Munich Startup: What does your startup ZeroEx do? What problem do you solve?
ZeroEx: At ZeroEx, we have made it our mission to fight climate change and support 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 carry out local carbon removal projects using the Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) method.
ERW describes the natural process in which rock reacts with carbonic acid in rain and forms stable bicarbonates, which 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 scattered on agricultural land. This not only binds carbon, but also provides 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 achieved exclusively through the use of by-products from existing quarries and by limiting the supply radius from the quarry to the field to a maximum of 30 km.
“We focus on developing novel, precise measurement devices”
Munich Startup: But that’s been done for a long time already!
ZeroEx: Applying rock flour to fields may seem simple and straightforward, but the real innovation lies in the specific project configuration and the measurement method used to demonstrate that a measurable effect has been achieved. Soil is an incredibly complex system, and numerous factors, from the specific crop to the farmer’s choice of fertilizer, affect the carbon removal process.
We focus on developing novel, precise measurement devices that are buried in the soil and can continuously capture the cations released during weathering to accurately measure the carbon removal achieved. With our devices, we not only increase measurement accuracy, but also reduce costs, making the method applicable worldwide.
Munich Startup: What is your founding story?
ZeroEx: ZeroEx emerged from a casual conversation among friends who were passionate about carbon removal and were 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 level of the soil on their family farm.
With a field, a farmer, and rock, the foundation for the first pilot projects was laid, which were quickly expanded to four additional 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, experiments, and tests have laid the foundation for what we are today. We constantly invite new talent 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 do you want to stand in one year, where in five years?
ZeroEx: In one year, we want to continue expanding our projects and expand our initiatives nationwide and internationally. Within five years, we expect significant growth with many more talented employees on our team. We aim for a solid and widely established ERW model based on our current developments and to 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 an abundance of human capital that has enabled us to develop various areas of our business. The city’s central location is a major advantage for our regional projects. Our downtown office is full of energy and fits perfectly with our company’s dynamic identity.
Munich Startup: Quick exit or long haul?
ZeroEx: We started the project out of pure intrinsic motivation, as we are the twelfth company worldwide focused on ERW. Working in such a small sector is incredibly exciting because every little development benefits not just ourselves, but the entire sector. As long as we haven’t really understood every aspect of ERW and developed it into a global company, we’re not thinking about an exit.
