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.

Endeavour Vision is a premier European venture capital firm investing in high potential companies in the information technology and life sciences sectors. Since 1989, the principals have made over 63 investments in 12 different countries. The goal of Endeavour Vision is to contribute to the success of companies who demonstrate great potential by teaming up with entrepreneurs and sharing skills, expertise and network To better support Entrepreneurs, the firm has developed two institutions: the European Tech Tour Association, a non-profit foundation generating networking opportunities for Entrepreneurs with VCs, Corporations and other Entrepreneurs, and the CEO-Circle, a group of world-class entrepreneurial CEOs who are committed in helping with the development of portfolio companies.

Some investments made by the principals include Sandisk, Dolphin Interconnect, SCM Microsystems, Virata, Altitun, Cirpack, Media Lario, Tagsys RFID and Sequans, (Information Technology); and Actelion, Axovan, Endoart and Novimmune (Life Sciences).

GrowthPoint Technology Partners is a different kind of investment bank. We provide M&A, fundraising and strategic advisory services to a wide range of technology companies. As former CEOs, executives, board members, investors and advisors, we bring a wealth of strategic and financial experience to our clients with the sole objective of helping them achieve success. In 2005, four senior members of SVB/Alliant, formerly Alliant Partners (sold to Silicon Valley Bankshares in 2001) left to form GrowthPoint Technology Partners. We created a new firm to provide the very best advisory environment for our clients. Our highly experienced senior advisors deliver a quality, research driven service, in a variety of technology sectors.

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.

maat Gknowledge was founded in 2004 as a result of the spin-off of Virtual Knowledge (est. 1998) –with a significant stake of Caja Rural de Toledo-. maat Gknowledge aim is becoming a leading Grid Business Services Provider (GSP). maat Gknowledge develops Grid Infrastructure Tools, middleware, and application Services for Banking, Public Administration, Health, Education and SME´s.

Headquartered in Toledo (Spain), maat Gknowledge has branch offices in Spain (Madrid, Valencia, Cáceres), Argentina (Buenos Aires); Colombia (Bucaramanga); Suiza (Geneve), Perú (Lima), and partners in London and New York.

maat Gknowledge can deliver easy, friendly, affordable and plug-and-play e-business enterprise intranet/extranet software and solutions for open environments with heterogeneous and separate data and operating systems through IP Networks. maat Gknowledge is leveraging its market leading position setting-up its G Infrastructure Platform with key players around the world.

T-Systems offers one-stop ICT solutions for large and medium-sized businesses worldwide.

Neotec Capital Riesgo is a € 183 million Fund of Funds investing in spanish ICT & Healthcare VC Funds and also directly co investing into companies alongside national and international VC Funds. Shareholders in Neotec include: CDTI, EIF, Telefonica, Banco Santander, Indra, Repsol, Iberdrola, Union Fenosa, CajaMadrid, La Caixa, Enisa, Axis, Caixa Catalunya, ACS, Cepsa and Gas Natural.

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 140,000 people in 149 countries across our network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice.

Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures and distributes automobiles in 200 markets across six continents. With about 300,000 employees and 108 plants worldwide, the company’s core and affiliated automotive brands include Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo. Its automotive-related services include Ford Motor Credit Company.

Adara Venture Partners is dedicated to the creation, development and growth of enterprises with innovative products and differentiated business models. We seek to build partnerships with talented entrepreneurs in order to build lasting, great companies. We advise direct equity investment Funds that in turn invest their capital in companies that present outstanding financial and commercial potential and assist these Funds in bringing differentiated strategic, financial and development assistance to such companies.

Logitech designs, manufactures and markets personal peripherals 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.

Logitech International is a Swiss public company traded on the SWX Swiss Exchange under the symbol LOGN and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market under the symbol LOGI.

The Centre for the Development of Industrial Technology (CDTI) is a Spanish public organisation, under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, whose objective is to help Spanish companies to increase the technological profile of said companies.

CDTI is manned by more than 200 employees, three quarters of which is made up of engineers and graduates. Although the bulk of the infraestructure of CDTI is located in Madrid, the Centre has made a strategic network of offices and representatives abroad available to Spanish companies (Japan -SBTO-, Belgium -SOST and a Permanent Eureka Secretariat-, Brazil -FINEP-, Colombia -Colciencias-, Korea, Chile and Morocco) to give them support in their international technological activities.

The Polytechnic City of Innovation, scientific park of Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), is the most ambitious project under development at the heart of the UPV’s Vera campus site, a space meant to be a national and international landmark. It represents a new model of co-operation devised by the University to leave all its scientific potential at the disposal of entrepreneurial research and development, in fewer words, our goal is to capitalize knowledge. The ability to transform knowledge into economic activity is, at the same time, a premise for an enterprising university such as the Polytechnic University of Valencia and a prerequisite for the university to enter the key alliance for innovation that comprises university, businesses and government.

The Polytechnic City of Innovation is an essential part of today’s emerging society as key element in the production and transmission of knowledge and, particularly in the case of the Valencian Community, it performs a crucial role in technological dissemination and innovation.

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.