Overview

On the 2nd of July 2014 the European space innovation scene has gather in Toulouse (France) for the 9th edition of the   ESA Investment Forum.  The event fostered investments and partnership opportunities by bringing start-up companies using  space-related technology , applications or services, together with finance and investment communities making   this forum is an exceptional setting for exploring investment opportunities. 

The event has been organized by Europe Unlimited in partnership with, Aerospace Valley, CNES and Toulouse Metropole and hosted by the  Toulouse Space Show. Also as a part of the event, the opportunity had been given to entrepreneurs to practice their presentations and obtain feedback from experts an coaches at the venture academy, held on the 1st of July.

Up to 24 investment-ready companies have been selected to pitch their company at the ESA investment forum before an audience of international venture capitalists as well as corporate and strategic investors. International industry speakers shared their point of view and experiences of the Space Technology Industry, where after time was made available for the Investors to meet one on one with the entrepreneurs.

VC's, Investors and Angels	Entrepreneurs	Industry Experts
Discovered up to 24 promising start-ups Had Free access to the business profiles of the presenting entrepreneurs prior to the event Visibility online and at the event in the conference binder One2one meetings with entrepreneurs Access to the Toulouse Space Show Unlimited networking with Experts, VC's, Investors and business Angels	A half-day coaching session at the Venture Academy Pitched their idea to top active European and regional VC funds Unlimited networking with Experts, VC's, Investors and business Angels Pre-arranged One2one meetings between them and investors Visibility online and at the event in the conference binder Access to the Toulouse Space Show	Got updated on the upcoming trends in the industry Unlimited networking with Entrepreneurs, VC's, Investors and business Angels Access to the Toulouse Space Show Took active apart in the Venture Academy and coach the selected entrepreneurs Had free access to the business profiles of the presenting entrepreneurs prior to the event

This year the Toulouse Space show hosted the ESA Investment Forum. This exciting event facilitated roundtable discussions, demonstrations and was a sharing platform of extensive information, trends and knowledge. ESA IF participants had the benefit that they where able to join the TSS free of charge. More information can be found here on the Space Show website.

CRITERIA FOR PRESENTING COMPANIES

SMEs that have been selected for this event are businesses that build a significant portion of their growth and competitive advantage on the utilization of a broad spectrum of technologies originating from space and their application in diverse industrial sectors.

Criteria:
•    An independent company with operational headquarters in the EEA. 
•    Active in space-related technologies. 
•    Seeking growth funding in the next 24 months.

Selected companies also had the opportunity to attend the venture academy, which was held the day before on the 1st of July. Here business presentations and company communication have been polished. Read more about the Venture Academy. Also, check out the Selection Criteria for more detailed information on how they got selected.
 

SUCCESS STORIES
The ESA Investment Forum is one of the qualifier events for The European Venture Contest. This means that the top 25% of the presenters of the ESA Investment Forum gain direct entrance to The European Venture Summit taking place in December.

We are happy to announce that one of last year presenters of the ESA Investment Forum 2013 held in Munich won the Best Presentation Awards at The European Venture Summit 2013:

CEO & Founder Markus Knapek VIALIGHT Communications