Munich Startup: What does your startup do? What problem do you solve?
Markus Adler, Code Gaia: The sustainability reporting obligation will come into force for many companies from 2024. By 2030 at the latest, it will affect almost all companies and also the self-employed. We at Code Gaia We simplify sustainability management for companies using software – essentially Sustainability as a Service. Our customers can upload all relevant data to the Code Gaia portal and create an initial sustainability report within just four hours. Our automated processes avoid Excel chaos, as various data sources, such as incoming invoices and smart questionnaires, are integrated directly into the software. This saves a lot of time. Of course, we support our customers in these initial steps with our dedicated sustainability experts – from creating a personalized sustainability dashboard to defining the desired sustainability goals, the scope of the report or analysis, and the reporting period.
Companies then receive a clear overview of their sustainability status quo in a dashboard, presented in key performance indicators according to recognized standards, ensuring they also meet the requirements of their stakeholders. Sustainability reports can also be downloaded directly from the dashboard with one click – for example, as fact sheets or ESG reports. We also offer an optimization solution that is directly integrated into the tool and is data-driven – without expensive daily rates.
Munich Startup: But that's been around for a long time!
Markus Adler: Yes, other providers also offer solutions for centralizing data for sustainability reports and creating ESG reports. However, Code Gaia's software also uses artificial intelligence, which simplifies processes, starts data collection earlier than other solutions, and relieves the people involved of a lot of granular work.
Own experiences with sustainability reports lead to the founding
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
Markus Adler: The idea for Code Gaia came about during my time in the banking sector and during my first startup. Back then, I had to write sustainability reports myself and witnessed how complicated, time-consuming, and extensive a complete data collection process could be. However, my co-founder, Niklas Schönstein, was convinced that we could also automate these processes very well. With Till Kudrun as our third co-founder, we launched Code Gaia in 2020 – then still under the name Spenoki. At that time, it was not yet clear how extensive the reporting requirements would become and how high the resulting demand for our solution might be.
Munich Startup: What have been your biggest challenges so far?
Markus Adler: For us, it was crucial to connect the demand for corporate sustainability reports with our vision, as experts only saw the expected demand but not the vision behind Code Gaia. We believe that it is our duty to preserve nature for our descendants, and we have the leverage to actively use it.
I can only encourage other founders to clearly link their product to a vision and take criticism of that vision seriously. At the same time, they should never lose faith in the team and the business model. We managed to combine product and vision. This allowed us to convince business angels in the pre-seed round and secure our financial position thanks to the additional revenue from pilot customers.
First point of contact for SMEs
Munich Startup: Where would you like to be in one year, where in five years?
Markus Adler: Next year, many companies will be required to report their ESG efforts for the first time. We want to be the first point of contact for SMEs in this area. In five years, we will be the leading ESG management and reporting solution for SMEs in Europe. By then, we aim to help 2,500 SMEs streamline their sustainability management processes so that the saved costs can be invested in implementing measures for a livable future. This vision motivates me every day.
Munich Startup: How have you experienced Munich as a startup location so far?
Markus Adler: Munich was recently named Germany's new startup capital – and rightly so. We notice the startup spirit on (almost) every corner in Munich. This is due in no small part to the strong universities and the programs and platforms that promote the development of startups. A fantastic network of founders, supporters, and investors has emerged, enabling valuable exchange between founding teams. In addition, there are important development centers of international tech companies such as Google. Mutual support is a top priority for Munich founders and can be experienced at our headquarters in the incubator. Plant1 at Ostbahnhof can be experienced anew every day.
Munich Startup: Hidden champion or shooting star?
Markus Adler: Both. With Code Gaia, we developed the right product at the right time – no question about it. Our software will significantly ease the burden on many companies when it comes to sustainability in the coming years. At the same time, however, we are also a hidden champion: Many companies aren't yet fully aware of how much sustainability and ESG reporting will impact them in the future. However, we are here to support them.
