On July 6^th and 7^th, 2005, three Israeli start-up companies presented and demonstrated their latest technologies at the prestigious Tremplin Enterprises event in Paris.  Sponsored by the French Senate, this renowned venture capital investment event is one of the largest and most important events in France and all of Europe.

The three Israeli startups – Target-In, DBsafe, and CrossID – appeared before more than 150 of the world's leading venture capital investors, alongside 30 French companies selected from an array of 300 and one Canadian company. The Israeli companies, chosen for the event by the Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute, were honorary guests.

The joint efforts of Yinon Alroi, the Economic Attaché in Paris, the Start-Up department of the Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute, and MATIMOP (the Israeli Industry Center for R&D) led to this year's outstanding participation of these three Israeli start-up companies in this unique event.  The three companies were selected from over 40 companies, after a meticulous sorting process led by Yair Ofek, Head of the Hi-Tech Division at the Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute; Yair Amitai, General Manager of MATIMOP; and representatives from the Office of the Chief Scientists.

In an ambiance of Outer Space permeating the Luxembourg Palace, the participants were greeted by hostesses dressed in futuristic clothing upon arriving at the French Senate.  The event was kicked off with an opening address by Christian Poncelet, President of the French Senate.

Although the three startups were not competitors for the monetary prize, the Start-Up department of the Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute had previously provided the Israeli participants with individual coaching sessions, entitled "Presentation Skills", to help maximize the potential of this opportunity to its fullest.  Each company had an opportunity to present before the investors for 15 minutes, followed by a 10-minute question & answer session.  Each company was also given a presentation booth for a half day where they could demonstrate their latest technologies and meet with investors.

Throughout the event, the companies had enormous opportunities to meet with investors, venture capital funds and potential strategic partners.  The event scheduling of roundtables, project presentations, lunches and cocktail receptions promoted excellent platforms for the companies to network and be introduced to decision-makers of leading companies (e.g. Sony, Mitsubishi, etc.), thereby spurring excellent business.  Among the investors and capital venture funds were:  Ernst and Young, Aaqius & Aaqius, Intel, Sofinaova, AXA private equity, CDC Enterprises, AFIC and more.

On the second day, a roundtable discussion was held on "The conquest of Space:  a dream floating in thin air or a genuine business opportunity?"  The distinguished guest panel included:

¾      Dr. Buzz Aldrin, astronaut who landed on the moon in 1969

¾      François Auque, President, EADS Space

¾      Pierre Brisson, Head of European Space Agency technology transfer and promotion office

¾      Jean-Loup Chrétien, Tietronix-Optics, spationaut

¾      Claudie Haigneré, spationaut

¾      Daniel Pilaud, CEO, Polyspace Technologies

¾      Will Whitehom, Brand Development and Corporate Affairs Director, Virgin Group

Later, an entrepreneurial testimony was given by Jean-François Dehecq, CEO and President of Sanofi-Aventis, the second largest biopharmaceutical company in the world.  After the testimony, the Israeli companies, and especially Shai Yarkoni of Target-In Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., presented their technologies to Jean-François Dehecq.

Overall, the event was a huge success, inciting great interest in the Israeli startups and giving them great exposure.  The event organizers also expressed their desire to include additional Israeli startups at next year's event.  No doubt the attention these companies received opened doors for future investments and partnerships.

A word from the participants

Target-In Biopharmaceuticals Ltd.

Dr. Shai Yarkoni, CEO of Target-In Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., said the Tremplin Enterprises event was "…above all expectations.  Events such as these, by their nature, give very late results.  In this instance, just the participation, the wide exposure, and the contacts made are themselves a significant accomplishment."

The vision of Target-In Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. is to create a pipeline of fully human fusion proteins.  These "apofusions" are composed of a pro-apoptosis protein, fused on the DNA level to create a unique targeting protein, thus targeting specific diseased cell populations and selectively eliminating them.

 

DBsafe

The event gave DBsafe an excellent opportunity for initial introductions and first stage progression with a number of investment groups (French and International).  A representative from one of the largest funds, having a history of successful investments in Israel, also met with Ofer Goldhirsh, CEO of DBsafe, and initiated contact a day after the event in order to begin its investigation of a business opportunity.  Additional groups, such as: AXA Private Equity, Sofinnova and others began further inquiries as well.

DBsafe specializes in data security.  Their product, DBgate, protects databases from internal and external attacks and prevents data leaks.  The protection is provided by a pre & post security processor installed in-line between the application and the database server.  It provides protection required for both new and legacy systems without the need to update the application or database.

 

CrossID Communication Materials

Moshe Glickstein, CEO of CrossID, in a letter to The Israel Export & International Cooperation Institute, expressed his gratitude for their outstanding organization and preparation for the Paris event, and in particular to Yael Karlin, Executive of the Start-Up department. 

"Throughout the event, new contacts were made.  I am full of hope that these contacts will lead to business opportunities for the good of our company, the target of our efforts and participation in the event…Due to this event, I was personally exposed for the first time to the activities of the Export Institute that I had been unaware of before.  As a result, I will be happy to use the resources the Export Institute has to offer, and I will be happy to help them in return."

CrossID operates in the field of chipless radio frequency identification (RFID).  CrossID addresses the need to provide a printable automatic identification technology, similar in application to barcode technology, but uses radio frequency and resonance signals instead of optical signals.