Bordeaux, France--On December 12-13, 2012, the Invest in Photonics two-day international business partnering convention will focus exclusively on photonics venture capital (VC) investment (http://www.laserfocusworld.com/blogs/larrys-vcview-blog.html), and has confirmed the selection of 18 emerging technology companies from around Europe to participate in a special funding session to improve their chances of targeting a total investment of $90 million dollars. The Bordeaux region is a growing industrial center for lasers, optics, and photonics.
Invest in Photonics says it is the only event of its kind in Europe designed to attract investors searching for the most innovative, credible, and profitable business ventures in photonics. The photonics industry is estimated at $388 billion dollars (SOURCE: Horizon 2020: Research and Innovation in European Photonics, presentation on Photonics Europe 2012 Industry Programme). "We are very impressed with the innovative quality of the companies selected for funding, their market ambitions and the ingenuity of their projects," said Giorgio Anania, chairman of Invest in Photonics. "With fast-growth in the life sciences, cleantech and consumer products markets, as well as emerging markets, there's significantly more potential for high returns from investments in photonics."
Led by an international panel of photonics industry experts and venture capitalists, the selection process required companies to meet the following criteria: Technology uniqueness; Business model credibility; Clearly defined ‘go to market’ strategy; Market size/growth; Management experience/scalability; and International development. Companies selected for the special funding session are: Orvizio Imaging Systems (BE), Actlight (CH), Medimaps (CH), Mach8 Lasers (NL), Smart Photonics (NL) and Holixica (UK), plus one unnamed firm. They include the following French companies: Argolight, Aurea Technology, Blue Industry and Science, Fibercryst, Image Guided Therapy, Lasar, µQUANS, Nethis, Prestodiag, Sunna Design, and Vence Innovation.
"I have regularly attended Invest in Photonics to look for investment opportunities and support the Bordeaux region's concerted effort to help small European companies prosper and create jobs in the photonics industry," said George N. Ugras, general partner, Adams Capital Management. "It'll be important for the companies selected for the special funding session to show some creativity in their plans to get to the product stage."
Three double-digit growth markets: cleantech, healthcare and consumer goods top this year's Invest in Photonics agenda. The emerging Asian market will also be a focus of the third edition. The presence of speakers from global brands Zeiss, Philips and Samsung Ventures and their focus on the market are aimed at helping investors better spot opportunities.
"Photonics is a very large sector covering many applications, including lighting, solar power, telecom and healthcare. Invest in Photonics helps significantly to identify investment opportunities. It provides the most relevant and up-to-date market data, on top of pre-screening candidates," said Alessio Beverina, partner at Sofinnova. "We'll be paying close attention to the market size of each application, the particularity of the technology as well as the strength of management team behind each company seeking funding."
This is the third biennial event; previous events took place in 2008 and 2010. The two-day event creates strategic investment opportunities by bringing together institutional investors and venture capitalists in conjunction with the world’s experts on photonics, industry leaders, analysts and entrepreneurs in a single venue. Early stage companies seeking seed funding, development and later stage financing can successfully network with qualified international panels of investors and potential partners to further business projects. Featuring recognized speakers from world leading companies, Invest in Photonics' conferences provide the highest quality data on market trends and engage participants in informational exchanges on photonics developments.
The event, co-organized by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce, ALPhA (Aquitaine Laser Photonics and Applications) technology cluster and CEA-EA, the largest government-funded technological research organization in France, takes place in Bordeaux, France, host of the Laser Megajoule and a region recognized as a center for photonics.
SOURCE: Invest in Photonics news via Andrew Lloyd & Associates full press release; www.invest-in-photonics.com and www.ala.com/article.php?id=142