Overview


The 1st edition of the European Photonics Venture Forum will take place on 16 April 2015 in Rome. It will bring together entrepreneurs, investors, corporates and policy makers in an intense and high-energy programme of pitching, ideas sharing, networking and direction setting. 

The event was initiated by the partners of the Europe-funded entrepreneurship project LightJumps.eu together with the European Photonics Industry Consortium (EPIC) and with the support of high-ranking members of regional, national and European photonics organisations.

The European Photonics Venture Forum aims to market the photonics sector to a wider investor community and create channels to finance for high-potential photonics businesses. The Forum will ensure photonics becomes a pillar of local regional development plans, mirroring the European strategy and driving more support and funding to the sector.
 
The European Photonics Venture Forum shall be an annual event in a new city each time and shall complement the achievements of the Bordeaux-located Invest in Photonics and the activities of Europe’s leading photonics clusters. EPIC members shall participate in a preview event one week before at their annual general meeting in Paris while LightJumps members from southern Fance, Italy, the Netherlands and Saxony in Germany shall participate in the Photonics Form.

Photonics is the technology which focusses on all technical applications of light and includes lasers, photovoltaics, lighting, screens and displays, sensors, optical fibres and optoelectronics. It is at the heart of the most advanced engineering systems such as cameras, cellphones, printers, barcode scanners, medical and industrial lasers, high speed communications and computing, aviation, power generation, spectroscopy, holography, biophotonics, agriculture and robotics.

During the forum, a special focus will be given to Corporate Venturing as large industry executives come together with emerging entrepreneurs in a bid to increase the volumes of mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, strategic partnerships and awareness of the opportunities of such actions.

The programme will see speeches, a discussion panel and workshops alternate with a series of pitching sessions, including a welcome address by Khalil Rouhana - EC DG Connect, and keynotes by Kurt Weingarten – JDSU, and Giorgio Anania - Aledia. Our line-up of already confirmed investors for this exciting new event include Aster Capital, Avet Ventures, BASF Venture Capital, Emerald Ventures, Evonik Industries, Intesa Sanpaolo, Philips International, Richmond Park Ventures, Solar Ventures, Sony Europe and Wellington Partners amongst others. Check back soon as we confirm more!



Why Register?



  • Meet 20-30 VC and angel investors and portfolio managers
  • Learn from experienced and successfully funded entrepreneurs
  • See 24 growth-stage and emerging companies showcased by their CEOs
  • Join in investor readiness, corporate partnering and public funding workshops
  • Meet 20+ international policy makers, influencers and opinion leaders
  • Mix with 100 total participants
  • Help shape the agenda for regional, national and European development policy
  • Great location and chance to spend the weekend in Rome

This activity is supported by:


   
       



This project has received funding from the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement nr. 619463