Invest in Photonics returns to Bordeaux in October

03 Apr 2014

Highlighting investment opportunities in key future industries.

Invest in Photonics (IIP), a two-day international business partnering convention exclusively focused on photonics venture capital investment, will be held this year over October 9 and 10, in its usual Bordeaux venue, western France.

This year will be IIP’s fourth biennial event – once again in the plush surroundings of the city’s Place de la Bourse – and its organizers say the event will this year highlight important photonics developments in five key industrial areas showing positive growth for photonics solutions: the life sciences, consumer electronics, advanced manufacturing (“3D printing”), the environment and combined energy efficiency, aerospace and transport sectors.

Attendees will receive exclusive market data on these industries, helping them identify hot trends and the best potential for maximizing investment returns. Speakers announced so far include: Stephen G. Anderson, Industry & Market Strategist at SPIE; Denis Chapuis, VP and Head of Global Innovation Network for Electronics, Sensors and Systems Integration at Airbus; Babak Parviz, Director at Google X (Google); Christian Reitberger, A Partner at Wellington Partners, the pan-European technology investment firm; Paul Thurk, MD at Arch Venture Partners; George Ugras, General Partner at Adams Capital Manangement.

“Photonics has risen from a niche activity to become a key enabling technology that in the 21st century has evolved to become one of the most important industries for the future,” said Giorgio Anania, chairman of Invest in Photonics 2014.

“It is a dynamic and vibrant industrial sector that holds the potential for huge market growth, up from $480 billion in 2012 to $620 billion in the next few years. VCs attending Invest in Photonics will get the market facts and figures necessary to evaluate true investment opportunities in emerging technologies leading to disruptive innovations. Attending photonics companies will be able to interest audiences in the challenges in healthcare and safety, smart buildings, wearable devices and other applications they are addressing.”

Q&A with Audrey Durand, Invest in Photonics Project Leader since 2008

optics.org What are your expectations for this year’s event?

“Our main hope is to reignite VC interest in photonics and to reflect the market areas that photonics is transforming,” she said.

How has IIP determined that the event helps to generate significant business growth?

"We have analyzed delegate feedback from previous years. Invest in Photonics contributes significantly to SME fundraising. Any other data cited comes from market survey analysis such as from SPIE, for example.”

What relationship do the attendees have to the photonics industry?

"Among the attendees, roughly 20 % are investors and 45 % come from manufacturing SMEs and others from larger business groups. Countries represented at previous events include: Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, UK, USA. Typically, 40 % of attendees come from outside France."

Registration for applicants opens in April 2014. For more details visit the IIP website.

About the Author

Matthew Peach is a contributing editor to optics.org.