FEMTOPRINT From a Factory-of-the-Future FP7 project

to a spin-off

Yves Bellouard Project coordinator of FP7 Femtoprint

www.femtoprint.eu

Involves Four SMEs, Three universities, and

One research center

FEMTOPRINT A printer for microsystems

• Ultrafast laser enables desktop factories of the future • Three-dimensional printing / fast prototyping of microsystems • Boosts innovation by making high-tech manufacturing accessible to a large

number of SMEs

1 mm

2 mm

100 m

Marking / Optical Memory

Opto Mechanics

Opto-Fluidics Biotechnologies

3D Moulding

Photonics

www.femtoprint.eu

FEMTOPRINT A printer for microsystems

New Science New Technology

• New insights / fundamental results

• More than 16 journal papers published

• Three invited talks • Large press coverage,

technical and non technical

• New laser source • Innovative mechanics • Novel electronics • New applications • First transparent

microsystems • 2 Patents pending

Impact

A spin-off company

New products to be commercialized

Worldwide exposure

Factory of the Future

PROJECT DISSEMINATION STRATEGY

• Scientific publications – 16 journal papers!

• Participation to trade-show (Brussels Innovation Convention, SPIE Photonics West)

• Website: femtoprint.eu

• Large audience journals

• Spin-off plan as a deliverable in the proposal (3yrs project)

• Plan for commercialization as early as M18

• Pre-market study at the beginning of the project

• Project started in May 2010, Spin-off plan agreed May 2013

• Official start FEMTOprint SA 01/01/2014

FROM A EC PROJECT TO A SPIN-OFF…

CEO, Founder

BACKGROUND Civil Engineering Degree, ETHZ

Sales Management, Kellogg School of Management, Chicago

EXPERIENCE Founder, CEO, President of another StartUp,

Lugano (1996, Exit 2012) CEO of a Company in the group, Paris (2008-2010) CTO then CEO of a Laboratory of material testing,

Lugano (1994-2003) Business Development Consultant at Even2ally

CSO BACKGROUND PhD Nano-photonics and Metrology Lab EPFL Master's degree, Micro and Nanotechnologies for Integrated Systems at EPFL, at Polytechnique de Grenoble and at Politecnico di Torino

Staff (Feb. 2015): 5 employees

Copyright © 2014, FEMTOprint SA

FEMTOprint MANAGEMENT TEAM

• Ownership: 100% founders

• Capital

– 125kCHF (founders)

– 100kCHF (seed grand / AGIRE Foundation) (in 2013)

– 400kCHF (secured end 2014 / AGIRE Foundation)

– Raising funds round (ongoing) / 1M CHF in 2015

FEMTOprint RISK CAPITAL

• Principles of the technology are public

• FEMTOprint owns the exclusive rights of the developments made in the project Femtoprint EU (machine)

• FEMTOprint protects its knowhow (industrial secret) consisting in the SW, recipes, new industrialised HW

• FEMTOprint evalutates if and what protect with patents

Copyright © 2014, FEMTOprint SA

FEMTOprint IP

No need of clean room, rapid and direct Moderate investment for a turnkey solution Precise, reliable and user friendly

INDUSTRIALIZED MACHINE MANUFACTURED DEVICES

Copyright © 2014, FEMTOprint SA

FEMTOprint PRODUCTS

Material suppliers, Subcontractors

FEMTOprint FEMTOprint

Design services for devices

Device design Rapid-prototyping Printer

development Device

characterization

Components and services

Laser Mechanical components Services Components

development

Femtoprinter SW Consumables Services Small series S&M activities R&D activities Production &

Delivery

Customers

Femtoprinters, devices, services

Device (EndUser) Printer (Research

Centers) Printer including

process design (Industry)

Copyright © 2014, FEMTOprint SA

FEMTOprint BUSINESS MODEL

Material suppliers, Subcontractors

FEMTOprint FEMTOprint Solution

providers

Design services for devices

Device design Rapid-prototyping Support for printer

development Support for device

characterization

Components and services

Laser Mechanical components Services Components

development

Femtoprinter SW Consumables Services Small series S&M activities R&D activities Production &

Delivery

Customers

Femtoprinters, devices, services

Device (EndUser) Printer (Research

Centers) Printer including

process design (Industry)

Copyright © 2014, FEMTOprint SA

FEMTOprint BUSINESS MODEL

• Investors brokerage events / Specific EC projects aiming at start-up creation

• Allocate start-up funds on a conditional basis

• For instance, 100 k€ seed grant / 3 M€ project

• Allocated upon successfull completion of a sustainable business plan proposal (evalutation criteria? External pannel?)

• Exists in some countries (NL / STW Innovatie Grant, CH / STI, etc.), but….

• Requires substantial additional work already done in the EC project for securing it

• from a EC initiative, becomes a country initiative

• how to manage the transnational nature of the work done?

IDEAS FOR STIMULATING MORE SPIN-OFF CREATIONS FROM EU PROJECTS?

Left over slides…

Science & Technology Objectives

Technology objectives Science objectives

Objective 1. Implement a “Femtoprinter”

to directly fabricate microsystems.

Design, test and implement a

femtosecond laser-source that fits in a

shoe-box

Design, test and implement the

complete assembly of the printer

(including novel principle for beam

focusing and steering)

Objective 2. To model the laser matter

interaction as a function of the process

parameters

Modelling of the laser-affected zone

physical properties (density, structure,

etc.)

Modelling of the laser-affected zone

topography (shapes, patterns, etc.)

Predict the etching profile (moving

interface problem)

Objective 3. Demonstrate applications in

various industrial sectors (in particular in

electronics and precision mechanics)

Objective 4. Explore new frontiers in

femtosecond laser materials interaction

Femtoprint Consortium: 8 partners...

• Laser manufacturer: Amplitude Systèmes (F) - SME • System Integration: CSEM (CH) – Research Center • Special electronics and end-user: Quintenz Hybridtechnik

(D) – SME • Precision mechanics and end-user: Mecartex (CH) – ‘SME’ • Laser-matter interaction / Applications: University of

Southampton (UK), Eindhoven University of Technology (NL)

• Special laser-head design: EPFL (CH) • Pre-market survey / Beta-testing: AlphaNOV (F) • Project coordination: Eindhoven University of Technology

(NL)

Facts and figures

• Budget total 3.4 M€ / EC Contribution (2.5M€)

• Industry (36% to 48%)

• Duration 3 yrs

• Type of call ‘Small’ / STREP / FP7

• Consortium in place Sept. 2009

• Submitted - 15 Nov 2009

• Outcome Jan/Early Feb.

• Signed contract mid-April 2010

• Starting date: May, 1 2010.

• Kick-off meeting: May, 10, 2010.

• Total cycle ~ 6 months

AWARDS • The Femtoprint project has been awarded with the

Best Project Finalist Award at the EuroNanoForum in Dublin, Ireland, June 2013

• FEMTOPRINT® technology among the three finalists of Innovation Award Laser Technology in Aachen May 2014

• FEMTOPRINT® technology among the three finalists of Prism Awards 2015 in SPIE Photonics West, San Francisco February 2015

MARKET • Industry and research institutes show a very strong interest in this fully

concept proofed emerging technology • FEMTOprint is ensuring a sustanable growth

Copyright © 2014, FEMTOprint SA

Femtoprint/FEMTOprint SUCCESS STORY