NETVA 2015 – A week of intense immersion in San Francisco
November 24, 2015
From last October 19th to the 23rd, the Office for Science and Technology at the Consulate General of France in San Francisco welcomed 5 innovative French start-ups, candidates from the Netva Program’s 6th edition, for a week of immersion in the Bay Area. The list of these candidates for San Francisco, Boston, Washington D.C. and Toronto was announced last June. The startups were represented in San Francisco by Alexandru Plesco, CEO and founder of XtremLogic, François Huber and Mohamed Taggougui, CEO and CTO of Ionwatt, Anaïs Barut and David Siret, CEO and CTO of DAMAE Medical, Benoît and Mélanie Jonniaux, co-founders of Bloomizon, and Virginie Gretz and Sylvain Rousseau, CEO and CTO of VProject.
The program started with 2 intense days of training followed by a dozen workshops on themes deemed indispensable for implantation in the San Francisco Bay Area.
The first day started with a session addressing in depth the cultural differences to be taken into account and at the root of the unique entrepreneurial character of Silicon Valley, this was done prior to tackling the question of each start-up’s capability of presenting their project in an impactful, clear and concise manner, regardless of the audience or context. We then addressed more economic themes considering the fundamental question of financing of the start up in the Bay Area, as well as macroeconomic considerations that could impact the development of the companies and their respective markets. Finally the last session allowed the candidates to have an exchange with French aid organizations for international development (Business France, French Tech Hub) as well as lawyers from the sponsoring law firm of the program, Morgan Lewis.
The second day took place on the Stanford campus where two experienced professors from the university – Jack Fuchs and Mike Lyons – co-founders from the Technology Venture Formation and Stanford Technology Ventures Program, expressed to the candidates their vision of the necessary steps to take, the methodology to follow and the means needed to obtain major success in markets with a strong scientific or technological component. The afternoon allowed entrepreneurs participating in the program to discover the theory and practical implementation of Design Thinking directly with the Stanford d.school. Back in San Francisco, the day ended with 2 more workshops : an account of the experience of a French entrepreneur that was successful in implanting himself, by using Y Combinator and raising significant capital (Nicolas Dessaigne, founder of Algolia), and an experienced consultant in public relations (Chikodi Chima) who shared his experience about the importance of managing external communication for start ups that are developing rapidly.
Once these training sessions were completed, the entrepreneurial candidates were able to test this information and advice in the real Silicon Valley through a series of individual meetings (approximately fifteen per company over a period of three days). These meetings were organized according to the needs of each startup, it’s level of development and the nature of it’s projects in California. Researchers, entrepreneurs, large companies, consultants, investors, potential industrial partners, the broad selection of meetings constituting this personalized accompaniment allowed each company to explore its opportunities, to understand more in depth the characteristics of their market in the United States in order to prepare, in an informed and strategic manner, their future international expansion.
Among these encounters, we can cite companies such as Google, Apple, 23andMe or Facebook, numerous startups with different strategic interests for the different candidates, but also researchers from Stanford, UCSF, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, and also investors of all types, capital risk, investment groups, or business angels.
There was also the opportunity during the week to host various events encouraging encounters and networking possibilities: an opening cocktail was organized on Monday October 19 in the offices of Morgan Lewis, mixing the candidates with the local French-American community, organizers and sponsors. Thursday morning was reserved for the organization of a breakfast at the Residence of France, allowing the candidates to meet Pauline Carmona, our Consul General in San Francisco, surrounded by a dozen successful French entrepreneurs of the Bay Area. Finally, Thursday evening a dinner was organized with a special guest, Thomas Goetz, entrepreneur and journalist, who was the director of the magazine WIRED for 12 years and who was able to share his long experience in the Silicon Valley with each of the startups participating in the program.
Let us mention that this edition was also marked by a very important collaboration between the different regional offices for Science and Technology of the French Embassy. Various candidates were offered an additional accompaniment to other destinations of the Scientific Office’s network (such as Houston and Boston).
