Sponsors
Thank you to the following sponsors and partners for their support of Innovate!Europe’s mission to help accelerate the global expansion of Europe’s most promising startups.Sponsors
Guidewire Group
Founded by Chris Shipley and Mike Sigal, Guidewire Group is the world’s leading analyst firm focused exclusively on startups and emerging markets.
Our chief skill lies in helping companies validate opportunities at key transition points, when every idea looks good on paper and every decision counts. Our insight comes from profiling hundreds of innovative companies every year — from early-stage startups to established technology leaders — to understand emerging market trends, best practices and common mistakes.
From market studies, positioning projects and competitive analyses, to funding and business strategy planning, we bring clarity, focus and experience to the art of transforming ideas into successful enterprises.
Zaragoza City of Knowledge Foundation
The City of Zaragoza and Telefónica, Siemens, Endesa, Ibercaja, and Caja Inmaculada have united to create the “Zaragoza City of Knowledge Foundation.” The Foundation—whose motto is innovation, science, technology— supports the development of the Information Society in Zaragoza.
Actively promoting the scientific and technological culture among the underprivileged, the Foundation organizes and promotes related national and international events. The Mayor of Zaragoza chairs the Foundation and the Board includes Spanish luminaries such as Luis Oro, one of the brightest scientists in Spain, and Mateo Valero, who’s responsible for Spain’s supercomputing project.
Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza
The city of Zaragoza, capital of the Aragon region in Northeast Spain, is in the midst of a transformation that includes demographic, urban and economic growth. This stimulating transformation will manifest itself at the World’s Fair Expo Zaragoza 2008, “Water and Sustainable Development.”
Connected to Madrid and Barcelona through a new high-speed train, Zaragoza is an important hub in Southern Europe—blending privileged location with international manufacturing and a prestigious University that specialises in computing, telecommunication, and the sciences.
More than two thousand years of history, a high quality of life, and innovative city projects blend to make Zaragoza a dynamic city for work, pleasure, and investment.
Informatica El Corte Ingles
Informaaccute;tica El Corte Inglés, S.A., that belongs to El Corte Inglés Group, the leading distributor group in Spain, was founded in March 1988. Its main activities range from distributor, reseller, manufacturer to consulting and systems integration in Public Administration and large and medium-sized companies in the finance, insurance, manufacturing, and retail sectors.
Its activities are based on both its own products and solutions as well as integrating third party products and solutions. It is the leading Spanish private capital company in IT and Communications in Spain.
Informática El Corte Inglés owns a computer factory in Madrid which manufactures the INVES brand of products where it assembles more than 70,000 computers each year. Its presence in all of the country’s major cities and regions means that Informática El Corte Inglés covers the whole of the national territory with 18 branches.
Responding to current market demand, Informática El Corte Inglés has divided its organization into two large divisions with the aim of offering its clients the best service with guaranteed quality. One of these divisions is Technology Infrastructures, whose business lines are geared to providing hardware, software, and broadband services. The other division is Consulting and Services. This division provides projects and services related to Expert Document Management Centres, CRM, Call Centre, ERP, Human Resources, and Internet.
AlpinaSearch
AlpinaSearch provides innovative management and executive-level recruiting services globally. We provide you with customised solutions designed to achieve your specific business needs. Our clients include small to mid-size firms as well as Fortune 500 companies.
As part of MRINetwork™ (www.mriwwnetwork.com), one of the world’s largest executive search and recruitment organisations, we also offer you access to over 1,100 offices in more than 35 countries in order to meet all your local and global recruiting needs.
AlpinaSearch consistently ranks as one of the most successful offices internationally within MRINetwork. AlpinaSearch has received numerous awards over the last decade for outstanding levels of performance. For example, AlpinaSearch was awarded MRINetwork’s “UK Office of the Year” and also the “Global IOR Office of the Year” reflecting the office’s global leadership in terms of projects completed in partnership with other MRINetwork offices.
Orrick’s Emerging Companies Group
Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is a global law firm with more than 1,100 lawyers in 21 offices. Orrick’s Emerging Companies Group is a multidisciplinary group of lawyers within Orrick that merges deep experience and commitment to high-growth business with a global platform that scales with its clients as they grow.
