AIX-EN-PROVENCE, France, January 7, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --
Sunpartner Technologies is finalizing the first round (4m€) of its new fund raising (8m€) launched after the summer 2014. NTT DOCOMO Ventures, Inc. invested into Sunpartner Technologies participating to this first round end of 2014
Since mid-2014, Sunpartner Technologies decided to significantly invest for its development in Japan which represents a high potential as it is one of the most innovative regions in the world. The first partnerships have already been signed Q3 2014 with Japanese players to integrate Wysips technologies into mobile phones or casing. On December 26, 2014, NTT DOCOMO Ventures became part of Sunpartner Technologies in order to support its growth.
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NTT DOCOMO Ventures investment is a key achievement for Sunpartner Technologies. Indeed, Sunpartner Technologies plans to open an office in Japan beginning of 2015 and wants to sign new agreements with Japanese companies. NTT DOCOMO Ventures is the NTT Group's corporate venture capital firm. NTT group companies with a very wide presence in many market segments from smartphones to smart building has a perfect fit with Sunpartner Technologies strategic objectives.
In fact, the new fund raising of Sunpartner Technologies is dedicated to the launching of new international offices, including Japan, pursuing the preparation of the mass production of its new technologies. First products integrating Wysips technologies will be launched during 2015 in the field of billboards and signs, casing & smart watch, smart glass & mobile phones. This financing also enables Sunpartner Technologies to continue the investment in R&D by developing the Li-Fi receiver project, the SOLTEX project, based on a photovoltaic textile, and the PURPLE SUN project, a technology adapted to greenhouses applications.
"NTT DOCOMO Ventures, which seeks advanced and disruptive technologies, services and business models worldwide, is delighted to invest in its first French company, Sunpartner Technologies," said Nobuyuki Akimoto, Executive Vice President and COO at NTT DOCOMO Ventures. "Their solutions lineup with transparency technologies for solar products has high potential for applications covering a wide variety of glass surfaces."
Through this collaboration, Sunpartner Technologies will leverage the NTT DOCOMO Ventures leadership to find the right sourcing partners and the right commercial partners in Japan to develop its presence and market share. "We are very delighted to welcome NTT DOCOMO Ventures and it is already a great pleasure to work together and to imagine the future of Sunpartner Technologies. Sunpartner Technologies plans to be a leader in smart surfaces and needs to be accompanied by innovative leaders. NTT group companies including NTT DOCOMO, well known in the world for their very innovative position and experience, are a perfect partner for us in order to address the Japanese market, a strategic target due to the high level of technical requirements," added Ludovic Deblois, CEO and co-founder of Sunpartner Technologies.
The fund raising initiated by Sunpartner Technologies will be finalized Q2 2015 to reach 8m€. Several discussions are in progress for the second round of 4m€ required to close the capital increase. Once Sunpartner Technologies raises 8m€, the company will reach a total of 35m€ fund raising.
About NTT DOCOMO Ventures
NTT DOCOMO Ventures, a Corporate Venture Capital Unit for both NTT DOCOMO and NTT Holdings group, is operating DOCOMO Innovation Fund and NTT Investment Partners Fund, both are $100M size. NTT is a Japanese telecommunications company and one of the largest telecommunications groups in the world, owning more than 800 companies as subsidiaries worldwide. NTT DOCOMO is Japan's largest mobile service provider, serving more than 64 million customers with high-quality and ultra-high-speed nationwide LTE network.
About Sunpartner Technologies
Founded in 2008, Sunpartner Technologies is an engineering company specialized in Solar NETs (New Energy Technologies). They develop renewable, independent energy solutions that are integrated into smart surfaces and are invisible. In particular, the company invented the transparent PV technology Wysips®, which transforms any surface into a solar panel that can generate its own electricity from light. Sunpartner Technologies has regularly received awards both for its innovation and from the business community, such as the Nobel Sustainability® Clean Tech Company award in 2013 and Technology Pioneer 2014 from the World Economic Forum. Sunpartner is based in Aix-en-Provence, France
http://sunpartnertechnologies.com
Media Contact SUNPARTNER TECHNOLOGIES
Marion CHANSON / Bruno SANVOISIN
+33-(0)6-15-71-16-76 / +33-(0)6-82-52-62-39
marion.chanson@sunpartner.fr / bsanvoisin@sunpartner.fr
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