More than 20 smart tech firms selected to pitch for funding at the INPHO® Venture Summit

Bordeaux, France, September 26, 2016 – The InPho® Venture Summit, a financial investor and strategic business partnering event focused on growth market investments, today announces the selection of 23 smart technology firms to pitch for funding at the event. Together, the candidates are targeting a total €75M ($83.5M) in funding, capital needed to scale-up their businesses.InPho will take place October 6 – 7 in Bordeaux (Aquitaine), France, a dynamic industrial region with centers of excellence in optics, lasers and digital imaging.

The special funding session attracts leading Corporate Venture Capitalists (CVCs), VCs, business angels, financial institutions and global industry players from across Europe and North America seeking the best investments in growth markets or the next blockbuster innovation.

“We are really excited by this year’s line up of 23 firms, all of which have strong market drivers and highly-skilled management behind their technologies,” said George Ugras, chairman of the InPho Venture Summit and managing director of the IBM Venture Capital Group. “Attendees will also be thrilled by our line-up of panelists from Samsung Ventures, Ciena, Total Ventures, EDF, Schneider, PSA Group, Legrand, the European Investment Fund and a host of other leading firms. As a technological hub, Bordeaux is increasingly drawing top talent.”

The candidates come from across Europe and North America. Each will give a five-minute elevator pitch for funding on key areas impacting work, the home and society at-large: mobility and smart vehicles, innovative medicine, datacom/telecom or energy efficiency. An award of €5,000 ($5,700) will be given to the most promising company.

Target markets:

Datacom/telecom: AEPONYX (CA), ARYBALLE Technologies (FR), BeSpoon (FR) and itk (FR)

Energy efficiency: Bluemint Labs (FR), BSQ Solar (ES), Cascade Light Technologies (FR) and XTPL (PL)

Medtech: Argolight (FR), DAMAE Medical (FR), D-Eye (FR), LunaLEC (SW), MedLumics (ES) and VivoSensMedical (DE)

Mobility: Chronocam (FR), Insightness (CH), Drayson Technologies (UK) and Primo1D (FR).

Also participating will be five firms showcasing several world-first innovations in InPho’s new ‘Disruptive Technologies’ session.

“On show will be cutting-edge technologies capable of disrupting large existing markets and creating new ones,” said Paul Thurk, managing director of Arch Venture Partners. “50 years from now, people will look back and point to companies such as Poetis, Teraview, Twist, D- Wave and GMI as true game-changers of our time. I value attending the InPho Venture Summit. It’s a venue where one can meet entrepreneurs behind novel discoveries in a relaxed setting, as well as other investors with like-interest in building leading enterprises around those world-class innovations.”

Companies presenting in the Disruptive Technologies session include:

• D-Wave (CA), provider of the world’s most advanced quantum computer, enabling quantum algorithms that solve extremely difficult problems
• GMI – Genomics Medicine Ireland (EI), developer of the world’s largest disease-specific database of population genomics, creating an unprecedented capability to examine the relationship between genetics and disease
• Poietis (FR), provides 3D bioprinting of living human tissue with unparalleled resolution and accuracy
• TeraView (UK), harnesses the unique properties of terahertz light to provide unique 3D images and spectroscopy measurements

• Twist Bioscience (US), experts in synthetic DNA offering multiple applications, including replacing hard disks with DNA memory

  About the INPHO® Venture Summit

  The InPho Venture Summit is a biennial financial investor and strategic business partnering event focused on growth markets and investment in technologies shaping the future. The event provides the financial community and industrial leaders with a clear perspective on the most innovative, credible and profitable market opportunities in photonics and other smart hardware technologies. It is organized by the Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce, the Route des Lasers and the CEA (the largest government-funded technological research organization in France). It receives support from BLUMORPHO, the innovation and business maker supporting value creation through acquisition and investment in smart hardware solutions. InPho Venture Summit takes place in Bordeaux (Aquitaine), a thriving technological region and home to the Megajoule Laser (LMJ). Now in its fifth edition, Inpho has attracted more than 500 European participants, 50 international keynote speakers and over 80 VCs and corporate funds. More than 60 start-ups have participated, together these have sought more than €100m ($113m) in funding.