Kabaun Inside: our review and vision for 2026

To mark Kabaun’s fourth anniversary, we sat down with our CEO and Co-founder, Nicolas Soum, for a quick check-in. In this interview, he looks back at how the market has evolved since 2021 and shares our technological roadmap. From regulatory shifts like the CSRD to the integration of AI, here is a look at where Kabaun stands today and where we are headed by the end of 2026.

Nearly four years after Kabaun’s official launch, what is your assessment so far?

It is a review marked by a phenomenal acceleration in market maturity. When we launched Kabaun (around 2021/2022), we were still largely in an "evangelization" phase. Companies were looking to conduct "carbon assessments" primarily for communication purposes or out of general CSR convictions.

Today, in 2026, the paradigm has completely shifted. Carbon has become a financial metric like any other. With the progressive rollout of the CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive), we have moved from "nice-to-have" to a "license-to-operate."

My assessment is therefore very positive: we have successfully supported our clients through this transition, moving from a static "snapshot" logic (the annual assessment) to dynamic carbon data management. Awareness is there, the tools are ready; the challenge now lies in precision and action.

How does Kabaun stand out from its competitors?

While many players focused on automation based on spend data (converting euros spent into CO2), we bet on physical data and collaborative engagement.

Kabaun stands out through two major pillars:

• Data granularity: We don’t settle for imprecise spend-based ratios. Our architecture allows for the ingestion of real physical flow data, which is essential for CSRD audits.

• Activating scope 3: Our competitors often offer reporting tools. Kabaun is a collaboration tool. We have transformed the burden of supplier data collection into an opportunity for dialogue. Our platform is not a "black box"; it is a hub that connects a company to its ecosystem to reduce emissions together, not just count them.

What have been the main successes and challenges encountered in recent months?

The major success has been our ability to absorb regulatory complexity for our clients. Seeing mid-sized companies (ETIs) successfully complete their first auditable sustainability reports thanks to our data structuring has been a source of great satisfaction.

The main challenge, unsurprisingly, remains the quality of data across the value chain (Scope 3). “Reporting fatigue is real among suppliers.” We have had to deal with weariness from suppliers who are being solicited from all sides. Our challenge was both technological and UX-focused: how do we make data entry for a supplier as simple as paying an invoice? We have iterated extensively on the interface to reduce friction to a minimum.

What strategies or approaches have been implemented to meet the changing technological needs of your users?

Since 2021, needs have shifted from "understanding" to "integration." Clients no longer want an isolated tool that requires manual data re-entry.

Consequently, we have pivoted our technological strategy toward total interoperability:

• API-First: We opened our APIs so that Kabaun can communicate natively with ERPs (SAP, Cegid, etc.) and procurement tools. Carbon tracking should not be a manual entry task, but an automated flow.

• Targeted AI: We deployed AI models—not to "invent" data, but to classify it. AI now helps us automatically map thousands of invoice lines to the correct emission factors with a displayed confidence score, saving precious time for CSR and Finance teams.

What are the priority projects or features between now and the end of 2026?

By the end of the year, our absolute priority is the “Targets & Simulation” module. Now that our clients know where they stand, they must prove where they are going (SBTi alignment, Net Zero).

We are developing features that allow users to:

• Simulate the carbon impact of a change in supplier or raw material before the purchasing decision is made.

• Manage a carbon budget by department, exactly like a financial budget.

• Strengthen the supplier portal so it becomes a true space for shared eco-design.

How do you plan to adapt the technological strategy to meet emerging market challenges in the coming years?

The future of carbon accounting is multi-capital accounting. Carbon is only the entry point. Our technical architecture is evolving to go beyond CO2e, progressively integrating other planetary boundaries and greater precision without complicating the user experience.

Furthermore, facing rising physical climate risks, we plan to integrate more predictive "Data Intelligence". The goal is to help our clients not only reduce their impact on the climate but also anticipate the climate's impact on their supply chain (disruptions linked to climate events).

Kabaun must become the resilience tool for the company of tomorrow.