Representing more than 600 venture-backed emerging companies worldwide, the Orrick Emerging Companies Group runs a strong network with more than 100 venture capital firms, banking and accounting firms, national laboratories, universities and public companies in Europe, the United States and Asia. The network is dedicated to working for Orrick’s high-growth clients, including Facebook, eHarmony, RockYou, Pandora Media, Meebo, Trion World Network, CipherMax, RNA Networks, PathoLase and Nanosolar. To find out how Orrick Emerging can serve your company, please contact:
John Bautista, Silicon Valley
(650) 245-2116
jbautista@orrick.com
Chris Grew, London
+44 20 7422 4763
cgrew@orrick.com
Saam Golshani, Paris
+33 1 5353 7500
sgolshani@orrick.com
Gobierno de Aragon
Aragoaccute;n became a Kingdom in the 11th Century, although its origins date back to pre-Roman times. The historical path of the Independent Community of Aragón, from its beginnings as a political organization in the 8th century in valleys of Echo and Canfranc to the present day, is laid out in a series of crucial events which apply as much to Aragón as to the rest of Europe: the Commitment of Caspe, the expansion of the Aragonese Principality to the Mediterranean, the political leadership of Fernando II the Catholic and his grandson Carlos I, the Moorish culture, the ‘Ilustración española’, the War of Independence, and the Spanish Civil War.
Nowadays, Aragón’s leadership is comparatively autonomous and has been one of the pioneers in statute reform. Aragón has also given the world politicians, philosophers, scientists, and artists, representatives of a rich and universal culture: Martial, Avempace, Miguel Servet, Gracián, Goya, Ramon and Cajal, or Buñuel, Carlos and Antonio Saura.
Innovate Ventures
Innovate Ventures was founded in 2006 as the guardian of the Innovate!Europe brand in Spain and as co-producer of the Zaragoza conference. It is a privately-owned company, uniquely focused on fostering economic development through entrepreneurship and technology innovation.
The company is based in Madrid with partners in Zaragoza and Silicon Valley, USA.
Plug and Play Tech Center
Plug and Play Tech Center is the biggest entrepreneurs’ community in Silicon Valley, working closely with 220 high tech start-ups in 3 different facilities in the Bay Area. We provide funding (network of top 25 VCs in the Valley and 50 angels), networking(weekly events with prestigious keynotes and CEOs) and corporate development (licensing, M&A and partnership opportunities with top 20 big corporations)opportunities; full service and flexible office space, IT, data center and recruitment solutions, a network of top service providers.
Plug and Play accelerates the success of the top international start-ups in Silicon Valley. For more information, please contact Maud Pasturaud at maud@plugandplaytechcenter.com.
http://www.plugandplaytechcenter.com
Enterprise Ireland
Enterprise Ireland is the Irish government agency responsible for the development and promotion of Irish enterprise. Our mission is to accelerate the development of world-class Irish companies to achieve strong position in global markets, resulting in increased national and regional prosperity.
Innovation, leadership and growth are the core themes of the Enterprise Ireland strategy Transforming Irish Industry 2008-2010. The strategy is driven by the overarching principle that growth in global markets through the internationalisation of Irish companies is the key to wealth and employment creation in Ireland.
Enterprise Ireland’s priorities include driving innovation, stimulating the emergence and development of companies of scale, consolidating existing growth in key sectors and markets, capitalising on emerging opportunities and helping to realise sustained and balanced regional growth.
With 10 offices in Ireland and a network of over 30 international offices providing access to more than 60 countries around the world, Enterprise Ireland supports the internationalisation of Irish enterprises and helps international buyers connect with and maintain profitable partnership with businesses in Ireland.
http://www.enterprise-ireland.com
Gabriel Venture Partners
Gabriel Venture Partners is an early-stage venture capital firm committed to fostering innovation by actively assisting entrepreneurs in technology and technology-enabled businesses. Gabriel seeks investment opportunities in capital-efficient companies that have the potential to be market leaders in the fields of digital media, mobile, cleantech and disruptive technology.
