Paris and Bordeaux – 28 January 2015 – EnterNext, the Euronext subsidiary dedicated to promoting and growing the market for SMEs[1], today celebrated the success of its first regional tech conference, held in Bordeaux on Tuesday, 27 January. Following the EnterNext Tech Conference in Paris in November 2014, Bordeaux was a natural choice, with the city awarded the French Tech label in 2014. Entrepreneurs, company leaders and experts were on hand to contribute insights and experiences on financing tech companies[2].
Focus on financing innovative regional businesses
The conference brought together almost 120 representatives of France’s national and regional tech eco-system — enterpreneurs, business angels, private equity investors, fund managers, bankers, securities analysts and consultants. As Bordeaux’s first event dedicated to tech companies and financial markets, the day featured input and discussions on identifying and securing financing for innovative businesses. The aim was clear: lend fresh energy to the ecosystem and promote an already positive trend. The event was organised with the assistance of many local contenders.
South-western France — home to a large pool of innovative SMEs
Located in south-western France, Aquitaine is the country’s most active region for start-ups, with tech industries the third largest activity. Since EnterNext was founded in May 2013, five tech companies from the south-west have listed, raising a total of €106 million. Here 2014 was a particularly rich year, with I-Ceram, Genticel, Innoveox and Fermentalg all making their market debuts, winning the favours of individual and institutional investors alike.
Eric Forest, Chairman and CEO of EnterNext, said:“We are delighted with the success of this event, our first regional conference. The tech sector is very definitely on the move and south-western France is home to many entrepreneurs with business projects that the exchange can help finance. At EnterNext, we have made assisting innovative regional companies a top priority. Our role is to provide the support they need as they move toward listing, and thus help them boost their visibility and finance their growth.”
Nicolas-Gaston Ellie, EnterNext’s head of business development and client relations for south-western France, added “We are very pleased with the rich discussions and experiences presented throughout this event. At EnterNext, we were convinced that the south-west had major potential and opened our Bordeaux office in September 2013. Being on the ground in France’s regions is critically important as we work to assist heads of SMEs.”
WITH THE SUPPORT OF DELOITTE, NEWCAP AND CHAMPEIL ASSET MANAGEMENT
Bordeaux Tech Conference programme
15h40 Introduction — Eric Forest, Chairman & CEO, EnterNext
15h45 Welcome — Virginie Calmels, Deputy Mayor of Bordeaux and entrepreneur
16h00 “How can we help the tech sector grow?” panel moderated by Nicolas César, journalist at La Tribune and l'Usine Nouvelle
16h45 Tech Talk — Nicolas Beraud, Chairman & CEO of Triple Fun and former Chairman & CEO and co-founder of Betclic
17h00 Dialogue featuring Emmanuel Huynh, co-founder and Deputy Managing Director, NewCap, and Ludovic Lastennet, co-founder and Managing Director, Implanet
17h15 “Financial markets as drivers of tech companies”, panel moderated by Nicolas César, journalist at La Tribune and l'Usine Nouvelle
18h15 Keynote — Marc Prikazsky, CEO, Ceva Santé Animale and President of the Aquitaine SME Club
18h30 Closing address, Eric Forest, Chairman & CEO, EnterNext
The conference also featured Airborne Concept, Concoursmania, Fabzat, Interaction Healthcare, Kasual, Snapp-Fidme and Winewoo — seven innovative companies presenting their products.