The CMA CGM Group has launched Ze Box, its first international startup incubator based in Marseilles.

According to CMA CGM, Ze Box is located in Le Castel building and will cover an area of 800 square metres. From June 2018, it will house a dozen startups from around the world. A call for applications will be launched shortly.

“With Ze Box, CMA CGM is accelerating its digital strategy and is developing the means to become the transportation industry’s leader in innovation,” said Rodolphe Saadé, chairman and chief executive officer of the CMA CGM Group. “By combining our expertise with the one of the startups that will be hosted within Ze Box, we will develop global innovations that create value for our customers and for CMA CGM. Thanks to Ze box, our ambition is to attract to France the best startups from all around the world. Its creation in Marseilles also shows our strong will to contribute to the economic development of this territory.”

Ze Box is a partnership with the Aix-Marseilles University and the Aix-Marseille Provence Métropole. It will be headed by Matthieu Somekh, previously head of entrepreneurship and innovation at Ecole Polytechnique.

The creation of Ze Box is part of CMA CGM’s strategy to make digitalization one of the pillars of its development. It adds to a number of recent initiatives launched by the shipping company, including the appointment of a worldwide team of chief digital officers, the creation of CMA CGM Ventures, support for startup incubator Le Carburateur and partnerships with Aix-Marseille French Tech, The Camp, Infosys and Alibaba, according to CMA CGM.