French Tech Tour 2012 – The Companies

The French Tech Tour is only one month away! Stay tuned for finalized details on when and where to meet our companies – from SFNewTech to our invitation-only soirée, there will be something for everybody.

In the meanwhile, here’s a sneak preview of what to expect in June:

Atonis is revolutionizing the way we view search results with EYES, a visual and spatial search engine particularly adapted to multi-criteria requests.

InTooch allows users to generate new contacts with a simple “social connector” phone call, regardless of mobile network.  Upon receiving a social connector, users can choose to exchange contact information and accept invitations to connect across social networks.

I-Dispo has developed both a web and mobile platform that helps users find and secure local appointments (with doctors, garages, restaurants…) online, at any hour of the day.

Kawet helps companies easily and effortlessly create, manage, and distribute tailored professional mobile applications.

Moodstocks is to the eyes what Shazam is to the ears. Its mobile image recognition platform transforms posters, magazines, and advertising into interactive e-commerce.

Nanomade’s patented tactile solution turns flexible or rigid supports into touch and pressure sensitive surfaces. They aim to bring tactile functionality to the wide range of emerging flexible screens.

Natural Security allows users to conduct transactions both locally and from a distance, using a simple and powerful authentication solution that combines both biometrics and hands-free technology.

Neiio helps companies exploit the full potential of their address book. Through semantic analysis of social networks, Neiio enriches available information on your contacts and automatically identifies new leads.

Rok Solution provides management teams with global visibility of their organizations. Their collaborative platform places company applications and live data side-by-side.

Sculpteo’s 3D printing engine can be used by any business for the production of hi-tech, customizable objects. Founded in 2009, Sculpteo manages a network of factories across the world, in addition to its own factory in the Pyrenees.

Secure-IC provides a wide range of patented solutions that enhance the robustness of integrated circuits and smartcards. They bring their expertise in the design of secure electronic circuits to the governmental and homeland security markets.

Studyka : How do you encourage collaboration between all the stakeholders in an organization? Whether for your employees, clients, partners, students or researchers…  Studyka’s platform helps overcome collaborative challenges by giving all stakeholders a voice!

Vesalis’ unique facial recognition technology uses augmented reality to address both the social digital beauty and video protection sectors. Interactive simulations let users obtain visual results in a fraction of a second.

Bime provides a new generation of business intelligence solutions in the cloud, providing rapid analyses and advanced visualisations.

Webshell is the “API of APIs”. Its innovative web language renders APIs interoperable for the programming of online applications.

Results are in!

Our partners have officially made their selection for this year’s French Tech Tour. We look forward to showcasing the following companies in June:

Atonis
Central Connect – InTooch
I-Dispo
Kawet
Moodstocks
Nanomade
Natural Security
Neiio
Rok Solution
Sculpteo
Secure-IC
Studyka
Vesalis
We Are Cloud
Webshell

 

Thank you to all the companies that expressed their interest.

Please understand that having not been selected is rarely indicative of a company’s promise on the U.S. market. It is often a simple case of timing, or a lack of correlation with the more immediate needs of these specific partners.

We will be in touch with each applicant individually.

Congratulations to this year’s group!

A très bientôt,

The French Tech Tour Team

On our radar: Y Combinator

While we wait for our partners to select the participants of this year’s French Tech Tour, a large number of entrepreneurs and start-ups are preparing their own debut in the Valley.

Y Combinator, a popular and prestigious start-up accelerator, held their DEMO day this week. According to TechCrunch, 65 start-ups showed up, and 39 pitched to the public.

What began as a simple idea from founder Paul Graham in March 2005 has turned into a proven model. Y Combinator accepts applications from early-stage start-up founders twice a year. They invest in the selected companies, help them with the legal aspects of getting set up, and provide structured mentorship and pointed business advice during the crucial prototyping days. Their support translates into higher valuations for their start-ups – as they are inherently more attractive to investors familiar with the accelerator.

Entrepreneurs from around the world can apply to their 3-month programs. If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur, why not give it a shot this fall? Perhaps we’ll meet you in a future edition of the French Tech Tour!

Regardless of the stage your company is in, however, their application is useful to anyone looking to structure their positioning for an American audience. We recommend you take a look, as you prepare your own Valley debut.

Best,
The Tech Tour team

That’s a wrap!

Applications for the French Tech Tour 2012 have officially closed. We’re excited to see interest from so many fantastic companies – proof that innovation in France is alive and well.

Now the excitement begins! Dossiers will go out to our American partners next week. In the meanwhile, do check back regularly for any updates. The selected companies will be announced mid-April.

Remember, we’re always reachable via e-mail (frenchtechtour@ubifrance.fr), or Twitter (@frenchtechtour).

Best of luck to everyone who applied, and à bientôt!

What does SF New Tech have to do with the French Tech Tour?


