ZeroCO2, an Italian B Corp-certified benefit corporation which has been developing high-impact nature-based solutions since 2020, has announced that it has closed a bridge funding round worth one million euros. The round involved NTT Data Italia, the technology partner for the development of Selva, and CDP Venture Capital, through StyleIT \u2013 a fashiontech programme within CDP Venture Capital\u2019s national accelerator network, developed in collaboration with Startupbootcamp and Gellify. <\/p>\n\n
The funds raised will enable the accelerated development of Selva, the company\u2019s proprietary digital monitoring, reporting and verification (dMRV) platform for the generation of high-quality carbon credits, which integrates artificial intelligence and satellite data.<\/p>\n\n
With over two million trees planted, 600 client companies and 200 farming communities involved across three continents, ZeroCO2 is embarking on this new phase backed by solid experience gained in the field. Thanks to Selva, the company is evolving its business model to become an end-to-end operator for the generation, measurement and management of high-integrity carbon credits. <\/p>\n\n
Developed in collaboration with NTT Data Italia, with methodological support from the University of Florence (UniFi) and ESA BIC, the European Space Agency\u2019s incubator, Selva goes beyond traditional verification models based on statistical sampling by introducing a system for the continuous monitoring of forest areas using satellite imagery and artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n\n
The results are tangible: a 70 per cent reduction in certification times and a significant cut in costs, by addressing what is currently one of the main barriers to accessing the voluntary carbon market (VCM).<\/p>\n\n
At the heart of the model lies a genuine benefit-sharing mechanism: up to 50 per cent of the revenue generated from the sale of carbon credits is redistributed directly to farming communities and landowners in the Global South. The initiative places ZeroCO2 at the crossroads of space technology, artificial intelligence and climate finance, within a rapidly evolving and increasingly regulated global market. <\/p>\n\n
\u201cWe are facing a climate paradox: the countries that have historically emitted the most are now asking nature to absorb what they are unable to reduce, and that nature is safeguarded by farming and forestry communities in the Global South,\u201d says Andrea Pesce, CEO and co-founder of ZeroCO2, in a statement (pictured here with the team) \u2013 \u201cSelva exists to make this exchange truly fair and verifiable: channelling real economic resources towards those who make mitigation possible, with the transparency that AI and satellite data can guarantee.\u201d<\/p>\n\n
As ZeroCO2\u2019s technology partner, NTT Data Italia has developed the technology underpinning Selva, creating the backend infrastructure and the AI-based carbon accounting engine.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cOver the past few years, we have been working alongside ZeroCO2 with the aim of applying AI, satellite data and continuous monitoring capabilities to one of the most significant challenges of the climate transition. Today, we are strengthening a shared approach that aims to make the generation and certification of carbon credits more efficient, transparent and accessible, whilst creating value for the communities that contribute to the protection of ecosystems,\u201d says Maria Vittoria Trussoni, Head of Sustainability and Greentech at NTT Data Italia.<\/p>\n\n
\u201cWe decided to invest in ZeroCO2 because we were immediately impressed by the team\u2019s ability to develop concrete reforestation projects, working closely with farming communities. With Selva, this experience has resulted in a more structured system, which uses satellite data and advanced models to continuously monitor forest areas and improve the certification of carbon credits. \u201cThe pragmatic approach they are taking to simplify processes that are still complex and difficult to access, and the aim of redistributing value to local communities, make this model effective, fair and sustainable in the long term,\u201d adds Stefano Molino, head of the Accelerator Fund at CDP Venture Capital.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The start-up is backed by NTT Data Italia and CDP Venture Capital, and is working to improve the management of environmental impact<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":125,"featured_media":183301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_substack_draft_id":"","_substack_draft_url":"","_substack_last_pushed":"","_substack_premium":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1317],"tags":[1143,1137,1136,1337,1145],"companies":[3584],"journalist":[1518],"class_list":["post-183302","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-funding-news","tag-investments","tag-italy-en","tag-startup-en-2","tag-sustainability","tag-venture-capital-en-2","companies-zeroco2","journalist-editorial-staff-en"],"featured_sizes_urls":{"thumbnail":{"src":"https:\/\/www.startupbusiness.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Foto-team-zeroCO2.jpg","width":150,"height":100,"crop":false,"srcset":false,"alt":"environmental impact"},"large":{"src":"https:\/\/www.startupbusiness.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Foto-team-zeroCO2.jpg","width":1024,"height":682,"crop":false,"srcset":false,"alt":"environmental impact"},"2048x2048":{"src":"https:\/\/www.startupbusiness.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Foto-team-zeroCO2.jpg","width":1280,"height":853,"crop":false,"srcset":false,"alt":"environmental impact"}},"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n