Business France North America _ Annual Report 2014

NORTH AMERICA ANNUAL REPORT

2O14

Arnaud Leretour Head of Business France Amérique du Nord Our strategy as envisioned by Muriel Pénicaud, Ambassador for International Investment and CEO of Business France, is to assist French companies in establishing themselves in North America and also helping North American companies in establishing themselves in France. Our goal is to help these companies from the beginning to the end and guarantee them the best results, whatever the direction or the nature of their project may be.

On January 1st, 2015, Ubifrance (the French export development agency) and the Invest in France agency merged to create a new entity called Business France. The purpose of this merger was to consolidate the assets and services of the two former agencies and capitalize on their strengths to offer better value-added services to companies intending to export and investors looking for opportunities in the French market. The new agency was also given a new mandate: to promote and enhance the image of France abroad in order to durably strengthen both its attractiveness and competitiveness. All three missions converge towards the same goal: to promote France as an attractive destination for investments, innovation, new activities and employment, and to help France’s most promising companies to develop their business in the most dynamic marketplaces.

In order to support this international development and growth strategy, the French government has also broadened the scope of the V.I.E. program. An innovative HR tool, it enables French companies to hire young and talented European graduates to develop their business internationally. Originally intended exclusively for French subsidiaries abroad, the program is now open to all companies having a presence in France that target export markets.

2014 was a great year with results that give a promising forecast for the near future. Business France helped 942 French companies to carry out export projects through individual or collective missions (tradeshows, immersive acceleration programs…). As for the investments, 80 projects originating from the United States and Canada were undertaken this year, under different possible formats such as the creation of a branch office, partnerships or extensions of existing projects.

The common denominator in these development projects is excellence as a determining factor to build long-term projects. Keeping this in mind, we have launched several business acceleration programs for innovative French companies working in specialized sectors such as new technologies (ubi i/o) and healthcare (UBISTART); more programs will follow in 2015 and 2016 with a focus on other sectors.

Undoubtedly this new start is an advantage for Business France and its partners, as it will add value to all our future projects and ensure success for our economic initiatives in North America.

Who we are

Business France is the national agency supporting the international development of the French economy, responsible for fostering export growth by French businesses, as well as promoting and facilitating international investment in France. It promotes France’s companies, business image and nationwide attractiveness as an investment location, and also runs the V.I.E international internship program.

Our Export department focuses on assisting French companies in their export strategies by providing advice, access to market information and business leads to clients. Conversely, our Investment department helps foreign companies to set up business in France. Our priorities reflect the will of the French government to promote the French economy by making available the tools and support companies need to succeed overseas.

With 80 offices in 69 countries, Business France offers a comprehensive range of products and services aimed at advancing companies’ export and invest plans at every step of their strategy. From the very beginning, with market and business information or personalized market studies, to the end, with

legal information or potential partners’ one-onone meeting tailored schedules. Our Agency also organizes promotional, informational and networking events, and helps companies in adapting their communication tools to better reach their targets. Every year, our local offices help hundreds of French and foreign firms to execute more efficiently their business strategies and pursue partnerships with companies overseas.

Our strength lies in concentrating our efforts in promising sectors, fostering partnerships between North American and French companies, creating added value for both sides. Our priority is to support the evolution of North American companies in areas where French companies are innovative and business-forward. French companies can bring a lot to the table as business partners when it comes to high-quality manual labor and top-notch research and expertise in the technology field.

Entrepreneurship is strongly rooted in French culture with entrepreneurs more than willing to expand their businesses outside of France. This shared appetite for risk-taking in the pursuit of growth is one commonality demonstrating that French and North American businesses are on the same wavelength.

942

French companies were assisted by Business France North America in 2014

80

Investment projects were finalized with the help of Business France North America in 2014

83

B2B events were organized in 2014 in 32 cities across North America

Business France North America 2014 - 3

Our Network

540

Detecting, Financing and Accompanying the best companies

collaborators in France

38

C.A.I. (international business managers) scatered in France

1500

collaborators Worldwide

Business France is a worldwide network in constant evolution to better serve French and foreign companies in their development projects. It is also a strategic network in France. With roughly 500 employees in its head offices in Paris and Marseille, our French teams include 24 regional directors and delegates to ensure constant contact with SOHO and SMEs wishing to develop their export activities.

In 2013, Business France established a partnership with Bpifrance, a public bank whose mission is to help the most promising companies grow by providing financing solutions tailored to their needs and their growth potential. In order to carry out this objective, Bpifrance monitors the entrepreneurial field and detects companies with the most innovative or highest growth-potential all over France.

Following its partnership with Bpifrance, Business France developed in 2014 a network of 38 International Business Managers throughout the country.

Working directly with and in Bpifrance’s local branches, they provide high valueadded services to the best intermediatesized enterprises and growing SMEs in the country.

Identified by Bpifrance as high potential firms, those companies are systematically vetted

by Business France prior to financing their export strategy. A local International Business Manager then helps each company in building a worldwide strategy in collaboration with our offices in the targeted countries and whose markets are more likely to be a successful match.

A Specialist for Each Industry Our teams are comprised of experts with various experiences in engineering and/or international business development. They all specialize in a few sectors only. Scattered all over North America, our industry-based departments are the following:

Agrotech

Industry & Cleantechs

Lifestyle & Healthcare

The Agrotech department handles the wine, spirits & beverages, food and agricultural equipment industries (including oenological, agricultural and food processing equipment).

Our Industry & Cleantechs department deals with sectors such as aeronautics, automotive, transportation, environment, energy and public works.

The Lifestyle & Healthcare department gathers all sectors linked to consumer goods: building materials, tourism, beauty, well-being, leisure, fashion, home decor, luxury‌ They also manage the biotechnologies and medical equipment industries.

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New Technologies & services The New Technologies, & Services department dedicates itself to services, distribution and ITC companies.

10

Locations in North America

110

employees in North America

10+

spoken languages

Mapping the Potential The Business France North America team is made of young professionals with a vast range of experiences in various industrial and services sectors. Our team members are fully equipped with linguistic, cultural and technical expertise in order to assist the business development needs of our clients.

With an extensive knowledge of both cultures, our agents help design personalized business strategies with a long term commitment to help our clients succeed.

We have a fully integrated network with sector-based teams operating out of each location. The sector-based approach was adopted in order to establish a better coverage of the North American market from the east to the west coast.

