Munich Startup: What does Ark Climate do? What problem do you solve?
Ruth Bosse, founder and CEO of Ark Climate: We build modern software for climate protection in cities. Cities are key players in the climate transition. They are solely responsible for over 100 megatons of CO₂ in Germany and must also drive climate protection locally due to regulatory requirements and public pressure. Their biggest problem is that they don't have enough staff: The climate protection department in small towns is often just one person, while in larger cities it might be five or ten. But making an entire city climate-neutral is, of course, a huge task. You have to work with a huge number of stakeholders – and cities simply don't have the staff for that. In addition, climate protection is a completely new task for cities, and they lack experience and reliable data in this area. Therefore, we often hear questions like, "Which measure actually has the most impact, what should we focus on?"
What we do with Ark Climate: We offer a modern software platform that simplifies processes and enables data-driven decisions. Climate protection managers are relieved of all their core tasks. This includes having all information in the software platform, rather than on their desktop, in emails, or printed out in folders, or making it easier to create reports and communication materials using AI. On the other hand, the software also brings knowledge to cities, for example, by storing information about which measures enable how much emission savings.
“Making an entire city climate-neutral is a huge task”
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Ruth Bosse: Well, there is, of course, software for governments. However, it's usually extremely outdated and doesn't offer the ability to integrate new technologies like AI. It's also rarely cross-departmental. Therefore, data constantly has to be transferred from one tool to another. Then there's the fact that the whole topic of climate is a completely new one for city halls, and there's actually relatively little software in this area.
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
Ruth Bosse: Personally, I have a background in municipal climate protection. I have been involved in local politics for 17 years, earned my doctorate on political climate protection measures, and before founding Ark Climate, I advised cities on climate protection and adaptation at the management consultancy McKinsey, developing, among other things, the 2022 climate roadmap for the city of Stuttgart. This is where my expertise and network in this field come from. On the other hand, my co-founder Michi is a software developer with a strong focus on user-centric, easy-to-use software, which is great for the target group of administrations.
We know that the entire topic of climate protection in cities is complex, both in terms of strategic issues and operational implementation. This is precisely where our software comes in. It brings structure to processes, provides content-related support, and thus relieves the burden on climate protection departments.
Current biggest challenge: risk aversion
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Ruth Bosse: The biggest challenge for us right now is risk aversion in the public sector. We're already seeing that many city councils are hesitant to work with young companies. For example, tenders often require you to state your turnover from three years ago, or to have ten or 20 employees. This will help us in the long run if we gain the trust of the cities and make a name for ourselves. What we're already seeing is that once you've convinced a customer, they'll want to work with you again and recommend you to others. But this naturally makes market entry more difficult. To address this, we often cooperate with established partners such as regional climate protection consultancies or engineering firms.
Munich Startup: How are things going?
Ruth Bosse: We currently have five customers: the city of Kassel, the Freising district here in the Munich area, the Calw district, and the cities of Quedlinburg and Überlingen. Our combined revenue is approximately €300,000.
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Ruth Bosse: You can see that there is a very strong connection between universities and the startup ecosystem, for example through the UnternehmerTUM or the CDTM, where my co-founder was also.
A lot is happening in Munich, especially in the climate sector. There are a relatively large number of deep-tech startups with incredibly exciting products and, in general, many spin-offs from academia.
Ark Climate: Contributing to better policy and more change
Munich Startup: Hidden champion or shooting star?
Ruth Bosse: Oh, definitely a shooting star! Outdated, user-unfriendly software isn't just a problem for municipal climate protection departments, but in the public sector generally. Therefore, in the long term, we want to develop modern software for governments that goes beyond climate protection. This includes, for example, citizen services such as online passport applications or tax and budget management tools for the treasury. Our vision is to build an operating system for governments worldwide. We want to enable politicians and administrative staff to work more effectively, make better decisions, and be closer to their citizens. I personally hope that this will also contribute to better politics and more change.