Gabriel is based in Silicon Valley and has over $260 million under management. Gabriel’s investment team consists of seasoned technology entrepreneurs and industry executives, each with international operating experience and strong domain expertise. Current investments include many disruptive companies, including Aurora BioFuels, Boston-Power, Chegg, NextG Networks, PlantSense, STEP Labs and YLX. Some of Gabriel’s exits include Encentuate (acquired by IBM), NeoPath (acquired by Cisco), NetScaler (acquired by Citrix), Iridigm (acquired by Qualcomm) and Placeware (acquired by Microsoft).
Innovation Promotion Agency CTI
Innovation drives the economy. This is why the Innovation Promotion Agency CTI specifically backs the transfer of knowledge and technology between universities and business. CTI supports application-oriented research and development and the creation of new technology based start-up companies.
In the promotion of applied research between companies (mostly small and medium-sized) and universities the goal of CTI is to generate more innovations out of co-operations between industry and academia. These projects can also be part of international collaborations.
The second element is the promotion of start-ups, because many innovations are realized and put on the market by young entrepreneurs. CTI’s start-up promotion offers them a wide range of training and coaching and specifically targets growth-oriented business projects with a technological focus.
http://www.bbt.admin.ch/kti/index.html?lang=en
Switch Communications
Switch is NOT a PR agency; we fundamentally believe the traditional agency model is dead. We are an established network of savvy marketing communications consultants with a passion for the high tech sector.
We help businesses navigate the crowded and often complex technology marketing and media landscape. From launch through to sale; we believe that successful communications, marketing and PR are the differentiators which help businesses excel.
XAnge
Backed by leading European corporate and financial institutions, XAnge is a unique private equity firm with € 350 million assets under management. With an international team of seasoned managers based in Paris and Munich, XAnge actively supports leading venture and growth companies in Europe and North America.
Partners
Amiando
Already used by more than 50,000 events worldwide, amiando is the leading tool in Europe for organizing events online. Thousands of event hosts use amiando to handle everything from invitation management, online promotion and attendee registration to integrated billing and entry management – all easy-to-use and on-demand.
Amiando was founded by six friends in 2006. With its tool and more than 25 employees, amiando helps event hosts all over the world, amongst others in Germany, the USA, France, Great Britain, Spain and Switzerland, to organize their events online.
After receiving many awards already in 2007, amiando was chosen by German national business magazine ‘Wirtschaftswoche’ as one of the 25 most interesting startups in Germany and by ‘Businessweek’ as one of the TOP 25 startups in Europe. amiando was awarded “Red Herring TOP 100“ in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and won the eco Internet Award in the category “Web portal for clients”.
Amiando is backed by experienced investors. Besides Wellington Partners and the Adinvest AG, amiando is backed by a network of well-known international business angels like Lukasz Gadowski, Stephan Glaenzer, Rodrigo S. Schulz, Karel Doerner and Michael Brehm.
ArcticStartup
ArcticStartup, founded in 2007, is the leading weblog reviewing and reporting on internet and mobile software startups and growth entrepreneurship from the Nordic and Baltic countries.
ArcticStartup aims to encourage entrepreneurship and to help create a radically optimistic entrepreneurial culture in the Nordics and Baltics by reporting about the startups, the stories behind them and the events that influence them.
To spread the startup love we also have ArcticIndex to register and search for all the local startups and ArcticEvening events for people to meet in real life.
Ballou PR
Ballou PR provides strategic public relations services for European and U.S. clients that go far beyond traditional media relations.
Specialised in high technology, biotechnology and related industries, including VC and business services companies, the firm’s Paris-based agency helps clients optimise their business strategies and establish global public relations campaigns. In doing so, Ballou integrates all techniques of communications, both traditional and emerging, to develop proactive, aggressive public relations programs designed to increase the sales and value of a company, not just “raise awareness.”
Ballou’s multi-cultural and multi-lingual team helps bridge cultural and language gaps by meeting PR needs for clients of all nationalities whose needs transcend borders into a foreign market, whether French, American, or elsewhere in Europe.
