Paris-based climate tech startup Estuarywhich provides a data platform for airlines, airports and aviation financiers, has closed a €2.2 million seed round led by climate tech venture capital firm Satgana. Investors include Safran Corporate Ventures, XAnge and AFI Ventures, the early-stage impact arm of Ventech.
Estuaire provides a flight data analytics platform that helps airlines and airports cost-effectively minimize CO2 and non-CO2 emissions such as contrails – linear clouds formed by aircraft. The platform also enables aviation financiers to assess climate risks and create sustainable investment policies. Estuaire is a certified data provider for the Pegasus Guidelines, the leading framework for climate-smart aviation finance.
Estuaire's core innovation, the E-Engine technology stack, uses data fusion and cloud computing to integrate all aviation data streams including radar flight paths, numerical weather prediction, passenger load factors and several climate and flight physics models. Estuaire works with companies such as Vueling, SkyAlps, Nordic Aviation Capital, Societe Generale, Daher, Safran, Ascendance Flight Technologies and Hynamics, and has a growing pipeline across various verticals.
Estuaire was founded by brothers Maxime and Nicolas Majors, both experienced pilots, and the team is supported by senior aviation industry advisors such as Ulrich Schumann, one of the fathers of contrail science, and Alexandre de Juniac, former CEO of Air France-KLM and the International Air Transport Association.
Roman Diaz, General Partner at Satgana, commented: “Ever since meeting Maxime and Nicolas, we have been impressed by their depth of knowledge, experience, drive and mission and it is clear that they are founders who can truly shake up the industry. This is especially important for the aviation industry, which faces the daunting challenge of having to grow steadily over the coming decades while also significantly reducing emissions. We are extremely proud to lead Estuaire's seed round and look forward to supporting them as they address the sector's climate impact.”
Abdelhek Bouchekioa, Investment Director at Safran Corporate Ventures, commented: “Understanding and quantifying the aviation industry's environmental impact is a top priority for Safran. Estua's software solution enables a thorough assessment of the impact of an aircraft fleet throughout its lifecycle, which has already proven crucial to many companies in the industry. Our investment in Estua complements Safran Corporate Ventures' portfolio of start-ups working to decarbonize the aviation industry.”
Maxime Majors, co-founder and CEO of Estuaire, commented: “Estuaire believes in a more responsible way of flying. We aim to develop solutions to monitor and reduce emissions across the entire aviation value chain. With the right data, the right incentives and regulatory mechanisms, we can foster a unified effort to reach the industry's climate goals.”
