Reef lands in Sophia

The Internet applications software editor bought the Web agency Globale Com. It intends to make it a base for its sales in South Europe and a research and development centre.

The coming of Reef in Sophia Antipolis could mark a turning point in the technopole : the reinforcement of activities linked to the contents. Considered as one of the biggest international Internet applications software editor (with its American competitor Vignette), Reef chose Sophia in order to secure its development in France and in South Europe. The company has just settled by acquiring ( for a price which was not revealed) a Web agency in Sophia Antipolis, the Globale Com company (11 people) founded in 1998 by two young Australians, Roland Haas and Yveline Boewi-Mi.Globale Com and Reef : same philosophyAs far as Roland Haas is concerned, that's obviously the occasion to give his Web agency a tremendous boost. Globale Com, specialized in Internet and Intranet solutions with a strong added value, recently launched out into the software creation. The company put on the e-business market, Globale e-com, a software solution sold for less than 2.000 francs which targeted small firms, craftsmen, and individuals. In this software niche, Reef obviously has greater ambitions, whilst it goes on the same way. So Roland Haas explains that Reef has tools and philosophy which are closely akin to what we intended to do.'Reef creates Internet software that allows to make e-business, contents, electronic business. The way this company sees the market has convinced us, while managers appeared very satisfying '. As far as Reef is concerned, Philipe Monjanel, VP Sales Europe, explains that ' the evaluation of Globale Com in the matter of interactive databases and e-business accounts for a reinforcement of our teams that work on e-business display as well as a support of the whole selling network in the region.' Thus, a great association that should be very successful. Let's think that , from Globale Com, the Reef settlement in Sophia Antipolis is supposed to grow up quickly. Globale Com is going to be a sales support for Reef products marketing in the southern region. But beyond there, as a communiqué announces it, the goal in the next months is also to create a R&D centre based in Sophia Antipolis around this team.'Kick off of a new expansion' It's going to be a very big R&D centre', says Roland Haas. ' For the moment we are set up in 250 m2 in the World Trade Center and we are seeking premises of 2.000 m2. By the end of 2001, the staff could be composed of one hundred people.' It is obvious that, now, Reef has means that can allow the company to fulfil its ambitions. Late October 2000, the firm generated 40 million euros (262 million francs) from a money raising intended to the expansion in Europe, in United-States, and in Pacific-Asia.Besides, the company which was founded by a former Cisco CEO, enjoyed very famous investors ( the business bank Goldman Sachs and the European venture capital firm 3i for this second roundtable ,as well as Profrigo in Belgium and Viventures in France, two venture-capital companies which took part in the first roundtable of 93 million francs in October 1999). Today the new expansion means having to purchase technologic companies that allow to strengthen the Internetware application suite and as well to fill out Reef's R&D teams. This new offensive has been kicked off in Sophia…