This focus also helps us in responding efficiently to the requirements of our clients and in matching their needs with the local expertise such as technology in the silicon valley, biomedicine in Boston or aerospace in Montreal.

We have an established presence in 10 locations all over the North American continent. Our offices are located in NewYork, San Francisco, Chicago, Toronto, MontrĂŠal, Atlanta, Vancouver, Boston, Houston and Detroit.

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Why France.

Why Not?

1. Economic Rank

2. Successful Investments

Let’s talk numbers. France is the 5th economy in the world, and the 2nd in Europe. With 65 million people, it is also the 2nd-largest European market. Not to forget it is the world’s top destination for foreign tourists, with 83 million visitors every year! In such a dynamic market, it is no wonder that French groups do so well : with 31 companies among the world top 500, France leads the way in Europe. France is also the continent’s number one country for newly founded businesses.

French companies are not the only ones that do well in France. The country is the leading recipient in Europe for foreign industrial investments. More than 20,000 foreign-owned companies thrive in France. That includes McDonald’s, General Electrics, American Apparel, the Walt Disney Company… and also many SMEs: Hexcel, QVC, Alexion, Milo Biotech, Tecumseh, ESRI, Premier Tech, Sirona Biochem...

3. Know-how & Creativity

4. Innovation

Fashion, cosmetics, decoration, architecture, gastronomy, wine… France’s reputation is set. Or is it? Although France still is a must for chefs or designers to learn highly-technical skills, this is not all France has to offer.

The country is also renowned worldwide for its ITC companies, its innovation and its modernity: French trains have set many records for speed in the past decades, Alstom makes subway cars for the entire world, JC Decaux is the world’s leader for urban furniture, the Villau Viaduc is one of the highest and longest bridges in the world… And those are only a few examples.

France is home to 71 innovation clusters.

Industry, aerospace, biotechnologies, cosmetics, ITC… Composed of educational institutions, research laboratories and SMEs, these clusters work on collaborative marketoriented projects. Coordinated by a central bureau that helps them find partners in the world, they have developed more than 8,000 R&D projects in the past 10 years, more than one in ten involving foreign partners. Over 600 foreign companies are already members of a cluster. One of them, Paris Saclay, was recently ranked in the world’s top 8 innovation clusters.

5. Education

6. European Nexus

In a country where tuition is a formality, superior education is highly accessible to anyone who wants to pursue a high-qualification carreer. France is ranked 2nd in Europe for the proportion of 20- to 29-years-old with a degree in sciences and technology. And French schools are commended worldwide: the country counted 20 universities and Grandes Ecoles in the top 500 of the 2013 Academic Ranking of World Universities. Three French establishments are also ranked in the top 10 of an index of higher education institutions where the CEO of the world’s 500 largest companies were educated.

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France lies at the very heart of Europe. From Paris, going anywhere in Europe or northern Africa takes between 1 and 3 hours. This probably explains why Paris is the European leading location for multinational firms – ahead of London and Frankfurt. Railways and highways are also among the most comfortable and easy to use in the world, making any professional trip a breeze.

What Can We Do For You? EXPORT/IMPORT

INVEST

ADVISE & INFORM

SOURCE & CONNECT

INTEGRATE LOCALLY

We provide several sources of information to help French businesses target the right market for their product, from market studies or guides about business practices to workshops around key-markets to highlight opportunities. We monitor and source projects and bids worldwide to let our clients know where and how they should manifest themselves, and we offer adapted legal advice for people targeting a specific market.

We invite our clients to join events we organize annually, such as French pavilions on trade shows, or matchmaking events, to which we also invite our North American contacts. It is the opportunity for both of them to grow their professional network and identify future suppliers, clients or partners. We also offer market tests, discovery missions and personalized programs of BtoB meetings for those who prefer a more personal approach. Lastly, we offer sourcing opportunities for North American groups in need to identify new suppliers.

Through industry-dedicated Twitter feeds, LinkedIn groups and many other social tools, we help French companies to gain visibility on the North American market. We also offer them advice regarding the use of social networks and the best ways to address their public.

We help North American companies to better prepare their investment with advice on potential tax and legal issues. We also give them information and help them target the best market opportunities in France, or the best way to set up their investment strategy according to their project and their company’s culture. Additionally, we help investors to find the most appropriate funding solutions for their project.

Once a project is launched, our team helps businesses in every aspect of their strategy: we offer an administrative support to speed up procedures, and we organize meetings with French experts: experimented companies, banks, financial institutions, accounting and audit firms... We also organize regularly get-togethers in North America, for businesses to understand better the opportunities France offers and the specificities of the French business culture.

We accompany investors up to the end. Our agents can help companies to select the very location of their investment according to various criteria and organize site visits. We can also introduce them to local authorities, government representatives and elected officials. Lastly, we identify and connect them to potential partners, subcontractors and suppliers.

HUMAN RESOURCES

Business France is the only organization in France that offers a very convenient turnkey HR solution. The Volontaire International program (V.I.E.) can be contracted by French companies or foreign companies with a subsidiary in France, to support their activities and their partners abroad while offering them the benefit of an international experience. The program enables companies to recruit high-profile young professionals (aka V.I.Es) from France from 6 to 18 consecutive months in the US (24 months in Canada) to execute a wide range of missions such as market research, networking, creation or strengthening of the local teams, supporting or monitoring contract. Business France has a large, continuously renewed pool of 50,000 young professionals ready to execute a mission abroad. We also handle all placement procedures (payroll, contract, insurance, visa and upon request travel and recruitment processes).

PROMOTION

In addition to all services we provide to our clients, we carry out a broader mission: through different ad campaigns and press send-outs, we help to develop awareness on France’s wealth and potential, on the country’s know-how and talent, to let professionals know what every industry has to offer and how the market and legal environment can help them broaden their influence in Europe.

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Business France carries out dozens of event all year long. From trade shows and business forums to conferences and networking events, here are the highlights of 2014.

CES

UBI I/O & French Tech Tour

SXSW

January 7-9 Las Vegas

February 1 (see pages 18-19) San Francisco, Toronto, Montreal

March 7-16 Austin

Business France selected 11 innovative companies to exhibit on the Consumer Electronic Show, the world’s first place for consumer technologies businesses.

The selection started on February 1 for Canada and the US’ biggest IT events organized by Business France. Both events culminated in May and June when the selected companies travelled to North America to meet with potential partners.

