Sponsors

ETT would like to thank its sponsors for their generous support of the Benelux Tech Tour 06.

Global Partners

Within its collections, Audemars Piguet offers the world's broadest range of watch complications, along with prestigious Haute Joaillerie creations. It's experience in the field of complex watches make it a standard of reference in the highly select circle of Haute Horlogerie companies. While collectors have always been acquainted with Audemars Piguet, it has become more familiar to the general public since 1972, the date of the creation of the famous Royal Oak which revolutionized the aesthetics of luxury watches.

PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 130,000 people in 148 countries work collaboratively using Connected Thinking to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice. "PricewaterhouseCoopers" refers to the network of member firms of PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited, each of which is a separate and independent legal entity.

Weber Shandwick is a Communications Partner of the European Tech Tour, supporting both the European level organization and the various country tours. Weber Shandwick, a unit of The Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG), is one of the world's leading public relations agencies, with offices in major media, business and government capitals around the world. Weber Shandwick is a leader in marketing public relations, public affairs and corporate communications counseling, and also provides services in advocacy advertising, market research and visual communications.

Premium Sponsors

GIMV is a Belgian investment company. It was established in 1980, and since 1997, it has been quoted on Euronext Brussels. Its purpose is to invest in the equity of unlisted companies (private equity).

Growth is in the forefront for GIMV, because this increases the value of its shareholdings, generates profits when these interests are sold and, as a consequence, provides the resources for new investments. To reinforce this growth, GIMV contributes knowledge and experience (through the board of directors) in addition to its capital investment.

GIMV operates in three areas. GIMV’s venture capital is invested primarily in ICT and Life Sciences. In more traditional industries it also undertakes management buy-outs (MBOs) and it provides growth capital (Corporate Investment). The portfolio maintains a balance among start-up companies, fast growth companies and major enterprises. In this way, GIMV positions itself as a player on the international market.

Technopartner: Improving the climate for technostarters is what Technopartner is all about. By giving technostarters access to capital, knowledge and equipment. By offering a platform where technostarters find an outlet for their questions, ideas and comments. And by motivating knowledge institutions and investors to offer their money and knowledge to the pioneers of the future.

Sponsors

TU Delft The technological demands arising from the challenges facing society are becoming ever more complex. Protecting the land from the water, for example, is not simply a question of building dikes. Other factors have to be considered, including the minimum acceptable human and capital risks, climate change and changing societal needs. These complex problems need to be studied from a multidisciplinary perspective if we are to find robust and sustainable solutions. The thirteen Delft Research Centres provide integrated solutions for these multidisciplinary problems by bundling excellent research. In this way, the knowledge and expertise built up over the years on thirteen important research themes is made available to society, industry and policy.

Laga comprises almost 100 lawyers who are members of the Antwerp, Brussels, Kortrijk or Namur Bars. Our partners and senior lawyers include lawyers with over twenty years experience at the Bar as well as lawyers from a wide range of different professional backgrounds including academia, tax and legal consultancy, industry and the banking world. We believe that this professional diversity widens our business perspective and allows us to combine legal theory and practice to best serve our clients’ needs and interests. Our aim is to provide creative, workable and efficient solutions to our clients’ legal issues and disputes, taking into consideration practical aspects and needs. We highly value teamwork, team spirit and knowledge-sharing and believe that these factors, combined with regular external training and the implementation of quality standards, are the key to a successful law practice.

Residex Ventures provides capital and expertise to accelerate market traction for technology companies. The focus is private equity from start-up to pre-listing phases of innovative European and North American companies. Residex Ventures is currently setting up their third fund and has two funds under management. As one of the largest venture capital firms in the Benelux, Residex Ventures invests in the start-up, early stages, and later stages of the development of information and communication technology companies. € 120 million has been invested in these areas to date. We have extensive investment experience in both North American and Europe, and our typical investments have an investment horizon from 3 to 7 years.

ABN AMRO is a leading international bank with total assets of €608.6 billion as of Dec. 2004. We have more than 3’000 branches in over 60 countries, with a staff of more than 97’000 full-time equivalents worldwide. ABN AMRO is listed on Euronext Amsterdam and the New York Stock Exchange.

