(IN BRIEF) Eni and CDP Venture Capital have jointly invested €550,000 in EXE Engineering to accelerate its growth and expand its carbon offsetting and waste valorisation projects in Africa and Europe through a funding round led by Zero and Eni Next following the startup’s participation in the Zero acceleration programme and a successful pilot project with Eni senior representatives from CDP Venture Capital, Eni Next, and Zest highlighted the strategic importance of the investment and its alignment with open innovation and industrial development goals while EXE Engineering received national recognition in 2025 for its work on landfill biogas capture and circular waste solutions.

(PRESS RELEASE) ROME, 9-Feb-2026 — /EuropaWire/ — Eni, in collaboration with CDP Venture Capital, has committed €550,000 to support EXE Engineering, a startup specializing in innovative solutions for carbon offsetting and waste valorisation in Africa. The investment is intended to accelerate the company’s development roadmap and facilitate the expansion of its operations into new markets, including further growth across Europe and the African continent.

The funding round was led by Zero, part of the National Accelerator Network of CDP Venture Capital, and Eni Next, Eni’s corporate venture capital arm dedicated to investing in high-potential technology-driven startups. Zero operates within a broader ecosystem developed in partnership with Zest and Elis, while Eni contributes as a key corporate partner through Joule, its entrepreneurship school, alongside other participating companies in the sector.

EXE Engineering participated in the Zero acceleration programme between 2024 and 2025, during which it developed a Proof of Concept pilot project in collaboration with Eni. This was followed by a formal cooperation agreement in Africa aimed at evaluating and implementing innovative technologies to reduce emissions and enhance the environmental value of waste management processes.

Stefano Molino, Head of the Accelerators Fund at CDP Venture Capital, described the investment as a concrete demonstration of how the National Accelerator Network can translate innovation into tangible industrial opportunities. He highlighted that Zero supported EXE Engineering through a structured path combining entrepreneurial development, technological validation, and collaboration with a major industry partner such as Eni. Molino also noted that the involvement of Eni Next further strengthens the strategic and industrial significance of the transaction.

Clara Andreoletti, CEO of Eni Next, emphasized that the Zero acceleration programme played a crucial role in enabling Eni Next’s investment decision. She stated that the process not only supported the startup’s managerial and industrial maturation but also facilitated a structured experimentation framework that clarified its medium- to long-term growth potential. According to Andreoletti, the transaction validates Eni’s integrated open innovation model, which systematically links acceleration initiatives with corporate venture capital activities.

Throughout 2025, EXE Engineering received multiple recognitions for its work. The startup was named among the “Top 100 Italian Startups” by Forbes and Ventive and was awarded the special mention “Eni Joule for Entrepreneurship” as part of the Eni Award, which promotes innovative and sustainable business ideas. The distinction was presented by Italian President Sergio Mattarella during a ceremony at the Quirinale Palace.

Gianni Cordaro, CEO and Founder of EXE Engineering, stated that the partnership with Eni represents a significant milestone for the company’s growth. He explained that the startup focuses on developing technologies that close the waste cycle, particularly by capturing and utilizing biogas from landfills. This approach, he said, delivers both environmental benefits and strong economic returns, making the collaboration with Eni and its partners a source of pride and strategic momentum.

Elena Martelli, Portfolio Manager at Zest, also welcomed the investment as the beginning of a long-term collaboration with positive environmental impact. She noted that during the Zero programme, the EXE Engineering team rapidly strengthened its organizational structure and began scaling its operations, bringing innovation to the landfill sector, which remains critical to the ecological transition. Martelli emphasized that the startup demonstrates how even in challenging environments such as waste management, technological progress and efficiency gains are possible.

Eni and CDP Venture Capital are related parties and conducted the transaction in accordance with their respective internal procedures.

Notes to editors
EXE Engineering has developed and patented an integrated software–hardware system that automates and optimises the management of landfill biogas, increasing capture rates by up to 70% compared with traditional manually operated systems. This makes it possible to intercept greater volumes of methane that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere – a greenhouse gas with a climate impact approximately 25–28 times higher than CO₂ over a 100-year period – and to convert it into additional energy that can be used on-site or fed into the grid. The patented solution combines an automated substation (EXE Station) equipped with sensors and motorised valves, regulated on an hourly basis, with a software platform (EXE Manager) for monitoring, remote control and reporting.

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SOURCE: Eni S.p.A.

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