ARQIS advises OCELL on seed investment
Munich — ARQIS advised Munich-based AI startup OCELL on their seed financing round. With an operating system for digital forestry, OCELL helps forest managers operate more efficiently and sustainably. Business angels from the BayStartUP investor network are now investing a high six-figure sum in this technology under the leadership of Andreas Kupke (Finanzcheck) and Wolfgang Seibold together with the TUM Initiative for Industrial Innovators. The capital injection is supplemented by a grant of over 500,000 euros. The capital is to be used to improve products and quality and to expand the communications, marketing and sales departments.
The startup OCELL around the founders Christian Decher, David Dohmen and Felix Horvat has developed the “Dynamic Forest” app. It provides forest managers with the ability to make scientifically sound management decisions and implement smoother forestry operations through an optimal data foundation. In addition to digitizing customers’ existing analog data sources, OCELL relies on aerial imagery collected specifically with highly efficient ultralight aircraft. OCELL relies on artificial intelligence to evaluate the forest areas.
OCELL is an AI Company specializing in the generation and interpretation of aerial imagery. — With its network of professional pilots and sophisticated camera module, OCELL generates the best possible image data from the air. Here, the quality is far beyond the capabilities of satellites and drones. As a data science firm, OCell focuses on deep analytics for its clients. For this purpose, know-how with data processing, ‑filtering, photogrammetry and artificial intelligence is applied.
The main customer segment is forest managers, helping them to better characterize, manage and protect forests from threats. An additional market segment is infrastructure monitoring, where our capabilities in tree detection and analysis help to avoid damage and delays.
“OCELL excited us at ARQIS not only as a deep-tech topic, but also because we were able to provide very hands-on deal counsel for the seed financing round with the founding team and the experienced business angels involved,” says Prof. Dr. Christoph von Einem, who was OCELL’s lead advisor. “As part of this financing round, we were able to put the GESSI contract structure we helped develop into practice for the first time, largely without a notary,” he adds.
Advisor OCELL: ARQIS (Munich)
Prof. Dr. Christoph von Einem (Lead Partner), Dr. Mauritz von Einem; Associates: Louisa Graf, Benjamin Bandur, Anselm Graf (all Venture Capital)
About ARQIS
ARQIS is an independent business law firm operating internationally. The firm was founded in 2006 in Düsseldorf, Munich and Tokyo. Around 55 lawyers and legal specialists advise domestic and foreign companies at the highest level on German and Japanese business law. With the focus groups Transactions, HR.Law, Japan, Data.Law and Risk, the firm is geared towards providing holistic advice to its clients. For more information, visit www.arqis.com.