11 French innovative start-ups exhibited at SXSW, the biggest event in the world for the latest digital and new technologies.

French Wine Connection

Bio

May 5-7 Vancouver & Los Angeles

June 23-26 San Diego

Organized by Business France, The French Wine Connection is an annual touring wine tasting event for North American professionals. Held in Vancouver and Los Angeles this year, it gathered 39 French wine producers.

Business France participated in the world’s largest Bio event, held in San Diego, to showcase dynamic French biotechnology companies.

The French pavilion housed 85 companies and 25 partners (nonprofit organizations, research institutes, universities and clusters). Our Invest department & Bpifrance organized an ambitious and successful networking event, gathering 180 French & American participants in total.

ITS

IP conference

ICOE

September 7-11 Detroit

November 13 New York

November 4-6 Halifax

A 16-company delegation participated in the 19th World Congress on Intelligent Transportation Systems.

Organized by Business France and the INPI (the Intellectual Property French Agency), the IP Conference presented the brand new Unified European Patent Court for intellectual property to US companies.

For this year’s International Conference on Ocean Energy (ICOE), Business France put together a French pavilion to feature 18 outstanding French companies.

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2O14: Milestones

ADSS

Globe

Vision Expo East

March 11-13 Seattle

March 26-28 Vancouver

March 28-30 New York

Business France put together a great French pavilion: 27 aeronautic companies participated in the Aerospace & Defense Supplier Summit.

9 French companies specialized in environment solutions participated in the renowned GLOBE Show.

A world-renowned event, 17 of the finest French eyewear designers were featured in the French Pavilion at the Vision Expo East show this year.

Private Label Days

UBISTART

NY NOW

June Toronto & New York

July 18 (see page 14-15) New York

August 17-20 New York

8 French food companies participated in this networking event organized by Business France for large retailers willing to find innovative private label suppliers.

Close to 200 companies participated in the launching event of UBISTART, The Galien Foundation and Business France‘s program that encourages and rewards international partnerships between French and North American innovators.

19 companies of high-quality home décor & accessories exhibited for 4 days in the biggest tradeshow for home design and gift in the US.

Visit of the French President

A new beginning

November 3-4 Quebec City & Montreal

December 31 Worldwide

On November 3-4, French President François Hollande came to visit Quebec City and Montreal and participated in several events to highlight the economic and cultural ties between France and Quebec.

December 31 was the last day of UBIFRANCE and the Invest in France Agency. They merged on January 1, 2015 and became Business France to better handle and promote France’s economic wealth and its companies’ potential.

Business France North America 2014 - 9

Craft Food & Beverages, Introducing the New Generation of Artisans

France is one of the world’s largest producers and exporters in the agribusiness sector, and the first in Europe. Agribusiness is more than an industry in France, it is an institution. While it can seem complicated from afar, this is because it is the result of decades of specialized work, of men and women crafting to guarantee the best quality. France has a tremendous diversity of products, soils, climates and expertise, and its approach to quality has long been based on this great natural wealth. It was France that invented the concept of labels denoting the qualities of food and wine products, such as origin and method (AOC / AOP and IGP), and respect of traditions (STG) or quality (AB for organic). These labels are today an integral part of the French food culture and the gastronomic traditions that are so popular worldwide.

In the past 15 years, France has seen its food choices revolutionized… with old-fashioned recipes. Far from being a step back, this is the result of consumer desire to return to better, healthier and tastier foods. It started with organic products and the development of organic-only grocery stores. Naturalia, the largestsuch chain in France, today counts about 100 stores throughout the country. Then came the return of forgotten vegetable varieties: Jerusalem artichokes, parsnips, crosne and more. A number of startups have since launched biweekly basket delivery concepts that allow customers to enjoy produce grown by local, small-scale farmers. People are rediscovering flavors, and with this rediscovery has emerged a hunger for traditions and products made by real people with cleaner ingredients.

Like everywhere, agribusiness in France was born from craftsmanship. But unlike elsewhere, this craftsmanship has been preserved for centuries, kept alive in the past decades by people motivated to protect their heritage, traditions and know-how. Because of this cultural preservation, and its integration in the French way of life, the main supermarkets chains in France started developing artisanal product ranges about 20 years ago. By collaborating with numerous artisans, they have been able to market and sell a variety of ownbrand products made with traditional recipes and artisanal skills.

Conversely, smaller producers, often with packaging unsuited to large-scale commerce, have had a harder time competing.

This trend has encouraged the younger generation to take advantage of its legacy. Today, 30-somethings with commercial and marketing backgrounds are taking over their families’ legacy and failing old farms to produce recipes that are both marketorientated and respectful of tradition. They are employing better packaging and better communication strategies, too. The goal is not only to perpetuate traditions and re-introduce local recipes, but also to get other people excited about discovering them.

france crafts

Riding the homemade trend North America has a growing appetite for handcrafted gourmet food products.

Following the trend introduced by the hipster wave and their desire to rediscover forgotten products and designs, consumers’ tastes have been getting more and more refined, as Millennials concentrate on a healthier and a more traditional diet. As “artisanal” has grown, the movement has evolved to include other concerns, such as environmental sustainability and use of additives or pesticides, for example. France’s rich terroir and history as well as the quality of gourmet foods and its highly restrictive policy on GMOs is probably the best country to bank on, to embrace this trend.

A prime example is the artisanal cheese industry. According to Euromonitor, in 2014, the US cheese industry has grown the most in the unprocessed cheese category. Canada follows the same trend. Though North America does not follow an appellation system, France has a cachet in the category: 45 French cheeses are acknowledged as a Designation of Origin. This means they originate from a determined region or zone, they satisfy specific production regulations and they have an officially established reputation. Or better said: when you buy a Munster or a Comté cheese, you know exactly where it comes from, how it was made and why it is so delicious. This might explain why French cheeses are doing so well on our shelves lately…

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1200

different types of cheese

French Craft Beer on the Rise Craft beer is more than a fad. Arising in an era when there were few options beyond the handful of brands that remained to dominate the market in the early 1990s, they have gone from outsider to serious contender in the past decade. There were 537 operating breweries in the US in 1994. By March 2014, there were 2907.

Only 1 year later, this number had increased to 3464 breweries, of which 3418 fell under the category of “craft”.

