- May 2002 -

May 23rd, 2002

Twenty-five year veteran of the laser and  optoelectronics sectors joins Sofinnova Ventures
Remy Aubert, PhD, Former President and CEO of Continuum Electro-Optics, will Grow Sofinnova Venture’s Investment Activity in the Optical Domain as well as in New Materials for the Electronic Space and New Components for the RF Space.

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 22, 2002 – Sofinnova Ventures, a venture firm investing in early stage information technology and life sciences companies, today announced that Remy J. Aubert, PhD has joined the firm as a Venture Partner.  For the past five years, Aubert has consulted to the photonics industry in the areas of fiber optic telecommunication and medical instrumentation.  Prior to this, Aubert was the co-founder, President and Chief Executive Officer of Continuum/Quantel International, a former Sofinnova Ventures portfolio company that designs and manufactures high performance laser systems for scientific, OEM, industrial and medical applications.

With the addition of Aubert, Sofinnova Ventures will increase its investment activity in the optoelectronics domain covering, in particular, optical communication, display and storage applications, as well as new material development for the electronic and radio space.

“Given the depth of his expertise and operational experience, Remy is the perfect person to increase our exposure to the highly complex field of optical communication,” commented Alain Azan, a Managing Director of Sofinnova Ventures.  “Sofinnova held back from investing during the last several years because we felt the optics arena was clearly overfunded.  However, we believe that the next five-ten years still hold major opportunities for significant growth in optics in metro and access markets, and that now is a very good time for us to invest."

“I have enjoyed a relationship with Sofinnova for over twenty years and am pleased to now be joining the team on a permanent basis," said Aubert.  “As the CEO and founder of an electro-optical company who has gained additional breadth of expertise through industry consulting, I look forward to drawing upon both my technical and operational experience to sort through the chaos of current optical startups to make several terrific investments for Sofinnova."

Aubert served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Continuum Electro-Optics, after its acquisition by Hoya USA, from 1991-1997.  He grew the company from $20 million to $60 million in revenue and sustained profit through market diversification, both internal and by acquisition.  From 1985-1991, he was President and CEO of Continuum Electro-Optics Inc./Quantel International, Inc., and led the company through international expansion and revenue growth from $5 million to $20 million.  Aubert co-founded Quantel International, Inc., a U.S. subsidiary of Quantel SA of Les Ulis, France, in 1977.

He is a Fellow of the Optical Society of America and the Society of Photo Optical Instrumentation Engineers, and served as a board member of the Laser and Electro-Optic Manufacturer Association.  He is the inventor or co-inventor of three patents in the areas of tunable lasers and short pulse generation.

Aubert received a Ph.D. in Quantum Optics, a degree in Optical Engineering and an MS in Physics from the University of Paris.  He also holds an MBA and an MS in Economics from the University of Paris and is an alumnus of the Stanford Executive Institute. 

About Sofinnova Ventures
Sofinnova Ventures is part of a global organization with offices in France and the United States.  With a U.S. base in San Francisco, Sofinnova was founded in 1972 and is one of the oldest venture capital firms.  The firm emphasizes a diversified investment strategy through financing seed and early-stage companies in the communications, information technology and life science sectors.  Sofinnova’s mission is to create value by providing entrepreneurs with the collective resources, experience and network necessary to build early-stage companies into profitable businesses.  With strong ties to Europe’s leading financial, technology and venture organizations, Sofinnova helps U.S. companies rapidly enter Europe’s growing markets, and European companies to develop a strong presence in U.S. markets.  Historically, Sofinnova Ventures has been associated with leading companies such as Biogen, Collagen, Genentech, Printronix, Tandon and Tandem Computers.  More recently, Sofinnova has invested in Actelion, Aviron, InterMune, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Phone.com, Premisys, Nishan Systems and Tumbleweed. For more information, visit www.sofinnova.com.

Home | Search | Products | Company Listings | Add Your Company | Press Releases | Tradeshows & Events
Support | Advertising | Contact Us