The San Francisco Netva team would kindly like to thank all the contributors to the edition (Karine Schomer, Nathan Gold, Benjamin Levy, Aurélien Bocquet, Xavier Wartelle, Aleksander Tyszka, Jack Fuchs, Mike Lyons, Tania Anaissie, Nicolas Dessaigne, Chikodi Chima, Thomas Goetz), our sponsors and notably Morgan Lewis here in San Francisco (a big thanks to Anita Melikian, Jeffry Mann and the different lawyers from the firm who gave their time to our candidates and shared their expertise), partners, mentors, entrepreneurs without whom none of this would have been possible. Thank you to everyone and see you next year !
Contact :
Hocine LOURDANI – Deputy Attaché for Science & Technology
[email protected]
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NETVA Week 2015 in Boston Comes to a Close
October 30, 2015
The New Technology Venture Accelerator (NETVA) initiative wrapped up last week (October 19-23) after another successful program, organized by the Office of Science and Technology at the French Consulate in Boston, Massachusetts.
NETVA was launched in 2011 to help facilitate French startups expanding or developing their businesses in the United States as well as familiarizing the winning entrepreneurs with the Boston startup culture and resources. The program offers each winning startup a personal mentor who also assists in arranging initial meetings with potential investors, partners, academics, and relevant industry contacts.
The NETVA laureates, the NETVA team and partners during the welcoming cocktail October 19th
This year’s winners were EHTech, a startup that develops a plumbing system to reduce heating costs by recapturing the heat from used shower water; ideXlab, a platform and service that connects businesses with hard-to-find specialists to better facilitate R&D; and finally Algama, a startup that researches and develops ways to use microalgae as a substitute in food to address expected global food shortages.
The week was filled with informative workshops led by a number of experts from the field; one-on-one meetings between American companies, potential investors, lawyers, and the startups; as well as an intense pitch battle, organized in partnership with Marie Landel, at the renowned MassChallenge.
After first meeting this summer in Paris with American startup expert, Barry Horwitz, the entrepreneurs reconvened in Cambridge along with representatives from a French bank and Horwitz’s American business veteran colleague, Paul Levine. The workshop was focused on pitch presentations followed by critiques and feedback from the room. The startups introduced their French businesses to the Americans receiving vital information about presenting to American audiences in order to best prepare them for the MassChallenge pitch battle.
Monday night, after meetings with lawyers from Pepper Hamilton in the afternoon, the Consul of Boston, Mr. Valérie Freland, hosted a welcoming cocktail at the Résidence de France in Cambridge. The event thanked the French-American business startup community for their work in organizing NETVA and contributing to the everyday cooperation between the two nations, highlighting the remarkable work happening in Boston. Representatives from Business France, the New England Foreign Trade Advisors, the [French-American Chamber of Commerce of New England→http://faccne.org/], and the newly created French Tech Hub based in Boston, were in attendance, presenting themselves to and networking with the NETVA winners.
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning consisted of more strategy workshops while the afternoons were dedicated to one-on-one meetings with potential American partners, investors, and customers. The workshops consisted of business modeling, sales and marketing, and financing new ventures sessions to familiarize the entrepreneurs with American practices. Through presentations from more top American specialists, the NETVA winners learned about cultural and strategic business differences between France and America. Differences were noted such as hiring practices, less risk averse and less hierarchical American markets, and legal matters in the event that these startups opened branches or began selling in the United States. A panel of American investors on Wednesday gave feedback to the startups as well, giving these entrepreneurs the chance to understand how American VC’s, view their businesses and the feasibility of expansion on the continent.
The Pitch Battle on Thursday night allowed the companies to give 1 minute pitches followed by a 3 minute Q&A for the finalists. The pitch battle on Thursday night was the introduction of these companies to the American startup world, many for the first time, allowing the companies to highlight their innovation and to network with and compete against their American peers. The entrepreneurs met dozens of investors, hundreds of fellow entrepreneurs, American business leaders, and countless conference attendees looking to “get-in on the next big thing”.
