BORDEAUX, FRANCE--Following a two month screening and selection process led by an international panel of photonics industry experts and venture capitalists, 12 emerging technology companies from Europe and North America have been chosen to participate in funding opportunities at the Invest in Photonics (www.invest-in-photonics.com) International Partnering Convention 2010, to be held March 18-19 in Bordeaux.
Invest in Photonics was created in 2008 by the ALPhA technology cluster (Aquitaine Laser Photonique et Applications), CEA (French Atomic Energy Commission), and the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce for the purpose of facilitating meetings between investors and emerging companies in photonics, addressing business issues in photonics, as well as increasing the visibility of the industry. This is the second year that a Selection Committee comprising representatives of the most prominent players in the photonics and investment fields have selected emerging technology firms offering the most potential for future success.
A total of 12 out of 24 applicants made the final selection to seek funding in the special Business Time sessions based on the following criteria: Relevance of the company business to the field of photonics; Size and growth potential of the addressable market; Novelty of the application or product; Product / Application competitive advantages; Viability of the business model; Coherence between 5 year business plan and funding requested; and Management strength.
During the three Business Time sessions, these seed, expansion, and later-stage small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will meet investors and seek potential funding in the region of 30 million Euro (approximately $40.5 million). The median seed capital investment sought is less than 2.5 million Euro.
The selected companies come from Belgium, Canada, Germany, and the Netherlands, including seven firms from various regions in France. They are active in addressing applications in optical transport, laser material processing, imaging, medicine, metrology, and intelligent lighting.
Photonics solutions can address major challenges in areas like high-speed communication, food production, environment, transport, healthcare, internal and external security, as well as energy. According to a 2009 report from the Commission of the European Communities entitled "Preparing for the future: Developing a common strategy for key enabling technologies in the EU," photonics is high on the EU agenda as there are about 5,000 photonics manufacturers in Europe employing around 290,000 people, while over two million more employees in the EU depend directly on photonics products.
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