constellr GmbH
The mission of the Freiburg startup constellr GmbH is very likely to become a game-changer in the fight against climate change. The foundation is a high-resolution imaging technology that uses its own mini-satellites to daily record agricultural areas, forests, and coastal regions from space and analyze their temperature.
The goal of constellr is to fundamentally deepen our understanding of our planet's ecosystems. The high-resolution images provide precisely the relevant temperature data for this, which gives early insights into the health of plants before they become visible to the eye. The technology could revolutionize agriculture in just a few years: farmers will then receive a daily analysis of the health of their plants across their entire fields. This will allow them to act much more proactively than before. For example, irrigation and fertilization can be more targeted, and pesticides only need to be used selectively. The goal is clearly defined: sustainably more yield per drop, so that the approximately 10 billion people can be fed by 2050.
Professional Processes for Rapid Growth
Four years after its founding, the young startup constellr can already look back on a breathtaking success story. Co-financing by the European Space Agency ESA has made it possible for the first commercial satellite to be launched into space, likely in autumn 2024. The next few years are also secured by numerous investors. Due to a multi-year contract with the European Commission EC and the ESA, constellr has also been included in the Copernicus program.
Company growth is accordingly rapid: while in 2022, only 20 talents were working on the future of our planet, by early 2024, there are already over 80.
Think Big – Start Smart
Unrestricted growth quickly pushes isolated solutions like Excel to their limits. Flexibility and a crystal-clear view of the company as well as the projects are required. In particular, financial flows and cost structures must be able to be checked in real-time without effort. However, what a young startup does not yet need is the full coverage of all business processes by a large ERP system: "Implementing and releasing the big beast right away, we all had more than respect for that," reports Victoria Kruchevska. The Finance & Controlling Manager was looking for business software that could grow with the company step-by-step and quickly gain broad acceptance among employees. Because those who work at constellr don't just do a job: it's about the future of the planet. Nobody here has time for time-consuming processes, multiple data entries, and app-hopping.
Since its founding, the startup has relied on the cloud. Not only does cost-effective operation play a role: the cloud flexibly adapts to company requirements without the need for investments in IT infrastructure. Furthermore, the cloud simply fits perfectly with constellr's mission: it conserves important resources and is 100% powered by renewable energy. The digital workplace from the cloud with Microsoft 365 including Teams also perfectly suits the requirements for worldwide remote work. And exactly the same applies to business software. In addition, Jedox, as a controlling and reporting solution, must be as seamlessly integratable as possible into the new business software. The search was quickly successful: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (BC) offers exactly what companies like constellr need. BC is a cloud solution with a modular structure that offers flexible growth options and seamless integration into Microsoft's digital workplace. And all this at a price-performance ratio suitable for a startup.
Professional Solution for Startup Budget: BC2GO
Startups like constellr have one thing in common: budgets should ideally be spent on product development. That's why many things, such as software projects, are preferably handled in-house. At COSMO CONSULT, Victoria Kruchevska found the right solution: Business Central to Go (BC2GO). A pre-configured package that constellr can largely implement itself without hordes of expensive consultants. What some ERP consulting companies considered impossible until now has been professionally solved by COSMO CONSULT: implementation support. Because even with BC2GO, companies are not left alone. Thanks to modern technologies, human support is no longer necessarily required for this – if, like COSMO CONSULT, the know-how is simply made available digitally.
Do-IT-Yourself thanks to Digital Consultant
For Victoria Kruchevska, the Digital Consultant is the absolute highlight. The smart assistant scores with extensive learning materials and video courses, helps with step-by-step instructions in every module, and has plenty of tips and tricks up its sleeve. This allowed constellr to set up financial accounting almost entirely by itself very quickly, whenever time permitted. Regular reviews with a dedicated (human) consultant from COSMO CONSULT ensure that data and processes are set up cleanly and legally compliant. In addition, individual requirements and questions can be discussed in the reviews. For example, integration with Jedox is to be set up and tested in one of the next steps.
Start of Commercial Business
constellr is still in the development stage, but commercial business is just around the corner. With the first satellite in space, the first data transfers to customers will also become a reality. The already considerable number of customers makes a simple workaround impossible now, meaning professional solutions, e.g., for connecting to e-procurement solutions and, of course, the most diverse payment gateways, need to be built. "For the future, we are perfectly positioned with COSMO CONSULT: the broad internal know-how is complemented by a long-standing network. That's what counts for us, as does honesty and partnership."