The week came to a close on Friday with final lunches with our French-American business community as well as a closing dinner to thank the entrepreneurs for their participation in the program. Farewells were bid and a door for continuing conversation and collaboration with these startups was opened. Read their testimonies here.
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NETVA 2015 – Welcoming Cocktail in Boston
October 22, 2015
From October 19th to October 23rd, the Office for Science & Technologies will host 5 startups for the now famous NETVA immersion week!
During this week, the 3 frenchy entrepreneurs will benefit from courses on “how to make business in the US”, personal appointments designed to address their key strategic needs, and several social events allowing them to feel the core of Boston vibrant ecosystem.
In order to warmly welcome our entrepreneur delegation, we invite all the OS&T friends and community to come for a welcoming cocktail. As a french community pre requisite, cheese and wine will be served.
EHTech cuts water heater energy costs threefold by recovering heat from shower waste water.
Idexlab‘s platform is a kind of “dating service” dedicated to innovation, allowing innovative companies and top experts to find each other.
Algama has developed Springwave, the first naturally regenerating aquadrink with magnesium and vitamin-rich spirulina that has healthy benefits for the body and mind.
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NETVA – MassChallenge Pitch Battle – October 22
October 22, 2015
When: Thursday, October 22, 2015 from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM
Where: MassChallenge, 23 Dry Dock Avenue, Boston, MA 02210
Registration
This event will bring together french entrepreneurs from the NETVA program and entrepreneurs from MassChallenge to face off with their elevator and longer pitches, an opportunity for both groups to improve their skills in front of their peers and develop a growing network across the Atlantic.
Each people in the audience will be able to vote for their favorite participant. Come join us for what promises to be an incredible opportunity to engage with French and International entrepreneurs in a fun and dynamic environment!
The two grand winner of the competition will win a prize of $300 in cash, offered by our generous sponsor Marie Landel & Associates.
In addition to the Pitch Battle, we are pleased to announce the participation of scouts from Analog Devices, Sanofi-Genzyme BioVentures and Thales Xplor, a special opportunity to meet one-on-one with top experts and discuss key factors in growing your business!
Analog Devices – Emerging Business & Technology
The Emerging Business & Technology division at Analog Devices is intended to accelerate external engagement with the technology start-up community and to accelerate the expansion of ADI’s capabilities beyond silicon into algorithms, software, systems and the cloud.
Sanofi-Genzyme BioVentures
Sanofi-Genzyme BioVentures (SGBV) is the corporate venture capital arm of Sanofi. Previously known as Genzyme Ventures, SGBV has a recently expanded mandate to invest across the more expansive business footprint of Sanofi. SGBV is an important component of Sanofi’s broader global strategy to invigorate external innovation and research. SGBV only invests in early stage companies with promising new products that may be future Sanofi pipeline candidates.
Thales xPlor
Seeking ways to generate corporate growth beyond traditional R&D and M&A, Thales founded xPlor, which now serves as the company’s innovation hub in the United States. xPlor comprises an elite team of business leaders, technical experts and entrepreneurs whose mission is to identify emerging and disruptive technologies within the US start-up and academic communities.
French Catering will be graciously offered by NETVA’s sponsor: Marie Landel & Associates. As a sponsor of international cooperation and the NETVA program since its inception, Marie Landel & Associates is an invaluable resource in the Boston area.
This event will be held at MassChallenge’s headquarters in the vibrant Boston’s Innovation District. Their dedicated team continues to support entrepreneurship and innovation all over the world, and their headquarters in Boston has reinvigorated and empowered the global entrepreneurship ecosystem.
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NETVA 2015 : 18 High-Tech French Startups heading to North America !
June 8, 2015
Discover the laureates of the sixth edition of NETVA! The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development and its partners have selected 18 companies to take part in the 2015 edition of NETVA which offers a personalized support program to the directors of these creative French startups to familiarize them with the North American markets.
First off, the laureates will attend the annual NETVA seminar called “Succeed in the High-Tech North American market.” This unique event that is free and open to all, is organized by the Office for Science and Technology of the French Embassy in the United States and will take place on June 17 at the headquarters of Microsoft France in Paris..