This market alone was worth $19.4 billion in 2014 – 22% of the overall beer market. And this is where exports come in. Up nearly 7% in 2014, Americans, though fightingly faithful to national brews, are also open to discovering production from their pivo peers in other countries. And France is no stranger to the phenomenon: although the fermentation tanks of its iconic brasseries ran dry decades ago, the past couple of years have seen an unprecedented explosion of local, French craft beer brands. Like their American counterparts, bars and restaurants in France are starting to brew on-premise. The recipes tend to be distinct from those of their Belgian, German or Italian neighbours. Craft breweries are emerging everywhere on the territory, each with their own style, and they know that the North American market is ready for a French twist.

Success Story Created in 2012 by two food technology engineers who are also beer lovers, Brasserie Méduz produces different types of crafted ale beers. Bertrand Salvignol is in charge of their international development. John Brunner works in the North American branch of Business France and was their contact for the US.

What does set your company apart ?

BS: Brasserie Méduz is established in the South of France, in Uzès. Our production is 100% crafted and we always aim for the best quality, not only for our products, but also for our means of production. We are very careful about our environmental impact and tend to constantly reduce our energy and water consumptions. When traditional breweries use 10 liters of water to produce 1 liter of beer, we only use 6. That doesn’t make our beer any less good, but it makes it greener!

How does the market respond to this particularity?

BS: Pretty well! Our main market is the South of France, and relies mostly on two factors: sun and tourists. When they are brought together, patios are overflowing and we generate 50% of our turnover between June and August. We therefore have plenty of time during the winter months to let the rest of world discover and enjoy our beers.

Export is a way for us to adjust our activity on a 12-month basis, pay off our investments and increase our turnover during the winter season.

You chose to target the US market. Any particular reason?

BS: It is actually a combination of circumstances and opportunities. We met Business

France last year during Vinisud, a professional tradeshow dedicated to southern wine, beer and spirit producers based in France.

JB: At this time, we were organizing a tasting session for an American importer-distributor in New York. He had contacted us a few weeks before because he wanted to expand his portfolio to include a few gems and rarities from France, especially beers or whisky.

He was only importing wine at the time and he felt like he could make his portfolio more interesting, especially since he was working in 12 different states. The tasting was planned for May and when we visited Vinisud, it seemed obvious that Brasserie Méduz was a potential match.

What happened next?

BS: After Business France told us how interested the buyer was and gave us his contact information, we invited him to visit our brewery, which he did last August. We needed a little time to address all technical details: adapting our labels to the FDA regulation for instance. After a few discussions, we agreed on a market trial strategy: we are starting with 4-packs, and 2 pallet boxes will be sent to the US in 2015.

BS: They proposed us to join the tasting event. We prepared samples and provided them with documents to better understand our range and philosophy.

How did the tasting go?

JB: We sent some information about each candidate we had selected to the importer, and he gave us a shortlist of the 5 companies whose products he wanted to try. In order to make is simpler for everybody, we organized the tasting in our office, without the producers. The importer was interested in meeting a few of the producers to make his mind so we put them in contact.

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Manufacturing in the US, A Comeback and an Opportunity It’s a fact: American companies are bringing jobs back home, and foreign businesses are setting up new facilities in many states. Encouraged by more competitive labor and energy costs or their own desire to produce goods closer to their market, companies are reversing the tendencies of the past decades, and are relocating on the US territory. Not only because “made in America” has become a clever way to consume while bringing back jobs to the US, but also because it is becoming more affordable for companies.

Indeed, while wages are reaching double-digit rates in China and many emerging countries, they have stagnated in the US over the last decade, narrowing the gap between America and Asia.

When wages are adjusted for productivity and the costs of shipping and inventories are included, it can be cheaper to manufacture some products in the US rather than elsewhere. In the past years, the surge in US production of oil and natural gas reduced dramatically energy costs inside the US territory, making domestic shipping cheaper than ever. The total-cost perspective has become a game changer, particularly as energy costs have pushed up transportation, logistics, and distribution expenses as a percentage of total cost, and these rising costs are sharply eroding the gains made from imported manufacturing goods.

Companies are increasingly focused on reacting quickly to changes in demand, and it’s a lot easier for them to act quickly when they are

making their products close to the customer. In this regard, not only expectations about delivery, inventory, and service performance are higher and higher, but North American companies are also very concerned about risk management and business continuity. Manufacturing in the US reduces considerably the time needed to obtain goods: the months needed to ship goods through the world and customs are reduced to days or weeks when they only travel in America. That is the reason why the Whirlpool Corp. moved an assembly line of hand mixers from China to Ohio a couple of years ago.

This manufacturing revival can be explained through many factors: we already mentioned labor, transportation, energy, and materials costs, but other factors are also to take in account: demand, talent, availability of capital, taxes, and currency. Some industries like chemical and primary metal subsectors seem to benefit the most from those changing cost dynamics, and are thus showing a more dynamic growth in North America. In this positive climate, American states and local governments are now competing fiercely for investments and can offer some attractive packages. At the same time, the declining power of American unions also encourages manufacturers to set up in the US rather than elsewhere, no matter where they are from. Even Europe: Michelin recently made investments in South Carolina and Airbus in Alabama, and those are only the most visible examples. Dozens of French SME’s are following those flagships and bringing their excellence and creativity with them!

Vice-versa: France as a Land of Manufacturing Opportunities Linamar, a Canadian global manufacturing company of engineered products for vehicles, considered relocating two of its French plants to Germany and/or Hungary in 2014. Business France met with the company’s CEO, the COO and the Vice President of Human Resources at Linamar’s headquarters in Guelph to better understand the reasons of their choice and evaluate how they could help the company examine alternatives to their project and keep these activities in France. The Agency offered information and advices to the group about the last evolutions of the business environment in France, as well as possible financial subsidies and funding options. The Agency also proposed in collaboration with its partners in region other attractive locations for their activities in France.

The combination of all these factors highlighted the appeal of the country, and Linamar eventually decided to relocate its activities on a new site and to invest 5 million dollars. Thanks to this decision, the company will maintain 230 jobs and plans to hire 75 new employees in the region of Saint-Etienne.

