are impacting the carbon removal process.
We are focusing on the development of novel, accurate measurement devices buried in the soil, that can continuously capture cations released in the weathering to enable us to accurately measure the carbon removal achieved. With our devices we are not only increasing the accuracy in measurement but are also reducing the costs, enabling the method to be scaled everywhere in the world.
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
ZeroEx: ZeroEx was born from a casual conversation among friends enthusiastic about carbon removal and researching methods that could be set-up locally in Germany, when one mentioned their family’s use of rock powder to improve soil pH on their family farm.
Now having a field, farmer and rock the foundation for first pilot projects was established, being quickly expanded to 4 other regions in Germany to generate data on different soil/rock combinations.
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
ZeroEx: Our primary challenge, as pioneers in a highly innovative yet heavily regulated industry, has been finding the right scientific talent for our team. Learning from our mistakes is crucial in the startup environment. Our pilot projects, trials, and tests have built the foundation of what we are today. We continuously invite new talent and problem-solvers to join our team, which has been essential to our success and remains our main motivation to keep pushing forward.
ZeroEx anticipates strong growth
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, and where in five years?
ZeroEx: In one year, we aim to capitalize further on our projects and expand our initiatives across Germany and internationally. Within five years, we envision significant growth with many more talented individuals joining our team. We aspire to have a solid and widely implemented ERW model based on our current developments, leading the industry in innovative and sustainable carbon capture solutions.
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
ZeroEx: Munich has been an incredible city for our startup, offering a wealth of human capital that has allowed us to develop various areas of our business. Its central location is a significant advantage for our regional projects. Our downtown office buzzes with vibrant energy, perfectly aligning with our company’s dynamic identity.
Munich Startup: Quick exit or staying power?
ZeroEx: We started the project purely out of intrinsic motivation as the 12th company worldwide focusing on ERW. Working in a sector this small is incredibly exciting as every small development can not only benefit you, but the sector as a whole. Until we truly figured out every aspect of ERW and scaled this to a global operation, we do not think about exiting.