The California Israel Chamber of Commerce
The California Israel Chamber of Commerce (CCIC) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental, membership-supported organization dedicated to strengthening business and trade relations between California and Israel.
With its wide and dynamic network of over 7,000 companies, business executives and investors, CCIC is positioned to serve as a facilitator and active supporter for joint venture programs between the two communities.
http://www.ca-israelchamber.org/
CatCap
CatCap supports knowledge-based enterprises and their shareholders in questions concerning the sale of shares and endowment with equity capital, the optimisation of corporate portfolios and other strategic capital transactions at partner and enterprise level.
Through CatCap entrepreneurs obtain efficient access to equity capital, from angel investors, venture capital and private equity funds to strategic investment partners.
Deutsche Startups
Deutsche-startups.de supplies information on news on the domestic Internet startup scene on a daily basis. Interviews, portraits of individual startups and founders, as well as market census data on interesting segments complete the wealth of daily news.
The comprehensive range of information on German startups is rounded up by background information on German startups is rounded up by background information on investors, business angels, as well as guest articles by prominent founders and other Internet personalities.
http://www.deutsche-startups.de
Fleishman-Hillard
Fleishman-Hillard Inc., one of the world’s leading public relations firms, has built its reputation by using strategic communications to deliver what its clients value most: meaningful, positive, and measurable impact on the performance of their organizations. The firm is widely recognized for excellent client service and a strong company culture founded on teamwork, integrity, and personal commitment.
Based in St. Louis, the firm operates throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East, South Africa, and Latin America through its 80 owned offices.
Forum Nokia
Nokia’s global developer program, Forum Nokia connects developers to tools, technical information, support, and distribution channels they can use to build and market applications around the globe. From offices in the U.S., Europe, India, Japan, China, and Singapore, Forum Nokia provides technical and business development support to developers and operators to assist them in achieving their goal of successfully launching applications and services to consumers and enterprises.
IE Business School
IE Business School trains leaders that promote innovation and change in business organisations, entrepreneurial styles of management that generate employment, collective wealth and social well-being.
Recognised as one of world’s top business schools, IE Business School has an urban campus in Madrid and a 400-strong faculty and a student body from over 80 countries on its master, doctorate and executive education programs. IE Business School students use innovative online and presential learning methods, and enjoy the benefits of the IE Business School communities network, comprised of 35,000 alumni who hold management positions in 85 countries.
Mashable
With more than 5.5 million monthly pageviews, Mashable is the world’s largest blog focused on social networks and web 2.0 news. Mashable’s readers include the most tech-savvy early adopters, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, influencers, Web 2.0 aficionados and technology journalists.
Microsoft
The Microsoft Strategic & Emerging Business Team (SEBT) supports software startups and established companies working on the Microsoft platform. SEBT helps develop and grow local software economies worldwide through programs like Microsoft BizSpark, a global program for startups that provides fast, easy access to current full-featured Microsoft development tools and production licenses with no upfront costs and minimal requirements.
http:// www.microsoftstartupzone.com
NESTA
NESTA is the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. Our mission is to transform the UK’s capacity for innovation. We invest in early stage companies, inform innovation policy and encourage a culture that helps innovation to flourish.
NESTA Investments combines investment with non-financial support to help companies turn their innovative ideas into commercial successes. We encourage other investors to generate a commercial return by replicating our investment models.
NESTA will be investing £10m per year over the next five years equally between NESTA Ventures and Capital.
- NESTA Ventures - direct investment into companies
- NESTA Capital - indirect investment through third-party funds
ReadWriteWeb France
ReadWriteWeb is a blog that provides Web technology news, reviews and analysis. It began publishing on April 20, 2003 and is now one of the most widely read and respected blogs in the world. It has around 275,000 RSS and email subscribers.
To continue its growth, ReadWriteWeb launched its French chapter in October 2008, managed by Romain Péchard. It is now one of the leading blogs in France.