SF NEW TECH takes the hottest startups from around the Bay Area (and the world!) and gives them an informal place to pitch to the local tech community and bloggers. This is an opportunity to pitch in front of a large audience, network with the locals, and get exposure! Afterall, that’s what the French Tech Tour is all about!

What does a business trip to the Silicon Valley with the French Tech Tour look like?

Getting selected by the biggest names in the Silicon Valley means business!

  •  New Business Opportunities - 1 week of one on one business meetings with our partners who have chosen to meet with your company
  • More New Business Opportunities – In addition to meetings with our partners, our Trade Advisors will work with you individually to get meetings with people that you want to meet
  • Expert American Communications Training – Intensive preparation of your presentations and marketing materials to maximize the success of your meetings
  • International Publicity – Journalists will be covering the French Tech Tour events, highlighting the selected companies
  • Pitch and GET NOTICED – You will have the opportunity to pitch your company at industry events, such as SF New Tech, SVASE, or our own soirée

You will never know what your business opportunities would look like in the Silicon Valley unless you apply! What are you waiting for? Just a few days left! Applying is EASY.

Qu’attendez-vous? Postulez au French Tech Tour 2012!

Because it’s Friday, we thought we’d have some fun. Listen to our team explain why you should join us in June!

 

23 days remain to submit your completed dossier de candidature to frenchtechtour@ubifrance.fr.

A très bientôt!

What They’re Saying – Témoignage de Polestar, FTT2011

To the companies who have downloaded our dossier de candidature, we hope the application process is coming along well!

In the meantime, we recently received a témoignage from the CEO of Polestar, Christian Carle, that we’d like to share with you.

A très bientôt!

1) Comment avez-vous découvert le French Tech Tour ?

Le FTT nous a été présenté par la Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie Régionale basée à Blagnac.

2) Pourquoi avez-vous décidé d’y participer ?

Le FTT est planifié au bon moment dans notre processus d’analyse du marché US. Cela faisait plus d’un an que nous avions démarré les premiers contacts en Californie. L’implantation aux Etats Unis faisait partie de notre stratégie et à l’issue de notre levée de fonds d’avril 2011, le FTT arrivait au bon moment pour donner un coup d’accélérateur à notre compréhension du marché et de la Silicon Valley

3) Qu’est-ce que le French Tech Tour vous a apporté ?

D’accéder en un temps record aux « Key Decision Makers » dans les grandes entreprises américaines avec lesquels nous souhaitions établir des relations

4) Où en est PoleStar depuis sa participation?

Nous avons gardé environ 50 % de nos contacts actifs, ce qui est une bonne performance. A l’issue du FTT, il est devenu indispensable de s’implanter au plus vite dans la Vallée pour faire fructifier tous les chantiers ouverts et les acquis et en particulier ceux du FTT. Pole Star a ouvert une filiale à SF en octobre 2011 avec une équipe franco-américaine qui compte 3 personnes au 1er janvier 2012.

5) Qui devrait faire le French Tech Tour selon vous ?

Le FTT est l’outil idéal pour prendre pied sur le marché américain et découvrir l’écosystème réellement spécifique de la Silicon Valley. Le FTT n’est pas une fin en soi mais une étape qui peut se révéler importante et décisive s’il est bien préparé et qu’un suivi systématique est effectué. Le FTT doit faire l’objet d’un suivi important auprès des contacts qui ont été établis. Il faut donc être prêt et avoir les moyens de passer du temps en Californie. Le FTT s’adresse donc à des entreprises qui ont une certaine maturité dans leur développement et qui pourront en cas de succès du FTT assurer une présence sur place, ce qui est un gage de crédibilité qui maximise les probabilités de succès.

6)  Un conseil pour les entreprises souhaitant faire du business développement aux USA ?

La pénétration du marché Nord-Américain ne s’improvise pas, même en Californie. Il faut mettre les moyens suffisants pour comprendre le marché et l’étudier (réglementation, concurrence, usage, modèle économique, etc.). Il faut ensuite évaluer le coût d’implantation aux Etats-Unis. Sans une implantation physique aux Etats-Unis, il est difficile de se développer de manière efficace. Les conférences téléphoniques avec les partenaires et les clients américains ne sont possibles que dans une phase d’approche, mais la présence sur place est indispensable. Il faut également bien s’entourer pour être efficace et gagner du temps (UBIFRANCE, Chambre de Commerce Franco-Américaine, Avocats, etc.). Il faut également bien comprendre la durée des cycles d’innovation qui deviennent de plus en plus courts et qui nécessitent une très grande réactivité car on peut parler parfois de quelques semaines dans le domaine des TIC et enfin il faut avoir la bonne offre ou le bon produit, ce qui doit être considéré comme un préalable. Le marché est pragmatique, les français ont une bonne image, à nous les entreprises de se mettre en ordre de bataille pour pénétrer le marché Nord-Américain en s’appuyant sur les réseaux et sur les personnes qui savent faire.