"Tremplin" for the ambitious start-up on the French Riviera

Almost a group shot! If we had to prove the efficiency of the Ceram Tremplin Conference we would just need to have a look on what has been happening since the end of the 'classes', early in last July.

Almost a group shot! If we had to prove the efficiency of the Ceram Tremplin Conference that the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Nice Côte d'Azur (CCI) launched last year for the ambitious start-ups on the French Riviera, we would just need to have a look on what has been happening since the end of the 'classes', early in last July. Among the fifteen managers who took part, we can see that most of them have been the main topic of the news about the start-ups, since the beginning of term in September on the French Riviera.12 million francs for Delta Cap International in Nice. Thierry Bernard, the Chairman and Managing Director of Delta Cap International, a firm in Nice , specialized in detonators, has been first to lead the way. In September, the capital of the company opened up to two FCPI (Pools of Investment in Innovation), each of which invested six million francs. Those FCPI are Axa investment innovation (the biggest FCPI in France, launched by the insurer Axa) and Innova France. From now, together, they control 46% of the capital of the firm created in 1994 by Thierry Bernard (34-year old).On this occasion, the company turned into a public company and, thanks to this contribution of capital, it thinks of new developments. It especially expects to market a small electronic detonator internationally, perfected with the help of ANVAR and of the former employer of Thierry Bernard, the Spada firm. This detonatorallows to increase the mining operations. Second track: to go and conquer big international mining firms with, among other things, products for which it is already recognized, as for instance, shooting simulation softwares. Thus, DCI tackles a worldwide marcket estimated at three billion mecanisms sold each year.The Phagogène laboratory taken over by Samsic. As for him, Jacques Boittet, the Chairman and Managing Director of the Phagogène laboratory in Nice, chose to be taken over by a bigger firm than his. Since the takeover by the executives (a RES) in 1989, Phagogène (a 64 million turnover and 65 wage earners) has specialized in disinfectant products meant for hospitals. For Jacques Boittet, the question was to find a partner to guarantee the existence of the firm in an area dominated by big international groups such as Air Liquide. Samsic, a group from Rennes (a 900 million turnover and 75 wage earners) which took over the laboratory in October, will bring it new means. It will guarantee the marketing and it will allow a speeding up.Thus, Phagogène expects to extend its plant, to diversify in a range of disinfectant products for the food area, and to be thoroughly complementary to Samsic. So, the laboratory from Nice is going to hire. It aims at a 100 million turnover in 2000. An over 50% growth!Ove Interactive taken over by the Finnish RTS. The same solution was chosen by Laurent Bazet and Guillaume Besse from Ove Interactive. Specialized in data bases and in gates on Internet, the firm operated the development through a takeover decided in last September. RTS Network, which offers a whole range of top-level Internet, Extranet, and Internet solutions, expects to enter the London Stock Exchange, before the end of the year. This will allow it to get big funds and, in addition to Ove Interactive, to buy two other small firms from Sophia Antipolis, whose activities are complementary, to set up strongly on the technopole. RTS Networks, which is looking for a 650m2 building, (and it has got many difficulties to find one), aims at hiring 70 people before the end of the year 2000. Concurrently, the Finnish firm is also looking for a siet to construct from 2000 to 3000m2 buildings, in view to go on with a growth, allowing it to get a staff from 400 to 600 people in 2003, according to its plans. Inthat way, Ove Interactive, which is the mainstay of RTS Networks on the technopole, could give a very new dimension to its basic trade.Espri Concept, Thermatech and the others. More recently, an other takeover of a firm which took part to the Tremplin Conference: Espri Concept whose owner is André Labat. The takeover by Simulog, also set up on the technopole, gave rise to a SSII (Firm of Informatic Engineering Services) that is going to count for much, from now: a turnover of 100 million francs, per year.Thermatech, whose owner is Jean-Jack Boumendil, an other prominent participant, was already on the Stock Exchange. The firm was registered on the second market, where it made excellent performances. But the will was to give a new boost and to prepare a plan of aggressive development, that especially goes through the setting of a net for exporting sales. The firm that makes specialized kilns for the creation of electronic chips, has diversified in the petrochemistey kilns (manufacture of acetylene and ethylene, basic materials of the plastic industry). Export plus diversification: Thermatech throve this year. It went through a turnover of 110 million francs in 1998 to a turnover of 170 million francs in 1999. For the year 2003, the aim is to reach 600 million francs. 'For us, it was an important step, Jean-Jack Boumendil notes. Thermatech made 10% of its turnover thanks to export in 1998. This year, we will already reach 25 % with the view to reach 50 % in 2003.'Through the medium of a research of adapted financing (traditional bank, venture capital, entry on the Stock Exchange), the Tremplin Conference led to a strategic view of the firm. Thermatech and the others (Dust, which won other Tremplin prize, the Innovation prize, in the Senate, in last July, Echo, Euromips system, etc), have got a new energy and some unsuspected ambitions thanks to this conference. And particularly, all the solutions that were found, lead to a development on the French Riviera. Only for this reason, Tremplin could already be considered as a great success!