Munich Startup: What does your startup, ZeroEx, do? What problem do you solve?
ZeroEx: At ZeroEx, we are committed to combating climate change and supporting farmers on their path to sustainable agriculture. This is necessary to achieve the goals of the Green Deal and other global agreements in the coming years. We are the first company in Germany to implement local carbon removal projects using the Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) method.
ERW describes the natural process by which rock reacts with the carbonic acid in rain to form stable bicarbonates that permanently store atmospheric carbon dioxide for 10,000+ years. To accelerate this process from normally thousands of years to just a few years, fine rock powder is spread on agricultural land. This not only carbon bound, but also supplies the soil with important nutrients and creates several positive side effects for plant growth.
Our project focuses on optimizing net carbon removal by reducing emissions along the value chain – this is done exclusively by using by-products from existing quarries and limiting the delivery radius from the quarry to the field to a maximum of 30 km.
“We focus on the development of innovative, precise measuring instruments”
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
ZeroExWhile applying rock flour to fields may seem simple and straightforward, the real innovation lies in the specific project configuration and the measurement method used to demonstrate that a measurable impact has been achieved. Soil is an incredibly complex system, and numerous factors, from the specific crop to the farmer's choice of fertilizer, impact the carbon removal process.
We focus on developing novel, precise measuring devices that are buried in the soil and can continuously detect the cations released during weathering to accurately measure the carbon removal achieved. Our devices not only increase measurement accuracy but also reduce costs, allowing the method to be applied anywhere in the world.
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
ZeroEx: ZeroEx was born out of a chance conversation among friends who were passionate about carbon removal and looking for methods that could be used locally in Germany, when one of them mentioned that his family uses rock flour to improve the pH of the soil on their family farm.
With one field, one farmer and rock, the basis for initial pilot projects was created, which were quickly expanded to four other regions in Germany to collect data on different soil/rock combinations.
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
ZeroEx: As pioneers in a highly innovative but heavily regulated industry, our biggest challenge was finding the right scientific talent for our team. Learning from our mistakes is crucial in the startup environment. Our pilot projects, trials, and tests laid the foundation for what we are today. We We continually invite new talents and problem solvers to join our team, which has been crucial to our success and continues to motivate us to move forward.
ZeroEx expects strong growth
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
ZeroEx: In one year, we plan to further expand our projects and our initiatives nationwide and internationally. Within five years, we expect significant growth with many more talented employees on our team. We aim to create a robust and widely deployed ERW model based on our current developments and lead the industry in innovative and sustainable carbon capture solutions.
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
ZeroEx: Munich is an incredible city for our startup, offering us a wealth of human capital that has enabled us to develop various areas of our business. The city's central location is a huge advantage for our regional projects. Our downtown office is full of energy and perfectly matches our company's dynamic identity.
Munich Startup: Quick exit or long breath?
ZeroEx: We started the project purely out of intrinsic motivation, as we are the twelfth company worldwide to focus on ERW. Working in such a small sector is incredibly exciting, as every small development can benefit not only you but the entire sector. Until we truly understand every aspect of ERW and expand this into a global company, we are not considering an exit.
