Launch of NETVA 2018: a training program that provides exposure to the North-American market for early-stage, innovative deep tech startups.
March 15, 2018
The NETVA program (New Technology Venture Accelerator) provides French early-stage, innovative deep tech startups with a customized support program that helps them analyze opportunities and build technological partnerships in the U.S. and Canada. This program is implemented by the Office for Science and Technology of the Embassy of France in the U.S. and of the Embassy of France in Canada in four different locations: Boston, San Francisco, Washington D.C. and Toronto. The primary goal of this program is to help selected startups build an international development strategy.
The NETVA program targets French startups from all industries, which stem from or closely collaborate with the French research ecosystem and which are developing innovative, high added value products, in order to help them define their market approach in North America.
The call for applications for the 2018 edition opened on February 14 and will close on March 31, 2018. Please visit the program website to apply: www.netvafrance.com.
Startups will be selected by a jury composed of French experts followed by a North-American jury in May 2018. Laureates will benefit from a customized program in three steps:
- A training seminar in Paris on market strategy in North America (June 19-21, 2018)
- Continuing support from a North-American mentor who will help them better understand the North-American environment and identify potential partnerships
- An immersion week in one of the most vibrant ecosystems of the U.S. and Canada: Massachusetts (Boston), Silicon Valley (San Francisco), Washington D.C. or Ontario (Toronto) from October 15 to 19, 2018
During the immersion week, laureates will participate in seminars to learn more about how they could adapt their business strategy to the North-American market, meet with key actors in their field, and present their project at dedicated events.
NETVA is a unique opportunity for French deep tech startups to benefit from training and contacts through the support of experienced local actors who specialize in business development in the U.S. and Canada.
Since its creation in 2010, the NETVA program supported more than 100 startups. Each cohort benefited from the assistance of more than 30 experts and mentors, who provided advice and contacts, as well as from members of the NETVA team in each location. The NETVA team arranged personal appointments for each startup and provided exposure and networking opportunities through the large network of contacts of the Embassies of France in North America.
The Offices for Science and Technology of the Embassies of France in the U.S. and in Canada rely on the support of some thirty partners to implement the NETVA program, including the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Bpifrance, Business France and Inria.