The Manchester-based startup accelerator is ZEBOX’s sixth innovation hub in the world. ZEBOX UK is ready to tap into Manchester, London and Northern Europe, expanding ZEBOX's global network of entrepreneurs, business leaders and ecosystem experts.

With five universities, attractive financial incentives for entrepreneurs and a growing number of sustainable development initiatives, Manchester offers incredible startup ecosystem potential. Manchester is also one of the UK’s dominant tech hubs and outperforms much larger cities on the continent. Its innovative startup scene has seen record levels of investment funding in recent years. ZEBOX's foray into Manchester will not only inject dynamism into its startup ecosystem, but also fuel co-innovations in several key sectors such as sustainability and artificial intelligence.

This new hub in the UK will continue ZEBOX's mission to pave new paths by connecting global logistics leaders and innovative startups with innovation hubs in France, North America, the Caribbean, West Africa and the Asia-Pacific region. By doing so, the global accelerator gives logistics companies access to some of the world's best and brightest innovators, while also giving entrepreneurs access to the industry expertise and connections they need to create viable, scalable solutions for the logistics industry of tomorrow.

ZEBOX was founded in 2018 by Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and CEO of the CMA CGM Group, as a community of the most promising startups and large companies, demonstrating his strong commitment to accelerating decarbonisation, operational optimisation and technological breakthrough in the supply chain industry such as artificial intelligence.

Taking its ZEBOX ambitions to a new level, in April the CMA CGM Group launched ZEBOX Ventures, a seed fund for French and international startups. The fund aims to invest between £50,000 and £250,000 each year in around 50 startups, prioritising shipping and logistics optimisation, decarbonisation and energy transition, process digitalisation and artificial intelligence.

The ZEBOX community, which now comprises 20 partners and over 200 startups, has contributed to raising over £200 million in funding and has initiated more than 100 co-innovation projects between startups and corporate partners for the next generation of solutions.

Since CMA CGM first established an office in Liverpool in 1990, the Group has significantly expanded its presence and now counts 6,000 staff members across five offices, including the Group’s Europe regional office which is now based in London. In the UK, the CMA CGM Group operates 26 maritime services calling at 10 ports, 130 monthly vessel calls, and 87 warehouses through its subsidiary CEVA Logistics. With CEVA Logistics, the Group is able to meet its customers’ logistics needs in the UK through a comprehensive range of supply chain solutions. With its UK headquarters in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in Leicestershire, CEVA Logistics offers a broad range of end-to-end, customised solutions in contract logistics and air, ocean, ground and finished vehicle transport.

CMA CGM has flagged two LNG powered container ships with the UK Ship Register this year, with more expected to follow in 2024. This move demonstrates CMA CGM’s ongoing commitment to the UK and optimism for the future.

Audrey Dolhen, Regional Director, Head of Europe Region of the CMA CGM Group, said “The launch of ZEBOX UK truly illustrates CMA CGM’s commitment to our UK customers, partners and team members. Our desire is to find innovative approaches and bring solutions to the table that will transform the industry and help the UK adapt to the ever-changing business landscape. CMA CGM and ZEBOX UK are on a mission to create the premier centre of innovation for supply chain and logistics in the United Kingdom.”