Kempen & Co is an independent Dutch merchant bank providing various specialised financial services in asset management, corporate finance and securities brokerage. Clients include institutional investors, companies, financial institutions, public and semi-public institutions, foundations and high-net-worth private clients. Founded in 1903, Kempen & Co has a track record of developing long-term relationships with its clients providing them with customized and high quality advice. In a world of abundant information flows, Kempen & Co and its staff emphasize selectivity and versatility, focusing services on segments where in-depth research and advice can add real value, for example medium sized and smaller companies and property companies.

Quest Management is an independent asset management company based in Belgium. It manages both private and public equity investments in European technology and life sciences companies.

Mangrove Capital Partners "Mangrove" is committed to turn entrepreneurial visions into realities as a means to drive capital appreciation for investors. Our hands-on philosophy in all areas of business and technological development is the cornerstone of our investment strategy and positions us as a true partner for growth. Mangrove's primary focus lies in operating proprietary, Early Stage and Expansion Stage, technology venture capital investment funds. We also provide management services to third parties for technology related investment funds.

Prime Technology Ventures is a leading early stage venture capital firm. Prime Technology Ventures focuses on investing in European companies in the information and communication technology industries and leverages its people, expertise and capital to actively guide them into category leaders. The firm has invested in companies in the Benelux countries, United Kingdom, Finland and Sweden. From its offices in Amsterdam and Cambridge the partnership manages over 120 million euro in committed capital.

Local Premium Sponsors

HENQ Invest was founded in 2004 as fund manager for innovative investment funds. The first fund that has been closed is HENQ Innovation Fund 1. This fund targets young technological companies in the Netherlands, in seed phase to early stage. Typically these companies market (applications of) new technologies in (industrial) hardware, internet, telecom and software & systems. Investors in the fund are (serial) entrepreneurs and institutional, providing experience and distribution power for starting companies on the one hand, and financial power in subsequent investment rounds on the other hand.

Big Bang Ventures invests in promising early-stage technology companies. Our team assists with business strategy and planning, competitive positioning, sales & marketing strategy, corporate structuring, HR and financing rounds. Big Bang Ventures was founded in June 2000 and is headquartered in Gent, Belgium. Big Bang’s first fund of Euro 10 million is backed by TrustCapital Technology, Creafund, KBC Securities, Mercator & Noordstar and other private investors.

BlueMind is a Corporate finance company which was founded in 1986.

Local Support Sponsors

Euronext is Europe's leading cross-border exchange, making international trading cheaper and easier.

ICT Office unites over 450 companies in the Dutch IT, Telecom, Office and Internet sectors. With a turnover of €30 billion and well over 225,000 employees (2005) these companies represent more than 80% of the total IT, Telecom, Office and Internet market in the Netherlands. Its subsidiary Stichting ICT Milieu (ICT Environment Foundation) directs the ICT take-back system and the ICT cluster Packaging in the Netherlands. Its subsidiary Werkgeversvereniging ICT (Employers' Association ICT) is responsible for all subjects concerning the collective bargaining agreement (CAO) and the industry-level pension fund of the Dutch ICT sector.

Logitech designs, manufactures and markets personal interface products that enable people to effectively work, play, and communicate in the digital world. The company's products combine essential core technologies, continuing innovation, award-winning industrial design and excellent price performance.

IMEC is a world-leading independent research center in nanoelectronics and nanotechnology. Its research focuses on the next generations of chips and systems, and on the enabling technologies for ambient intelligence. IMEC’s research bridges the gap between fundamental research at universities and technology development in industry. Its unique balance of processing and system know-how, intellectual property portfolio, state-of-the-art infrastructure and its strong network of companies, universities and research institutes worldwide position IMEC as a key partner for shaping technologies for future systems. As an expansion of its wireless autonomous microsystems research, IMEC has created a legal entity in the Netherlands. Stichting IMEC Nederland runs activities at the Holst Centre, an independent R&D institute that develops generic technologies and technology platforms for autonomous wireless transducer solutions and systems-in-foil.

IMEC is headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, and has representatives in the US, China and Japan. Its staff of about 1400 people includes close to 500 industrial residents and guest researchers. In 2005, its revenues are estimated to be close to EUR 200 million.

Media & Communication Partners

6, Rue de la Croix d'Or CH-1204 Geneva, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 544 60 90 Fax: +41 22 544 60 95