BOSTON (February 8, 2010) - - The French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs is pleased to announce the results of the fifth edition of the Young Entrepreneurs Initiative (YEi). YEi’10 rewards 10 innovative entrepreneurs based in the U.S. who wish to settle in France.
Since YEi’s launch in 2005, a total of 174 applications have been submitted, thirty-four of whom applied this year with a common purpose: expand their innovative development in France. Candidates come from all over US, from California (12 candidates) to Massachusetts (9 candidates), from Illinois to Florida, New Jersey, and other states, the YEi’10 candidates show great maturity and cover a wide spectrum of innovative fields. A third of the applicants originate from the life sciences industry (35%) and another third from IT (32%). The winners for this year are:
- Adynxx, Inc (California): development of a novel drug platform that treats the root causes of pain and stops its progression instead of only managing its symptoms.
- Akrivis Technologies, LLC (Massachusetts): ZEPTATM is a patented technology platform for ultrasensitive, rapid and low-cost immunoassays with applications to in vitro diagnostics, in vivo imaging for early clinical diagnosis and targeted drug delivery of chemotherapeutic agents.
- Otosound Products LLC (California) has developed a tinnitus diagnostic and sound therapy that addresses the cause of pathology.
- Thrombolytic Science International, LLC (Massachusetts): clinical development of innovative biotherapeutics enabling unprecedented treatment safety, speed and efficacy for heart attack and stroke.
- C-TRU (Maryland): hardware and software architecture that enables digital eyewear to be used as a see-through display for smart phones running augmented reality applications. It also provides application developers with scene analysis and information management capabilities.
- IQ Engines, Inc (California) is an image labeling company focused on transforming images into revenue. The IQ Engines solution is used to automatically extract labels describing the visual content of the billions of images or videos from the internet or mobile phones and associate them with relevant online retailers and relevant advertisement.
- Rayonnement (Pennsylvania): a professional m-learning/e-learning solutions platform that utilizes rich media, for businesses to expand and refine their training programs and increase retention.
- Contact Press: Géraldine Quetin +1.617.401.2450 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- COSI-Corr (California): software package to accurately process and analyze aerial and satellite images.
Dienva (Louisiana): consulting in lidar data analysis (elevation and full-waveform) dedicated to high resolution environmental map products (coastal zone mapping, coastal erosion monitoring, aftermath of extreme weather episodes, pollution...)
Analytical instruments (California): explosives and chemical threat detection that use original, lower cost sensors and analytical equipment which eliminate false alerts.
A wide range of prestigious American and French partners bring their expertise to this program. They include institutional organizations such as research centers, economic development agencies, RETIS - the French federation of incubators and technology parks, as well as private organizations such as investors, business leaders, service providers and mentors. French and American entrepreneurial networks have actively participated in the selection, providing advice and contacts to each candidate. "Even during the selection phase, YEi was able to help us through its extensive network of advisors in France but also in the US" said YEi’10 winner Joel Berniac, Founder of biotech startup Akrivis Technologies.
The ten winners will receive one year of support from YEi and its transatlantic partners. The support will include mentoring, training, free advice (legal, marketing), and access not only to investors, but also to YEi’s broad network of innovation and entrepreneurship. Six of them will also benefit from a one-week mission to France financed by the French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs to meet their potential partners and clients. "YEi is a great accelerator and facilitator that opens doors and significantly increases the value of the project through recommended partners and advice" said Elie Simon, YEi’09 winner and founder of Digiprice, a company offering electronic high added value tags for stores.
About YEi
The Young Entrepreneurs Initiative (YEi) is a platform dedicated to supporting innovative entrepreneurs who are starting or have recently started high-tech ventures in the United States with international, and more specifically French, appeal. The program provides early-stage entrepreneurs with key partners and resources, such as mentoring, networking, and funding. YEi is a non-profit program managed by the Office for Science and Technology of the French Embassy in the United States.
Contact Press: Géraldine Quetin
+1.617.401.2450
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
