Volvo Group (AB Volvo), one of the world’s leading manufacturers of trucks, buses, construction equipment as well as marine and industrial engines, is driving innovation with the start-up innovation hub CampX, which accompanies startups across every stage in their journey. The CampX programmes are designed to quickly validate solutions together with start-ups, while also connecting more early-stage companies directly to Volvo Group’s business. In addition, CampX runs a programme that supports bringing internal initiatives to market.
In a recent fireside chat at Vivatech 2025, Helene Niklasson, VP Innovation, Ecosystems and Partnerships and Head of CampX at Volvo Group, spoke to Marie-Gwenhaelle Geffroy, Head of Growth Capital & Solutions at BNP Paribas CIB, about the importance of partnerships in scaling innovation.
Helene Niklasson, VP Innovation, Ecosystems and Partnerships and Head of CampX at Volvo Group.
Question: How is Volvo Group embedding sustainability within its business strategy?
We have our strategy around what we call the 3 x 100, and that means that we will be 100% fossil free, we will be 100% safe, and 100% more productive. And to repeat, it’s not something we are working on on the side. It is really the strategy for the Volvo Group.
Question: How do different players in the value chain work together to drive sustainable mobility?
It’s all about making this ecosystem of net zero transportation to be able to be embedded into the society. And there you need all types of partners to make that fly. And we normally illustrate this with an equation, and it means that in order for the uptake of this whole net zero transportation system, you need vehicles that are net zero, and here we already have that on the market.
But you also need clean energy and you need infrastructure. You need business models, incentives, and you need to have a strong supply chain. If you can have all that to work together in an equation, multiplication between each and every stakeholder, then you can make it fly.
Marie-Gwenhaelle Geffroy, Head of Growth Capital & Solutions at BNP Paribas CIB
Question: What is the role of start-ups and scale-ups in driving innovation towards net zero?
Start-ups and scale-ups are absolutely critical in driving the transition to net zero. See the transition as an industrial revolution, where there is a shift of industrial models toward something totally new and in mobility, it’s the same. So start-ups will bring the speed, the ideas, the talent and the diversification of talent profiles that we need to bring that change.
Helene Niklasson, VP Innovation, Ecosystems and Partnerships and Head of CampX at Volvo Group
Question: Why did Volvo Group establish CampX, its start-up innovation hub?
So CampX is really a toolbox to make us, as a corporate, collaborate with start-ups, identify value, and when we find value for us and for the start-up, then they can scale together with us. So that is really the “why” is to bring in solutions, test before we invest, but to bring in solutions into our offer. That is the “why”. And then we can bring a lot of value to the start-up community, since we have a long, almost 100 years of experience in commercialising and industrialising, and that’s what they need.
Marie-Gwenhaelle Geffroy, Head of Growth Capital & Solutions at BNP Paribas CIB
Question: How is BNP Paribas supporting growth companies across the mobility value chain?
BNP Paribas has been committed to the low carbon transition and to mobility and electrification of transport for a long time. So we created a brand, BNP Paribas mobility, which is an umbrella that pulls together all the expertise that we have around mobility, all the services, and customers potentially for the start-up, and we bring that ecosystem to the start-up, but we don’t stop there. We have across the Group a number of incubators within our commercial banking, that help start-ups in the very early days to make their first product. Then, when they start to scale, when they become a business, when they want to expand internationally, find new sources of capital and optimise, the way they’re going to grow, then we have teams within CIB, where I’m sitting, which will be able to advise them, connect them with capital and find new solutions for them on their way to scale.
Steering innovation to design the future of mobility
The mobility sector is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by innovation, electrification, and shifting global dynamics. According to BNP Paribas’ experts, the rise of Chinese electric vehicle (EV) exports, advances in battery technology, as well as autonomous and flying vehicles, and growing investor interested are reshaping the industry at speed. At the same time, challenges around infrastructure, supply chains, and regulation remain, and collaboration across sectors will be key to unlock the next phase of sustainable mobility.
In this evolving context, Volvo Group is putting its commitment to drive progress through technological and business innovation at the heart of its strategy – focusing on sustainable mobility, start-up collaboration, and the net-zero transition. A key part of this is CampX, Volvo Group’s innovation hub designed to encourage collaboration with start-ups and scale-ups, creating real impact by building partnerships that speed up the shift to cleaner and safer mobility. Working across areas like infrastructure, energy, policy makers and regulations, affordability, and customer competitiveness, CampX has launched 170 projects with start-ups globally, through hubs in India, Sweden, France, and the US.
❝ To drive innovation and become 100% fossil free, we must collaborate across the board – with start-ups, public players, large corporations, and even our own competitors. It is not about competition, but multiplication. When we work together, everyone wins – the industry, the planet, and the customer. ❞
Supporting the transition
BNP Paribas’ long-standing relationship with Volvo Group, stretching back more than 20 years, makes the Bank an important partner in supporting the group’s evolving innovation ecosystem and the shift to more sustainable mobility. The Bank is a major partner in numerous jurisdictions and supports the group in navigating complex markets.
A leader in mobility
With mobility one of the Bank’s strategic priorities, BNP Paribas aims to be the privileged partner of corporate and individual clients in their transition to sustainable, secure and accessible mobility with BNP Paribas Mobility, which brings together all the Group’s mobility brands under one umbrella.
Supporting all players across the mobility value chain, the Group offers market-leading expertise and tailor-made solutions to meet the needs of our full range of clients: infrastructure players; vehicle manufacturers, equipment suppliers and distributors; corporations for their vehicle fleets and new mobility offers and services; and individual customers to help them adopt more environmentally friendly modes of transport.
❝ BNP Paribas has a second-to-none offering for Auto car makers and distributors thanks to our integrated model. The full scope of our customers’ needs is covered by BNP Paribas Mobility through the combined offerings of Arval, Personal Finance, Cardif, Leasing Solutions, Floa, CIB and our Retail Banks. We are scalable and propose a fully integrated offer. ❞
Paving the way to a scale-up ecosystem
BNP Paribas supports innovative companies by helping them scale up, connect with partners, and bring their solutions to the market. Growth Capital and Solutions acts as a long–term partner – providing investment, business guidance, and access to a diverse network of experts in Fintech, low carbon tech, and Nextgen Tech. This hands-on approach, combined with a strong focus on sustainability and a collaborative ecosystem, helps innovative companies grow and lead industry transformation.
❝ Europe has a rich ecosystem of start-ups, scale-ups, investors and banks and our aim is to unlock its full potential. ❞