Every year, this event allows entrepreneurs and actors in French innovation to discover and understand the specificities of the High-Tech North American markets through presentations by experts, panels and Q&A sessions.
Register and find the program here
or on the website http://netvafrance.com
The laureates listed by destination: :
Boston:
| Blue Poppies has developed an innovative approach to the children’s clothing market using online and in-store configuration tools to produce and sell children’s clothing that is adapted to the tastes and needs of customers at international stores. | |
| EHTech cuts water heater energy costs threefold by recovering heat from shower waste water. | |
| Idexlab is a platform similar to a “dating service” dedicated to innovation, allowing innovative companies and top experts to find each other. | |
| Algama has created Springwave, the first naturally regenerating aquadrink with magnesium and vitamin-rich spirulina that has healthy benefits for the body and mind. | |
| XRware offers a suite of software for all X-RAY systems’ needs from simulation to visualization. |
San Francisco:
| Bloomizon is the first customized vitamin program for living longer, in better health and with more healthy energy every day. | |
| DAMAE Medical solves a major healthcare issue by developing an innovative instrument providing dermatologists with a new in vivo imaging technique capable of producing images similar to histology images without the need for skin tissue excision. | |
| Ionwatt has developed an innovative redox battery technology for the global market of stationary electricity storage. | |
| VProject has developed Mr. Gabriel, the first personal safety application designed specifically for the Apple Watch, with the bold ambition to save lives by leveraging wearable sensor technology and real-time data. | |
| XtremLogic is an innovative startup that offers computing solutions using dedicated reconfigurable circuits up to 50 times more efficient than existing systems for the analytical, oil and finance markets. |
Washington, D.C.:
| Albedo is a service company offering simulations of international UN conferences about climate and energy transition. Our Serious Game is made for policy makers, companies, NGOs, students, and more globally for every citizen. | |
| Beam aims to transform the business of industrial manufacturing with 3D printing creating shorter more cost effective manufacturing, maintenance and repairs as well as enabling experimentation and product development. | |
| Efficiencia offers a software platform for businesses, governments or communities to facilitate and accelerate the implementation of energy efficiency measures fitted to their buildings and their uses. | |
| Numalis provides the first automated software tools enabling all programmers to measure and optimize the digital precision of their programs. | |
| Tetrane is the publisher of a software analysis solution, intended for military and civilian cyber security experts, to help them find, understand and fix software bugs at the processor level. |
Toronto:
| Active Asset Allocation is an investment solution designer providing institutional investors, pension funds and asset managers with customized models based on a unique asset allocation methodology, to regularly and automatically evaluate and adjust their investment risks to meet short-term constraints and long-term goals. | |
| KininX is a leading company in the healthcare industry with a unique worldwide expertise in the field of kinin-induced angioedema. KininX is that is the first company providing a diagnostic solution of this inflammatory disorder. The existing therapeutic solutions do not have optimum results and our diagnosis test is the only way to guide effectively the treatment and to understand the function of the disease. | |
| Neolys Diagnostics is developing and commercializing in-vitro diagnostics for radiotherapy. Their determination of patient/tumour radiosensitivity allows radiation oncologists to minimize patient side effects and to improve treatment efficacy. |
About NETVA: Since 2010, NETVA has supported 46 startups who have been guided by 55 mentors in their search for contacts, for a total of 400 personalized meetings (10-15 per laureate), and numerous connections in the large scientific network maintained by the French Embassies in North America.
NETVA is organized by the Office for Science and Technology of the French Embassy in the United States, in partnership with Business France. The program relies on the support of its partners such as RETIS, the French incubator network, and Microsoft BizSpark. The program involves a total of thirty partners in France, in the United States and in Canada.
NETVA benefits from the support of the office Marie Landel & Associates, of the company Edenred USA and of the legal office Morgan Lewis.
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NETVA Seminar: A training day in France to understand the American market for higher technology!