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‘‘

Detecting and helping French Companies setting up in North America Morgan Maison, CAI in Haute Savoie

More and more companies come see us because they realize the importance of being physically present in north America in order to build local reputation and contacts for their business development. Strategies are diverse: some companies, not yet ready to create a local branch, consider exporting through a well-established local partner. This allows them to benefit from their partner’s reputation and network while enabling them to widen their expertise or range of products. Other companies prefer to invest and open their own local branch. Last year for instance, one of the companies that we follow started a partnership with a US firm and yet another one implemented a factory locally. They usually come see us because they know we can offer them market incentives or advise them regarding their market strategy, while our partner Bpifrance could help them finance their project.

Success Story

’’

AdduXi is a leader in the field of plastic precision parts for automotive companies. Alain Palisse is the President of the company and contacted Business France in mid-2013 to develop his company overseas. Xavier Ovize is the CEO of AdduXi Inc., the American division of the company. He has been developing the business in Michigan with Alain Palisse since mid-2014.

What does AdduXi do?

AP: We are a relatively young company: AdduXi was created in 1996 to manufacture automotive plastic precision components.

We are a Tier II supplier, which means we produce parts for large Tier I Suppliers that manufacture complete subassemblies for the car OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). In our case, we deliver plastic parts that companies like Bosch or Continental integrate into their systems for most car manufacturers. The Tier I companies let us supply AdduXi products to most global OEMs on all continents.

Why was it so important for AdduXi to reach the North American market?

AP: For several years, our clients have been asking that we support them in the NAFTA region, where growth has been very dynamic. Their strategic push towards our North America positioning helped decide to create AdduXi Inc. Being global has become a requirement to participate in the automotive market as a strategic supplier.

XO: Indeed, automotive OEM globalization has pushed Tier I suppliers to go global over the past fifteen years to accompany their clients’ projects. It was just a matter of time before Tier II suppliers had to follow them to offer the same support. Car manufacturers look for suppliers that are available worldwide and who can provide the same products and quality levels everywhere, close to their assembly lines. Coming to the US was a natural evolution for the AdduXi Group

to solidify our relationship with our good customers and increase our attractiveness to other prospects as well. And it paid off: thanks to our presence in North America, we have rapidly won new contracts.

AP: Not only in the US, but also back in Europe! Establishing a plant in Michigan has increased our visibility and credibility in the automotive industry. We are definitely a SME with a global strategy!

A good idea, then. But how did you manage to set up a plant in Michigan from France?

AP: We contacted Business France in 2013 and presented our North American project: we were originally considering setting up a plant in Mexico. The Agency helped us from that point until the end by offering a personalized support at every step of our development. It first suggested that we target the United States’ Midwest region instead of Mexico. Once this was decided, our [Business France] contact in Detroit became an extension of the company in the US: she helped us select a location, she handled the research for potential plants to lease and remodel, she assisted us in administrative, logistic and legal matters.

XO: Once the plant was set up and ready for the ribbon-cutting, she provided us with a very helpful list of contacts to invite to AdduXi Inc’s grand opening in October 2014. Our press coverage was very successful and definitely contributed to getting our name out!

AP: The Agency’s partnership with BPIFrance was also a key factor in our development, as the bank offered us an efficient financial support. In less than a year, the project was completed and we could start bringing customers to our new facility. Looking back, we can say that the success of this project was the result of a mix of a solid strategy, smart decisions, financial assistance and the right support.

What would you highlight as AdduXi’s added-value for the North American market?

XO: AdduXi thrives in a niche market: our machines and employees are able to produce really high-level products. Our knowhow goes way beyond mastering the various technologies we blend together to offer innovative and competitive solutions to our customers. Our dedicated quality approach has shaped a reputation in our field that we are very proud of. This very savoir-faire is what we brought here with us.

AP: We have been duplicating a successful European business model in the United States. We achieved this through state-ofthe-art equipment and facilities, along with detailed attention to our employee selection and training so that all the ingredients that make AdduXi Group successful in Europe do deliver similar results at our new US Division.

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Biotechnologies and Research: Matchmaking Talent and Potential For the past few years, France has shown a rare dynamism and wealth in the life sciences industry, from pharmaceuticals to biotherapeutics. Thanks to the excellence of its education system, its world-class research and hospital network, and the influence of strong French actors (Sanofi, Servier, Ipsen…), French SMEs have developed a very high technical expertise. More and more innovative projects are brought to advanced stages of development all over the country every year. Disruptive innovations and cutting-edge technologies for unmet medical needs are part of French entrepreneurs’ DNA. Oncology, infectious diseases and CNS are the three main therapeutic areas in current development; expect to see French first class science and applications in regenerative medicine, cell and immuno-therapies.

Stock market investors were able to foresee this vitality: investments have been blooming in the industry in the past decades. Companies like Genfit, Cerenis Therapeutics, Ose Pharma, DBV Technologies and Nanobiotix are no strangers to that tendency. Many of these success stories shed light on outstanding entrepreneurs and bear witness to France’s maturity and growth potential. However, most of the French publicly traded biotech companies remain undervalued compared to their American counterparts.

Awareness of this potential from international investors is yet on the rise and the global market is starting to see some changes, as French partnerships are set in motion across the world.

Even if different regulatory agencies exist and each market has their own characteristics, French biopharmaceutical companies evolve in a global industry. To succeed and develop their activities, biotechs increase their international footprint and partner with key shareholders to maximize their product development and focus on new markets.

This is what we observed as well this year with large scale FrenchAmerican partnerships: Pfizer & Cellectis (with a maximum deal value at $2.8 billion), Eli Lilly & Adocia (with a collaboration deal of $570 million), Roche & Trophos ($545 million deal)…

The French biotech market is spread out across the country but it is mostly organized around seven dynamic bioclusters, whose main purpose is to stimulate and boost the collaborative R&D between French and international partners. Each of these bioclusters is focused on specific expertise and therapeutic areas. Some of them even have built partnerships with North American bioclusters to foster relations between companies, research centers and schools across the ocean.

Among those, Alsace Biovalley counts two partnerships with major clusters (CQDM/Quebec & MLSC/Massachusetts), Medicen Paris Region has strong relations with Biomaryland and Eurobiomed is collaborating with Biocom on many levels. Beyond these partnerships, Business France works every year with clusters to organize BtoB events.

UBISTART : Helping the Best Partnerships to Go Forward

For the first time in 2014, the GALIEN FOUNDATION and Business France joined forces with the goal of encouraging, rewarding and accompanying international partnerships between French entrepreneurs and North American businesses and institutions with a focus on innovation, scientific excellence and commercial ambition.

