Press release, September 23, 2022

Dassault Systèmes selects FoulFighter to join its special startup accelerator program

Read more: 3dexperiencelab.3ds.com

Finnish-based FoulFighter, an automated marine hull cleaning technology company, has been chosen to join Dassault Systèmes’ exclusive accelerator program for startup companies developing breakthrough innovations that serve society and ecology.

Maritime transport is responsible for 90% of world trade, yet vessels emit an enormous 940 million tons of CO2 annually, according to the third International Maritime Organization (IMO) greenhouse gas study. Additionally, fouling causing USD 30 billion in costs for shipping each year.

“To solve this critical fouling problem and help reach the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we established FoulFighter to bring functionally simple technology to clean up the seas,” says Mika Koli, Chairman of the Board, FoulFighter.

FoulFighter was founded on the innovative idea to help vessels cut back on CO2 emissions, reduce the spread of invasive species and lower ships’ operational costs by proactively attacking hull resistance. Founded in Turku, Finland, the company’s automated hull cleaning device prevents the formation of marine growth and fouling organisms.

Now FoulFighter has successfully been accepted to Dassault Systèmes’ accelerator program, where the company will be nurtured as one of the carefully selected startups.

“Each year, we have three or four pitch sessions per year,” says Fabien Bartel, Senior Manager at 3D EXPERIENCE Lab, Dassaults Systèmes. “Typically, our Pitch Committee, including our CEO and members of the board, review between 15 and 20 companies. We started this program already 6 years ago – and currently have a total of about 30 startup companies.”

The Dassault Systèmes selection criteria include being an early-stage company that is developing a disruptive innovation with a physical product that has a positive impact on the UN’s global SDGs.

“FoulFighter was a good fit for our progam,” Bartel continues. “The company passed all the rigorous criteria. Additionally, marine and offshore are especially important areas for us when we look at the SDGs. We feel FoulFighter’s idea is simple but very smart. It has the potential to have a huge impact on the world when it comes to curbing climate change and pollution.”

“We were truly honored to be selected,” says Mika Koli, “We’re looking forward to getting the support and muscle of a large international organization to make a lasting impact with our technology. Through the knowledge and mentorship of this program, we feel we can scale up our technology to reach a much wider audience faster to bring about change.”

The objective for Dassault Systèmes is to work with each startup company and turn it into a success story. The company knows every startup has its own pains. Dassault Systèmes offers these startups essential value by providing them with software, know-how and quick ramp-up support.

Each startup accepted to the program receives complimentary access to Dassault Systèmes’ 3DExperience cloud platform and industrial software apps, technical and business mentoring, access to various proprietary labs and marketplaces, access to business networks and boosted visibility through dedicated marketing activities.

“Our company is very focused and driven by long-term objectives of enabling the startups to be the big players of the future,” Bartell explains. “We will be working with the FoulFighter team to help them become sustainable by harmonizing their product with nature and life. We believe that the big disruptors in the future will be startups who have been given a chance to grow faster than trying to figure it out on their own.”

Dassault Systèmes began with 3D Design in 1981. It continued with 3C DMU in 1989 and them with 3D PLM in 1999. In 2012, the company evolved its support to include the 3D Experience, which is a platform that offers integrated and consistent data to anyone connected. This allows everyone to work together and reach faster results.

The company today is at the forefront of innovation. It provides business and people with collaborative 3D tools and virtual environments to imagine sustainable innovations. Almost everything around us is enabled is some way by Dassault Systèmes software solution, which are used by over 250,000 companies in 11 industries worldwide.


About Dassault Systèmes

Dassault Systèmes SE is a French software corporation, which develops software for 3D product design, simulation, manufacturing and more. In 1981, this Dassault Group subsidiary spun off from Dassault Aviation. Headquartered in Vélizy-Villacoublay, France, it employs around 20,000 persons in 140 countries with annual revenue of EUR 4.5 billion in 2020. It has been ranked on Forbes Magazine’s list of the world’s most innovative companies since 2013. In 2021, it was selected as one of Corporate Knight’s top 200 companies by green revenue.


About FoulFighter

Founded in Turku, Finland, FoulFighter focuses on cutting back on maritime transport CO2 emissions, reducing the spread of invasive species and lowering the operational costs of ships by proactively attacking hull fouling. Established in 2019, the company aims to provide the world’s most sustainable and cost-effective hull-fouling solution based on automatic onboard technology.

For more information, please contact Mika Koli, FoulFighter; Tel. +358 400 767 199; mika.koli@foulfighter.com