Sponsors

Founded in 1875 by Jules-Louis Audemars and Edward-Auguste Piguet in the Swiss village of Le Brassus, Audemars Piguet is the oldest Manufacture of Haute Horlogerie never to have left the hands of the founding families. Today, its range encompasses complex mechanical watches, Haute Joaillerie creations as well as a line of jewellery. At each stage in its history, the Manufacture has daringly adopted avant-garde techniques in order to place them in the service of traditional craftsmanship. This approach has earned it an unparalleled number of world firsts in the field of Haute Horlogerie.

Egon Zehnder International was founded in 1964 in Zurich and today the firm specializes in Board Effectiveness Reviews, Leadership Strategy Services and Executive Search at the Management and Board levels. The Firm has a distinctive vision and structure aimed at achieving two basic goals - placing clients' interests first and to lead its profession in creating value for its clients through the assessment and recruitment of top-level management resources. The Firm has a structure which is unique in its profession. The Firm's 385 consultants, operating from 63 wholly owned offices in 37 countries, are organized around a single-profit center partnership. This is designed to eliminate competitive barriers between offices. It allows the Firm to operate seamlessly when engagements call for multi-office, cross collaboration and knowledge sharing. Large or small, local or global, clients benefit from this structure by having access to the Firm's most relevant resources and relationships wherever they may reside.

Endeavour Vision is European cross-boarder venture capital firm providing expertise and funding to entrepreneurs with global ambitions in technology, cleantech and life sciences. Endeavour Vision combines a team of experienced venture capital professionals responsible for investments in over 70 companies in 12 countries in Technology and Life Sciences since 1989. We are passionate about building the next entrepreneurial success story and being entrepreneurs ourselves, we have a deep understanding of what it takes to develop successful companies. Endeavour Vision's DNA comes from three established firms: Genevest, an early European VC started in 1983, Vision Capital Europe, established in 1997 as a pioneer in Trans-Atlantic venture capital, and Endeavour, a VC formed by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs. To better support entrepreneurs, the firm is a main supporter of: the European Tech Tour Association, a non-profit foundation generating networking opportunities for Entrepreneurs with VC?s, large corporations and corporate advisors.

The region of Alsace is a proud partner of the French Tech Tour.

The city of Strasbourg is a proud partner of the French Tech Tour.

PricewaterhouseCoopers provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services for public and private clients. More than 120,000 people in 139 countries connect their thinking, experience and solutions to build public trust and enhance value for clients and their stakeholders.

360° Capital Partners is a Venture Capital firm, investing in Innovation at full scale, in Europe and more particularly in France and Italy. The new 360 Capital fund – a Luxembourg based Sicar – has reached a total capital commitment of over €100m. 360° Capital Partners is managed by a consolidated team which has cumulated 50+ years of Venture Capital experience in investing in, following-up and/or exiting from over 60 companies and which have more than €200 million under management, provided by top tier international investors. 360° Capital Partners leverages an important international network, it co-invested with major international Venture Capital funds in over 8 countries and have proven a top quartile track record as individuals and as a team in very different economic environments. 360° Capital Partners has offices in Luxembourg, Paris and Milan and is Member of EVCA (European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association) and of AFIC (French Private Equity and Venture Capital Association).

As an independent investment company listed on Euronext Brussels, Gimv specialises in private equity and venture capital, focusing mainly on the European market. Gimv pursues active participation and an enterprise-driven approach, oriented towards value creation. This way, Gimv helps companies increase turnover and profitability. Over the past decades, Gimv has formed partnerships with top companies, helping them realise their strategic plans. Today, Gimv continues to invest in small and medium-sized enterprises with an attractive track record, impressive growth perspectives and a strong market position. As such, Gimv gives investors the opportunity to participate in non-listed companies.

I-Source Gestion is an early stage venture capital firm, focusing on Information and Communication Technologies (Software, Saas, Multimedia and Telecom). We invest at first round in early stage companies (either just created or up to 3 years of existence). We invest in the subsequent rounds of our portfolio companies when necessary. Our funds are managed by a stable and senior team with a strong background in the industry, in finance and in entrepreneurship. This allows us to actively support each portfolio company and bring significant added value.