The UBISTART project was launched on July 10, 2014 at a networking conference hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences. This unprecedented event featured 46 France-based companies specialized in biopharmaceutical and process technology, along with 150 US life sciences entities including key pharma players (Pfizer, Merck, Johnson&Johnson, Roche…), venture capital investors, as well as academic research centers.

Some 600 matchmaking meetings were organized over the course of two days so that French companies could meet

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with potential partners.

Following this event, 18 partnership projects were entered in the UBISTART competition and evaluated according to their innovation, viability, impact, and overall added value. A jury composed of some of the most respected names in the industry selected the 9 projects they deemed to be the mostpromising. Those projects were then nominated for the final part of the competition with a more thorough examination based on the same criteria. The three finalists and winning projects were announced on December 4, 2014, during the annual GALIEN awards ceremony. The UBISTART prize was awarded to Anagenesis biotechnologies, Affilogic and Cellprothera, who are currently supported by Business France thanks to a financial donation made by the GALIEN FOUNDATION. Building on this success, a second edition of UBISTART will be launched this year.

Success Story i2a has developed a unique know-how in bacteriology and especially in microbiology. It offers innovative in-vitro analytical solutions for the medical industry. Stephane ROUGALE is the director of export sales for i2A and has been working on developing business on the US market in the past few years. They participated in UBISTART in 2014.

What does i2A offer? i2A produces medical systems for microbiology analysis designed for laboratories. Our instruments are designed to search, identify and analyze bacteria in various types of samples (blood, urine, body fluids, wounds) through robotics to suggest the right medicine combination to prescribe to a patient.

Our offer covers the needs of all facilities : from small labs to large hospitals and private lab chains.

What is your presence on the American market today?

We currently have a small team based in the state of New York. Business France North America helped us find two junior representatives and coached them for 6 months. In the meantime, they studied the competition to understand how our products could match the market needs, they prospected new clients, researched and contacted key opinion leaders and participated in meetings and tradeshows. During one of those meetings, and after a key note, they met Pr. Tang, who

leads the cancer treatment research at the Memorial Hospital in NYC. He offered us to collaborate with them by hosting a series of tests on our instruments in their premises, for research purposes.

Great news! Can you tell us more about that collaboration?

The hospital is the number 1 leader in the USA for cancer treatment research. Our collaboration focuses on the main side effect of the treatment; opportunistic diseases.

Most chemotherapies require to shut down a patient’s immune system: antibodies are lowered to their minimum level so that the chemicals used for treatment can efficiently destroy cancer cells without any immune resistance. Consequently, patients are often victim of opportunistic diseases; minor diseases that take advantage of a weak immune system to develop major infections.

Those diseases are hard to foresee and cure with the adequate preventive treatment. That is where our robotics come into play: analyzing a patient’s age, gender, and the type of cancer they have combined with the samples available for analysis (blood, urine, punction, biopsy). Our system is able to test the most appropriate antibiotic panel for the patient in order to minimize bacteria resistance and therefore guide the clinician in order to prescribe the right cocktail and amount of antibiotics. This system is unique in the world.

Apart from this trial, are you market ready?

In a way, yes: our results are very encouraging, but we are still waiting for the FDA’s seal of approval. Testing our products in a renowned hospital gave us an undeniable credit. However the FDA’s process of approval for clinical studies is long: from 12 to 18 months. Our trial at the Memorial Hospital started at the end of May and we expect significant results so we can sell our solution by summer 2016. By this time, we should have received an answer from the FDA. Does that mean your project is on hold until you get approval?

Not at all, we are actively looking for partners and buyers! We are also carrying products that don’t require extensive FDA approval so they are marketable today. Business France has planned and organized 5 market research missions over the course of 2014, enabling us to meet with 30 key opinion leaders among the most influential clinical microbiology experts. Business France also improved our visibility on the North American market through online communication campaigns. Last but not least, Business France offered us to participate in the UBISTART program. Although our project enabled us to make it through both selection stages and to be a finalist, we did not win the UBISTART prize. This was still a great experience and a unique opportunity to showcase and pitch our technology to the best investors in the industry.

Business France North America 2014 - 15

Luxury Goods: Refinement Has Never Been So Trendy Valued in 2014 at an estimated US$85 billion, the North American market (US & Canada combined) for luxury goods is by far the largest global market in the world. According to Euromonitor, the USA alone has the largest high-income population in the world with about 21 million people with an annual gross income over US$150,000. Optimism is back in post-recession North America, but affluent consumers are more discerning and discreet, they need to understand the product and the history of the brand before buying it. Confidential luxury brands are sought after. Recently, Goyard, the oldest Parisian trunk manufacturer still in business and family-owned has chosen New York for its first flagship in the United States. A key partner of the most prestigious watchmakers, Manufacture Jean Rousseau is also marketing its own-brand watch straps, as well as belts, wallets, purses and bags from the atelier and showroom they just opened in New York.

North America is becoming an attractive market again for major luxury brands. From iconic luxury shopping destinations such as Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills or North Michigan Avenue in Chicago, to upcoming U.S. high streets such as Miami’s Lincoln Road and Design District, high-end urban retail locations are trading at their highest per-square-foot dollar volumes. In Canada, the cities of Vancouver, Calgary, Toronto and Montreal have attracted the latest luxury retail development. Toronto’s Bloor Street remains the most expensive haute couture destination in Canada, and luxury real estate developments are thriving. Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre, for example, saw several first-to-Canada luxury brands open in 2014 including Moncler, and in 2015, Yorkdale will see the opening of Cana-

‘‘

da’s first Longchamp boutique. Vancouver’s “luxury zone”, especially Alberni Street, will see a number of high-profile luxury brands open in 2015 and beyond.

French luxury brands are known for their excellence in craftsmanship and trendsetting style, and one of the main elements behind their success is their constant drive to innovate while maintaining a traditional savoir-faire and heritage. For decades, the houses of Dior and Chanel have set trends all over the world, from Chanel’s Little Black Dress in the mid-20s to Dior’s 1947 New Look silhouette, followed by Chanel’s iconic tweed suit. Staying at the forefront of societal trends, French luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton and Hermès keep reinventing themselves with unconventional graffiti collections collaborating with famous street artists.