May 4, 2015
Organized by the Offices for Science and Technology of the Embassies of France in the United States and Canada, the NETVA seminar provides a day dedicated to the development of overseas opportunities and necessary tools to break into the North American market. American and Canadian entrepreneurs and development specialists will be present to give testimonies and discuss their experiences.
When: Wednesday June 17, 2015
Where: Microsoft France, 39 Quai du Président Roosevelt, 92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux, France (Map)
Registration
Program
North America is one of the greatest hot-spots for innovation in the world. Providing an extraordinary ecosystem to carry out new business creation projects, the United States and Canada provide all of the necessary characteristics to accelerate the development of a young, innovative business. However, launching projects in the States requires a solid understanding of its mechanisms!
Come join us and our partners at the Microsoft France headquarters on June 17, 2015 to learn how to integrate North America into your strategy and technological development plan of your business, or to share your personal experience!
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NETVA 2015 featured in TSE Magazine!
March 17, 2015
The NETVA program is featured in the Toulouse School of Economics (TSE) magazine in page 24.
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Launch of NETVA 2015: A training program focused on the exposure of young French innovative start-ups and businesses to North-American markets
March 4, 2015
The NETVA program (New Technology Venture Accelerator) offers young French innovative startups with a guided personalized coaching program which focuses on the analysis of opportunities and the development of technological partnerships in the United States and in Canada.
Managed by teams from the Offices for Science and Technology of the Embassies of France in the United States (Boston, San Francisco, Washington, D.C.) and in Canada (Toronto), NETVA aims to meet the need for the internationalization of young innovative French companies that are developing products with significant added value.
NETVA is intended primarily for early-stage companies, for start-ups or small to medium-sized innovative French companies in all technology sectors who need to approach the North American market in order to grow and develop their business.
The 2015 edition call for projects was announced on February 5. An event presenting the program took place in Paris at the “Salon des Entrepreneurs” to launch the sixth NETVA edition. Candidates have to submit their application before April 5, 2015. More detailed information can be found on the website: www.netvafrance.com.
Seventeen laureates will be selected by a panel of French, American and Canadian experts in May 2015 and will be offered a personalized program including three phases:
A training seminar in Paris on how to approach North-American markets (mid June 2015) ;
The support of U.S. and Canadian mentors who will guide them in their search for partnerships ;
An immersion stay in one of the most vibrant ecosystems of the United States and Canada, Massachusetts (Boston), Silicon Valley (San Francisco), Washington, D.C. or Ontario (Toronto) in October or November 2015.
During this stay, the entrepreneurs will benefit from seminars emphasizing the optimization of their business models, individual meetings with key players in their field of work and participate in events which showcase their project. NETVA is a unique opportunity for young French companies to benefit from preparation and exposure to U.S. and Canadian markets and to learn from the expertise of local specialists in entrepreneurship and business development.
Since 2010, NETVA has accompanied 46 young innovative companies in their search for opportunities across the Atlantic, all of which have benefited from 55 mentors to guide them, more than 400 individual appointments (10-15 per winner), and exposure of their young innovative companies to a large circle of connections composed by the networks of the French Embassies in North America.
NETVA relies on the support of key partners in France, such as RETIS, the network of French incubators, or Microsoft BizSpark. The program involves a total of 23 partners in France, the United States and Canada. NETVA has also benefited from the support of the Law Offices of Marie Landel & Associates (www.marielandel.com), Edenred USA (www.edenredusa.com) and the law firm of Morgan Lewis (www.morganlewis.com).
For more information: Official website of the NETVA program – www.netvafrance.com
Contacts:
Maxime Huynh – Deputy Scientific Attaché – Consulate General of France in Boston
[email protected]
– (+1) 617 832 4467
Hocine Lourdani – Deputy Scientific Attaché – Consulate General of France in San Francisco
[email protected]
– (+1) 415 591 4834
Privel Hinkati – Deputy Scientific Attaché – Embassy of France in Washington, D.C.
[email protected]
– (+1) 202 944 6236
Kayathiri Ganeshamoorthy – Attaché for Science & Technology – Consulate General of France in Toronto
[email protected]
– (+1) 416 847 1907