Meet Eunitec: the intelligent sustainability management system

Assessing the CO2 emissions of products along the supply chain is a difficult, yet crucial task for the sustainable transformation. What companies encounter in the attempt to calculate product-based emissions are the lack of data and missing interfaces between databases, and what Philipp, Philipp and Arash provide is the ultimate software solution: Eunitec.?

With Eunitec, you are building THE intelligent sustainability management system to increase the quality of greenhouse gas emission assessments for products. Where does this idea come from, and what is your vision for the future?

Philipp N.: The idea comes from first-hand experience with conducting these assessments. I was challenged with the lack of primary data, barely any utilization of assessment results within the organization, no structured communication with the suppliers and no integration of other tools and data formats. As a consequence, the process was very time-consuming and expensive for my clients. The results were of decent quality, but mostly based on assumptions and heavily relied on generic databases. It was amazing timing that, by the time I was in the middle of doing a product carbon footprint assessment for one of my clients, that Philipp and Arash contacted me…

Philipp M.: This indeed felt like a huge coincidence. My business partner and I tried to make sense out of this wide field of CO2-accounting. With limited knowledge, we knew that we needed to consult someone who is a subject-matter expert. After some more or less successful talks to other experts, we knew that we had a match when we met Philipp – a person who is an expert in his field and at the same time a real entrepreneur, ready to solve his own problem. Our vision is clear: finding an efficient way to make product emissions visible and, therefore, open the possibility to reduce them.

Deduced from your vision, you have a strong focus on the environmental pillar of sustainability, but how will your software solution contribute to a greener tomorrow?

Philipp N.: We simplify the product carbon footprint assessments and make them available to relevant stakeholders to improve emission-based decision-making. We integrate data from suppliers, allowing for a holistic review of the product value chain. This lays the foundation to re-design products and improve their footprint across company borders. We believe that a true impact can only be achieved if companies develop more sustainable production processes by working together. Our solution provides the platform for that.

Philipp M.: From an environmental point of view, I was very hyped for the upcoming tasks. Anyone who is familiar with the topic knows that we won’t become carbon-neutral without tackling the lack of transparency within the supply chain. We believe in the efficient allocation of resources, which free markets are able to deliver. Our platform is designed to open a free market in which a differentiation through efficient CO2-management is possible and, therefore, opens the possibility for emissions to become a valuable and limited resource in the future.

And how will you contribute to a more sustainable future – what is your USP as a team?

Arash: We cover all the necessary requirements for our project. Starting from Philipp N. and his experience with assessing product emissions. This is crucial to develop and understand the pain points of our customers and users. Of course, no business can be successful without proper business planning. This is where Philipp M. shines. His great knowledge of business and finance will allow us to develop a financial plan and organizational structure that will set us up for success.

Philipp N.: Our skill sets complement perfectly. Arash is a seasoned technology expert with experience in Software Development, Big Data and AI. He’s our secret sauce. Philipp’s experience in setting up organizational structures and managing finances will be crucial to scale our business.

Philipp: As Philipp said, a heterogeneous team is the key to a successful startup. Next to this, I would point out our ability to address difficult topics professionally and communicate openly – even when it hurts. This makes us unique and provides us with a strong foundation, when it comes to the common ups and downs that are inherent in any startup.

In the last five years, the number of startups in the construction sector has increased by the factor of 7 with multiple newcomers that tackle identical needs. What is the difference between you and other construction startups, and why will you be the next unicorn?

Philipp N.: First, we want to create an impact with our solution. If we can support in reducing the emissions within the sector by 1 million tons, that’s much more desirable than being valued at 1 billion Euros.

Arash: That being said, we are providing the right answer to a massive problem at the right time with the required skills and motivation.

Philipp M.: We monitor our competitors very closely and no one has been able to gain remarkable market shares in our field to this date. It is not the number of competitors that will define our success. In our field, it is more the technological USP that will decide which solution will be the first usable and scalable at the same time. Timing is a big factor as well – we can learn from many competitors struggling with problems that we might already have an answer to for the future.

At ‘The Mission’, you have not only met like-minded teams who want to found their own construction startups but also companies from the entire value chain who are looking for (and working towards) new solutions. How has your collaboration been so far, and what are your highlights of the program?

Philipp N.: We’ve had a great time all around. Everyone has been very kind and supportive, and it is apparent that all teams want to create a sustainability impact first and build a strong business model around that, and not vice versa. My personal highlight was the poker tournament we’ve set up a couple of weeks ago.

Philipp M.: I have to give it to Philipp. All teams are united in their goal to make the construction industry more sustainable. The approaches may differ, but the characters speak for themselves. Everyone was very supportive, and we hope to see them all with a running business model in the future. My personal highlight was the ping pong tournament organized by Futury – there seems to be no better place for that than in the Frankfurt based Wework.

On the other hand, what are you looking forward to during and after the program? What are your future plans??

Philipp N.: It’s been a few very intense and busy weeks. At the moment, we’re working on developing our proof of concept and aim to finalize our business plan, so we can start reaching out to potential investors for a seed funding.

Philipp M.: Our goal is clear. We want to finish our proof of concept and kick-off the development of our MVP until the end of the Futury program. At the end of this chapter, there should be no doubt that this amazing team is worth getting financed through the difficulties of reaching a product market fit. Therefore, we will do everything possible to process the numerous feedback from our partners into a reliable business development story.?

BACKGROUND

THE MISSION is a large-scale initiative with the aim to bring new sustainable business solutions into practice and, thereby, change the way of how we do business. Together with Deutsche Bank, Bain & Company, Handelsblatt Media Group and PreZero, Futury launched this program series to create a long-lasting positive impact on the economy, the society, and the planet. For this purpose, we developed three ecosystems around the topics of construction, waste, and food, which will be covered all year round by a three-month incubation program for entrepreneurial talents and early-stage startups, multiple networking events, and different media formats to push forward sustainable innovation and ensure a steady and fruitful exchange between all ecosystem players.

The current program #TheMissionConstruction will be followed by #TheMissionWaste in June and #TheMissionFood in September. Compared to this new logic with recurring topics, former programs focused on respectively the banking, sports, work, mobility, and energy sector in sequence. Overall, we carried out 7 programs with 125+ talents and 55+ corporate partners, resulting in 30+ incubations, 10+ accelerations and 5+ ventures.

INTERVIEW

Interviewee: Arash Javanmard, Philipp Niemeier, and Philipp Müller

Interviewer: Lara Siebert