Whether related to craft techniques, material used in their products, marketing and communication methods or the client experience, innovation is a must in order to set a distinctive difference and adapt to a younger connected clientele such as the Millennials in our new global economy. Over the past few years, accessible luxury brands such as Coach or Michael Kors have catered particularly well to the Millennials but this market is maturing fast and their brand value suffered from overexposure. In contrast and to differentiate themselves even further, the absolute luxury brands such as Hermès raised their prices. In 2014, this strategy started paying off as consumers are turning their back to affordable luxury brands preferring exclusivity over price.

Savoir-faire, a label of excellence Sandrine BERNARD, Executive Vice President, Solstiss USA

The French arts and crafts luxury manufacturing industry is a unique economic model in the world. Now iconic, the Made in France label is synonymous with the highest quality most cutting-edge products for global and local luxury brands, particularly in fashion but for many other industries as well. This seal of quality bears witness to centuries of unique skills and expertise with dedicated professionals passing their art from generation to generation. It is also intertwined with France’s obsession with quality: France abounds of Ateliers and manufacturers, the best of whom are gathered under the Living Heritage Label (EPV), a label dedicated to recognize French companies with excellent artisanal and industrial expertise. A great example of this artisanal tradition is the French lace industry. Based in the north of France, with 200 years of craft and history, the Dentelle de Calais is recognized internationally by all the Couture Houses and major designers. Solstiss is very proud to bring its expertise to the eveningwear, readyto-wear, bridal and lingerie and entertainment industries in more than 80 countries around the world. In 2013, Solstiss lace made headlines with The Great Gatsby costumes, with Catherine Martin taking home The Oscar awards in the categories of Best Costume Design and Best Production Design for her work on the film, directed by Baz Luhrmann.

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Still Quietly Leading the Cosmetics Market French cosmetics have shown a strong world leadership in the past decades. France held 15.9% of the market in 2013, ahead of the United States (10.8%) and Germany (10.7%). According to the FEBEA (the French trade association for cosmetics and beauty products), these excellent results reflect “the richness and quality of the French cosmetics, which can meet the needs of a wide variety of markets and consumption patterns. This growth is driven by the dynamism of a whole sector and an industrial network including SMEs, intermediate-sized companies and large groups. The results recorded by the French cosmetics industry abroad show that the reputation and quality of made in France cosmetics, often at the edge of innovation, remain appreciated worldwide.” Skin care products and perfumes represent 2/3 of French cosmetics exports in value, which doesn’t come as a surprise, as many well-known brands have been thriving in the perfume industry for decades. Those famous beauty brands have perfected a unique savoir-faire with innovative formulas to enhance the beauté à la française. Perception of beauty differs with each culture: when North American women use makeup to hide imperfections, French women only use it to showcase their best features, in the most natural-looking way possible. This quest for authentic beauty is what drives most French cosmetics brands in their image choices, and it pays off!

Success Story Campa designs high-end radiators and towel-heaters for both professionals and individuals.

Leading the luxury heater market in France, Campa is launching their latest and innovative collection in North America, Campastyle. Mara Missouri Gajic is in charge of Campa’s international marketing and business development in North America and is taking care of this launch.

What are the main characteristics of the Campastyle line?

Campa has been the leader in high-end electrical heating systems for the past 50 years. Our team thrives in innovation. For this new line, we have combined a unique, discreet, elegant, modern design with the latest innovations in heating, for better, greener products that compliment a room like an art frame would. Those items are among the thinnest radiators on the market (4mm) and they are made with high quality materials – lava stone, steel or colored glass with a mirror finish. Less cumbersome, Campastyle Premium radiators fit in every room.

Who is your client?

People with high expectations. We qualify as a luxury brand. Our materials are rare and executed to perfection. We target home and interior designers, but also architects and promoters looking for top range products to compliment a building or an apartment. The hospitality industry is also a target for us.

Boutique hotels for instance, are fond of our products.

A target that led you naturally to Canada.

Was it because of the local booming condo market ?

Not only Canada. This is only a first step.

Our decision to target the North American market is pretty recent. Being part of the Muller Group, their Convectair subsidiary in Canada was a very convenient asset to use in our strategy. They have been on the Québec market for 35 years with a quite different range of products. We decided to take advantage of their market knowledge and resources to quickstart our development in North America.

You also decided to contact Business France?

Business France’s services quickly appeared as the best way to start an efficient market research and test our products abroad for a first approach. As we were already familiar with their services in Asia through their representative in our region,

we contacted the North American office at the beginning of 2014 to test our products’ potential in 4 major cities we chose with their help: Toronto, Montreal, New York and Chicago. We knew they would have a more complete and efficient network, and the ability to put us in contact with the right people.

We took a few weeks to define precisely our target with them, accordingly to our goal.

Our range is pretty wide and since certifying a product to local standards is a long and costly process, our priority was to know how to narrow it to a few potential best-sellers.

Business France contacted 47 distributors, promoters, architects and decorators over the course of a few weeks in summer.

How did that go?

We received a lot of positive feedback from their action. Many contacts were interested in our products, and several people wanted to meet us: 6 distributors in USA and 3 in Canada. We planned with Business France a series of one-on-one meetings with them and a few others that showed interest in the following months. We met with them at the end of the year, and one of them was so convinced by our products’ potential he is willing to test them directly in his showroom. Most importantly, that test enabled us to understand that we should focus on our bathroom range before introducing our living room collection in a few years.

Business France North America 2014 - 17

Digital Economy: Partnering with the Future

France has quietly emerged as a technology powerhouse.

Each year an increasing number of French startups look to the North American market to expand their business. These companies have several assets, the most important of these being the technical level of French engineers. Each year, over 55,000 engineers graduate from well-known French universities such as Polytechnique or Telecom Paris. Many of these graduates are highly-skilled developers who often rival their American counterparts in skill and experience. The requirement to complete internships as part of graduation requirements has made training more efficient in France in the past few years.

The technical skill level of French engineers is so high that the entire IT industry takes advantage of French alumni. By way of example, Microsoft now employs more than 400 French nationals in the United States. Moreover, approximately 60,000 French nationals currently work in Silicon Valley, making it the largest community of Europeans in the region. This level of technical skill is also a great incentive for companies to invest in France.

Appnexus, a New York startup that has become the world leader in real-time advertising technology, opened an office in France in 2012 – 5 years after it was launched – and now employs over 30 people.

