Munich Startup: What does Hula Earth do? What problem does it solve?
Florian Geiser, Co-Founder and CEO Hula Earth: Hula Earth develops precise biodiversity monitoring solutions by integrating IoT (Internet of Things)sensors and satellite images. This is particularly relevant for the more than 50,000 companies that will in future have to report their biodiversity impacts as part of their sustainability reporting (CSRD = Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive). Our technology makes nature and its changes measurable and understandable in an affordable and scalable way. We started with nature conservation projects, but are increasingly seeing demand from a wide range of land-use industries, be it agriculture or infrastructure.
Munich Startup: But that has been around for a long time!
Florian Geiser: No, because previous solutions are based either solely on satellite data or on expensive annual on-site surveys. Hula Earth revolutionizes this approach: Our innovative BioT sensor network delivers continuous, real-time data directly from the ecosystems. Combined with satellite images, we achieve previously unattained precision in biodiversity monitoring – cost-effectively and scalably.
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
Florian Geiser: As children of agriculture and forestry, we founders experienced the dramatic loss of species firsthand. After our careers in the Munich high-tech sector, we decided in 2023 to apply our technological expertise to nature conservation. Our vision: to make the condition of our ecosystems measurable in real time and thus make global conservation efforts transparent and effective.
Hula Earth: Building a completely new market
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Florian Geiser: Establishing a completely new market presents two key challenges: First, we need to find pioneering partners who will join us in breaking new ground. Second, the complexity of biodiversity measurement—in contrast to "simple" CO2 measurement—requires intensive educational efforts among potential customers.
Munich Startup: How are things going?
Florian Geiser: In March 2024, we reached an important milestone: the development of the first German biodiversity credits, based on our holistic monitoring system. successful completion of our pre-seed round now enables us to scale our technology.
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Florian Geiser: Munich offers us ideal conditions: The close collaboration with the TUM Venture Lab and AI+ Munich, as well as the networking in the Munich Urban Colab, are invaluable to us. The excellent talent pool through CDTM, TUM and LMU is another decisive location advantage.
Munich Startup: Hidden champion or shooting star?
Florian Geiser: The annual value of nature's ecosystem services is estimated at approximately $150 trillion. Even if we make this value measurable and contribute to preserving our natural foundation for the future, we remain a hidden champion behind nature's massive economic power.
