French Tech Tour Healthcare Israel

Paris, May 23, 2017 – For the second year running, Business France, French public investment bank Bpifrance and the Medicen Paris Region healthcare business cluster are staging the French Tech Tour Healthcare Israel, a tailor-made program that immerses French healthcare start-ups in Israel’s tech and healthcare ecosystem. Its aim is to help these young businesses confirm their development potential, create technology partnerships and to give them the experience they need to reach in one of the world’s most innovative markets.

For this second tour, seven start-ups specialized in medical devices, biotech and ehealth were selected by a judging panel of French and Israeli healthcare experts (1). They will receive dedicated support for a period of three months, including a one-week immersion workshop in Tel Aviv, Israel, from May 20 to 25, 2017.

Israel is one of the world’s most innovative life sciences hubs, topping the rankings for patent filings in this field, with nearly 1,400 companies being active in this key sector. This figure has grown by 27% since 2014. In 2015, Israeli high-tech companies raised €4.4 billion ($4.95bn) to fuel their growth, including nearly €1 billion ($1.13bn), or 22% of the total, for the life sciences sector alone.

To help French tech start-ups specialized in medical devices, biotechnology and e-health take advantage of the opportunities offered by this dynamic ecosystem, Business France, Bpifranceand Medicen Paris Region created the French Tech Tour Healthcare Israel event in 2016.

FTT Healthcare Israel: Seven prize-winners, customized support for three months, one week’s full immersion workshop in Tel Aviv:

On April 28 the seven start-ups embarked on a three-month support program which includes analysis of their potential and their development objectives, targeting prospects, partners or potential investors as well as preparation for a program of specifically designed B2B meetings to help them make the most of their time in Israel.

Customized support from selection to immersion, with three beneficial aims:

• Develop proficiency in business practices and entrepreneurial culture – To ensure their operational effectiveness right from selection, the winners were hosted at HUB Bpifrance for a Bootcamp where they received training in Israeli business practices and culture, an introduction to pitching and a preliminary analysis of their strategy for protecting their intellectual property, provided by the French National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI)
• Increase their visibility in Israël with help from regional Business France teams – In particular, they will be present in the France Pavilion at the world-renowned BioMed Israel conference and will enjoy special access to an ecosystem of catalysts and incubators (Sanara Ventures and Trendlines Medical, for example), as well as to targeted one-to-one meetings with mentors, entrepreneurs and industry giant Teva Pharmaceuticals
• Make Israel a key market for their international development – A one-of-a-kind event for start-ups, French Tech Tour Healthcare Israel speeds up the process of forming partnerships, instigating agreements and developing collaborative R&D projects, combining them with ambitious business opportunities. The companies will also enjoy preferential access to the network of Israeli investors such as Orbimed, Accelmed and Triventures, in the form of targeted meetings and pitching sessions

On their return to France, Business France, Bpifrance and Medicen Paris Region will provide follow-up to the winners, with the aim of bringing the contacts made to successful conclusions.

François Matraire, Head of Business France Israel said: “French start-ups specialized in healthcare absolutely have to consider the opportunities offered by Israel to achieve their worldwide aims. First and foremost, Israel is a market with plenty of openings for French hightech solutions. The country is also one of the best launch pads in the world for accessing funding, developing collaborative R&D projects and creating strategic partnerships. This opens up exciting opportunities for an international launch. The French Tech Tour Healthcare Israel event is an unprecedented catalyst for all these kinds of cross-disciplinary partnerships, designed to open up the global healthcare market.”

“We are delighted that the DARE France-Israel initiative has been able to continue via this program which caters to our businesses. We hope that all these forthcoming collaborations will provide an opportunity for us in turn to welcome Israeli businesses to our Greater Paris region of excellence, to ensure that the exchanges become a long-term undertaking,” said Béatrice Falise-Mirat, chief executive of Medicen Paris Region.

Paul-François Fournier, executive director of innovation at Bpifrance said: “As a major player in financing for healthcare businesses and in supporting start-ups, particularly on the international stage, it was a natural progression for Bpifrance to join forces with FTT Healthcare Israel. The aim of this immersion program is to help start-ups interact with the big Israeli players in the sector, confirm their development potential and take advantage of initial trade opportunities in one of the world’s most dynamic markets for innovation, where international expansion is a key focus for development.”

(1) Jeremy Berthuin, head of healthcare sector, industry sectors division – Bpifrance; Thomas Etesse, innovation officer – DEEI; Laurence Hontarrede, chief strategic and marketing officer – BNP Paribas CARDIF; Sylvia Julien, director scientific affairs Europe – IPSEN; Nili Shalev, managing director – ISERD (Israel-Europe R&D Directorate); Julie Zerbib, business manager and legal counsel – INPI

About Business France

Business France is the national agency supporting the international development of the French economy, responsible for fostering export growth by French businesses, as well as promoting and facilitating international investment in France.

It promotes France’s companies, business image and nationwide attractiveness as an investment location, and also runs the VIE international internship program.

Founded on January 1, 2015 through a merger between UBIFRANCE and the Invest in France Agency, Business France has 1,500 personnel, both in France and in 73 countries throughout the world, who work with a network of public- and private-sector partners.

For further information, please visit: www.businessfrance.fr

About Bpifrance

Bpifrance, a subsidiary of the Caisse des Dépôts et de l’Etat and a preferred partner for entrepreneurs, assists companies from their start-up phase through to listing on the stock exchange through offerings of credit, guarantees and its own capital. Bpifrance, in partnership with Business France, provides a variety of services focused on supporting innovation and strong export growth. Bpifrance offers companies a range of financing options for each step in their development. It also provides financial products adapted to regional needs. With 47 regional offices and 90% of its decisions taken in the regions, Bpifrance is a useful tool in helping entrepreneurs improve their competitiveness.
Bpifrance supports state-and region- led public policy objectives by:

• Helping companies to grow
• Preparing them for tomorrow’s competitive landscape
• Contributing to the development of an ecosystem that supports entrepreneurship

In working with Bpifrance, companies will find they have a strong, efficient and close partner
that can respond to their many financial, innovation and investment needs.
www.bpifrance.fr – @bpifrance

About Medicen Paris Region

Medicen Paris Region is a competitiveness cluster for innovative health technologies, with national and international scope. With more than 300 companies, research centers, universities, hospitals and local authorities as members, it aims to position the Paris region as Europe’s leading healthcare cluster. It focuses on five strategic areas: biological diagnostics, diagnostic and interventional imaging, regenerative medicine and biomaterials, digital health and translational medicine. In close collaboration with local, regional and national healthcare
innovation players, Medicen Paris Region aims to:

• Foster the emergence, development and funding of certified collaborative projects in the healthcare sector, in order to create economic value and jobs.
• Increase the international development of innovative startups and SMEs
• Strengthen the attractiveness of the Paris region, which represents more than 50% of life sciences activity in France

Since the creation of the cluster in 2005, 57 innovative products have been launched in the imaging, medical devices and biological tools sectors. The cluster has certified 284 projects. They received funding from the French government (French Inter-Ministry Fund FUI, Structuring Projects fund), the public investment bank Bpifrance, the National Research Agency, the European Regional Development Fund, the Investments for the Future program and/or local authorities, and the Paris region. Total investment is close to €1.9 billion and €533 million of public aid.
www.medicen.org