As American companies reshape entire industries through technology (Uber, Nest, Air BnB), France has an opportunity to innovate in sectors that it has traditionally dominated, such as fashion, pharmaceuticals, aerospace and defense. French startups can rely on the help and support of business clusters located throughout France that are accustomed to working in partnership with Business France in order to bring French innovation to the forefront. Cap Digital and System@tic are, for instance, internationally known and have developed partnerships with American incubators and clusters. Oledcomm, the first enterprise to distribute Lifi (Internet thought LED), is part of System@tic.

Other examples of French export success include global retargeting leader Criteo, drone pioneer Parrot and innovative skin add platform Sublime Skinz.

Business France’s role is to assist entrepreneurs in their North American expansion efforts via customized services that meet the needs of each individual startup. French Tech Tour and ubi i/o, two Business France acceleration programs, have demonstrated that there is a growing interest in French innovation in North America.

French Tech Tour : Introducing la Creme de la Creme to Canada The French Tech Tour offers the biggest industry actors a unique opportunity to detect cutting edge French technologies. Every year, Business France organizes two networking events to promote some of the most innovative and fast-growing French tech companies. To select them, Business France brings together a jury composed of 10 key-firms of the Canadian IT industry (telecom groups, services providing companies, venture capital companies…).

This jury studies each company’s project and technology to determine who they would like to meet and who would prove to be a better fit for the local market.

This is also a unique opportunity for the most promising French IT companies to out of accelerate their go-tomarket strategies French companies use and kick-start big data to improve their business their process and in Canada.

3

5

activities

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In 2014, 30 companies applied to be part of the program.

Only 10 companies made it through the selction phase.

They were coached for 3 months prior to their coming to Canada through weekly phone sessions designed to monitor their work and deliver them strategic advice. In June, the companies were fully immersed into the Canadian tech ecosystems for a week. They benefited from introductions to potential clients and partners, a personalized program of one-on-one meetings, and individual marketing coaching sessions delivered by local experts.

After a year, more than half of the French Tech Tour alumni have developed long term relationships with Canadians partners. In October for instance, Stardust (a company that performs comprehensive digital testing for their clients) signed a contract with RONA. Ivalua signed with KPMG world to let the group offer their services to their own clients. And those are only 2 examples: most of the companies we accompanied over the last 2 years found partners and/or clients following their participation to the program.

ubi i/o : Assisting the Most Promising French Startups in their American Development Ubi i/o is an accelerator program that was developed for highpotential French startups that are either already established in the US or are looking to establish activities in the near future on the territory. Over the course of 10 weeks, the program assists the participants to quickly and efficiently jumpstart their presence in the United States.

To ensure the combined success of all participants and their potential partners, the startup selection process is very rigorous.

A qualified jury, composed of 16 French and American venture capitalists and entrepreneurs, is assembled 5 months prior to the start of the program. The applicants are required to send a video presentation and an executive summary.

Out of the 40 to 60 applications received every year, only the best 8 startups are retained, based on the drive of the founding team, the viability of

their financial development model, their ability to adapt their strategy, and the market validation of their product (number of clients, revenue generated, etc).

Two months before their arrival in San Francisco, the 8 finalists start working with the ubi i/o team to conceive and execute an action plan best suited to each company’s needs and goals.

Once in San Francisco, and throughout the 10 weeks, they are given the opportunity to use Business France’s offices as their temporary US headquarters. Besides a thorough coaching and mentoring on local business practices, participants are featured at more than a dozen pitch events. They also benefit from a customized program of meetings with strategically important clients and partners.

Out of the 8 ubi i/o finalists from last year, 6 are already successfully established in the US market, including Vade-Retro.

Success Story Vade-Retro is the graymail management leader worldwide: their technology classifies, prioritizes email and help eliminate low priority email through a safe unsubscribe system.

Adrien Gendre is the Head of Product Management and has seen the company growing in the USA in the past few years, especially since they participated in ubi i/o in 2014.

What does Vade-Retro do?

We provide application programming interfaces (API) to protect mailboxes and enhance the user experience through added advanced features. Our system is a filter engine that can be plugged inside all email providers. We call it graymail management: the classification of newsletters, marketing emails, social networks messaging and the ability to unsubscribe from all of them.

How does your technology work?

We developed an additional functionality in email security that organizes emails in different tabs or folders depending on their type: regular mail, low priory (newsletters and commercial offers), social network emails, spam… We also worked on a simplified functionality that would enable users to unsubscribe from any newsletter through a simple one-click process: our engine can resolve complicated forms, even ones containing captchas. The system works on an automatic machine learning process.

As far as we know, our technology is unique in the world at the moment. Gmail offers a comparable system but it does not provide this service to other companies. What we do is to help Gmail’s competitors to offer more accurate features.

Why did you participate in ubi i/o?

With an office in San Francisco, we already had a team to deal with commercial matters, but we wanted experts to analyze our marketing strategy and help us set up a better messaging. Our initial pitch didn’t highlight the added value of our technology and our potential clients didn’t see the interest of benchmarking our system. We were also planning to do some market research through ubi i/o. We didn’t know exactly what to expect from the program: it was entirely new. But we knew they were to make a pretty thorough selection out of dozens of applications, to come up with a 8-company shortlist to present to California’s biggest actors. This convinced us.

Any feedback on your experience?

This was an amazing surprise: the program helped us to rethink our message for the best; we completely changed our website.

They also found us the very contacts we were looking for in companies and groups we didn’t even expect to contact before a while.

We obtained no less than 19 meetings in a few weeks, matching perfectly our target and expectations. Four of them were successful: 3 big players have been benchmarking our technology for a few months. One of them has already finished its tests and made a decision: we signed a contract with one of the biggest secure email gateway of the Bay Area in April 2015, less than a year after we first met!

How do you explain that success?

Besides the considerable changes we made to improve our pitch, our technology is simply the best on the market. Business France helped us to pitch it efficiently to the right people, and the benchmarks did the rest. In the case of our recent big deal for instance, the company was planning on using our solution as a complimentary plug-in to their own system, to detect 20% of marketing emails and newsletters they were unable to detect. During the tests, we tripled their expectations. Those results were so convincing they changed their plans and decided to give up their own system to use ours exclusively.

Business France North America 2014 - 19

Contact Us Atlanta Office +1 (404) 495-1660 3399 Peachtree road NE Atlanta, GA, 30326

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northamerica@businessfrance.fr

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