Founded in 1988, Kahn & Associés is an independent French law firm with a team of highly skilled lawyers who have a wide range of training and expertise. Kahn & Associés has in a short period of time established itself as one of three IT/IP leading French law firms. The firm has grown steadily over the years and now have 7 Partners and a total staff of close to 50.

For more than a century, Morgan Lewis lawyers have helped clients achieve their business goals, and clients have come to rely on the firm for its tradition of professional excellence, integrity and client service. Morgan Lewis has more than 1,400 lawyers and 300 other professionals (including technical specialists, patent agents and paralegals) in 22 offices worldwide. We have a complete range of practices and are well positioned to meet clients' critical legal needs.

For clean tech companies in every stage of development, our Emerging Business Practice provides customized legal guidance and international connections to address critical business issues. We bring together a powerful combination of industry knowledge and legal experience advising companies of all sizes engaged in the new opportunities presented by the explosive growth in the clean technology arena. Over the last three years, Morgan Lewis has represented more than 100 energy companies and handled more than 150 energy-related transactions, including venture financing, project financing, strategic partnerships and merger and acquisition transactions for clean tech companies.

Serena Capital targets high-growth, technology-driven companies, with proven product or service offerings that address the needs of a large market, and management teams that demonstrate entrepreneurial skills and strong execution capacities. Serena Capital will back the growth of its portfolio companies by providing financing and operational support at every stage of the company development.
The entrepreneurial experience of the investment team and its high-level global network of business partners and industry relationships are critical to help portfolio companies grow to a leadership status.

Sofinnova Partners is an independent venture capital firm based in Paris. We invest in early stage companies and corporate spin-offs, in the technology and life sciences spaces:

- 460 companies financed in Europe since 1972
- Over 1 in 5 companies financed have gone public
- Over 1 in 5 companies financed have been acquired
- 40 jobs created per company on average between financing and exit
- Revenues multiplied by 8 on average between financing and exit

Backed by leading European companies and financial institutions, XAnge is a unique private equity firm with 350 million in assets under management.

XAnge was first launched in 2003 through the creation of XAnge Capital, a unique European venture capital firm that focuses on connectivity businesses and is sponsored by La Poste Group.

XAnge Private Equity, an investment firm created by La Banque Postale, ABN AMRO and management, has since developed a broader range of competencies from venture capital to growth/transfer capital.

As an active minority shareholder, XAnge supports growth companies. XAnge has deliberately positioned itself as a link between large corporations and small and medium-sized businesses, to which it offers its expertise and an industrial – as opposed to a merely financial – vision. XAnge has a strong team of 21 professionals, including 14 experienced investment managers who play an active role in their portfolio companies.

Informilo is a news site that covers tech sector developments in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and the Americas. The site covers entrepreneurship and innovation in every part of the pipeline ? from the smallest start-up with the best idea to big companies that embrace creative disruption. The aim is to help start-ups and venture capitalists benchmark the global competition and connect with big corporates. The site covers Internet, telecommunications, software, hardware, semiconductors, biotech, med tech and clean tech. Founded by veteran journalist Jennifer L. Schenker, Informilo vows to adhere to the highest standards of editorial integrity.

The Chilli is a unique media platform for high-tech entrepreneurs, investors and advisors. The Chilli is an established global brand in the technology entrepreneurial food chain in Europe, US and now expanding out in Asia. Our information and in-depth analysis are available through regular newsletter updates, online products and live at seminars, conferences and events.

Red Herring is a media company whose mission is to cover innovation, technology, financing and entrepreneurial activity. Its staff of award-winning journalists tell readers what's first, what matters and most importantly, why.

The European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EVCA) is a member-based, non-profit trade association and was established in 1983 and is based in Brussels. EVCA represents, promotes and protects the interests of the European private equity and venture capital industry.