SAP
As the world’s leading provider of business software, SAP delivers products and services that help accelerate business innovation for our customers. We believe that doing so will unleash growth and create significant new value – for our customers, SAP, and ultimately, entire industries and the economy at large. Today, customers in more than 120 countries run SAP applications – from distinct solutions addressing the needs of small businesses and midsize companies to suite offerings for global organizations.
Founded in 1972, SAP has a rich history of innovation and growth as a true industry leader. SAP currently has sales and development locations in more than 50 countries worldwide.
Seedcamp
At Seedcamp, we believe Europe has the talent, the role models, and the capital founders need to succeed. We want to provide a catalyst for the next generation of great entrepreneurs and help you take risks, think big, and succeed. Participating in Seedcamp will give you enormous validation and access to a world-class network of advisors to help you with every aspect of your business, plus a direct route to seed and venture capital.
Sun Startup Essentials
The Sun Startup Essentials program is designed specifically to help young SMB’s/startups get off the ground running, and at lower cost, whilst building a scaleable futureproof platform. Supporting your startup with:
- Aggressively discounted hardware, storage and MySQL Licences
- Discounted Hosting offers Global PR and outreach
- Startups Ask Sun - Free technical support services
- Free Training
- Networking, community collaboration - Connect with investors
- Discounted Event tickets - FOWA, NexWeb etc
- Listed in the Startup Directory - Exposure on Sun.com
Sign up now at http://sun.com/startups or email stewart.townsend@sun.com
Symantec
Symantec is a global leader in infrastructure software, enabling businesses and consumers to have confidence in a connected world. The company helps customers protect their infrastructure, information and interactions by delivering software and services that address risks to security, availability, compliance and performance.
Headquartered in Cupertino, Calif., Symantec has operations in 40 countries. More information is available at http://www.symantec.com.
Symantec
20330 Stevens Creek Blvd., Cupertino, CA 95014
Phone: +1-408-517-8000
The Next Women
The Next Women is the first Women’s Internet Business Magazine, with a focus on startups and growing businesses, led, founded or invested in by women. We bring news on business, events, funding and tech from a female angle and interview and profile Female Business Heroes, make them notable and quotable.
Ubergizmo
Launched in September 2004, Ubergizmo has become one of the top consumer electronics websites, distributed in six languages and read in 212 countries. A Webby Award Honoree, Ubergizmo has been recognized as a leading high-tech website: it has been ranked as a Top100 Blog by PC Magazine, and is in the Nielsen’s Blogpulse Top 50.
UKTI
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) is the government organisation that helps UK-based companies succeed in the global economy.
We also help overseas companies bring their high quality investment to the UK’s dynamic economy - acknowledged as Europe’s best place from which to succeed in global business.
UKTI offers expertise and contacts through its extensive network of specialists in the UK, and in British embassies and other diplomatic offices around the world. We provide companies with the tools they require to be competitive on the world stage.
For further information, please visit http://www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk or telephone +44(0)20 7215 8000.
Vator
Vator is a next-generation business (social) media company, leveraging community-generated content to create data services and news.
Vator allows startups to self-publish their news and narrative in video, text, documents, and inbound feeds from third-party analytics, news and blog feeds from Google, company blog feeds, as well as short messaging via micro-blogging. The “Company Updates” micro-blogging feed was just released in mid-December. It is in private beta with a handful of Vator users. Email beta@vator.tv, if you’d like to participate.
In addition to Vator’s social network, Vator’s newsroom, called VatorNews, is a community-generated news site, comprised of 80-and-growing contributing bloggers and video bloggers.
VC Cafe
Founded in 2005 by Eze Vidra, VC Cafe is a leading blog on technology and venture capital, dedicated to obsessively profiling, reviewing and breaking news about new Internet products and companies, venture capital funding and deal flow with a spotlight on Israel, the Silicon Wadi. In addition to covering new companies, VC Cafe organizes the Startup Roundtable series, offline events in San Francisco and Tel Aviv.
Since inception VC Cafe has been featured by the Wall Street Journal, AlwaysOn media and most Israeli media outlets. It has also been ranked as one of the top 100 VC blogs.
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