Four new investors strengthen the start-up that is going to grow international and which will develop new products for the 'rich media' in 2D and 3D on the Internet.
Realviz had already announced its new fund raising, a third investment at 10 million euros. However, it didn't give the name of its investors. The start-up of Sophia, editor of specialized software for image processing in 2D and 3D got three new 'signatures' ; Azeo Ventures (France), the leader; HPI (Switzerland); Intel Capital (Europe) and the group LCF Rothschild (France).
New investors : Intel 'inside'
Azeo Ventures is a subsidiary of Azeo, a listed holding that manages a portfolio worth around 3.3 billion euros and which head office is in Paris. It invests mainly in the telecommunication sector as well as in the new technologies, from infrastructures up to e-business websites, from the first investment up to the first listing at the Stock Exchange. It intervened among others for Tradingcom (10 million euros), Vox Mobili (6 million euros), Audientia (15 million euros), Netbooster (3 million euros). HPI Holding SA is a Swiss joint-venture company which invests in companies part of the sector of computer science and specialized in electronic management of documents and information.
Another one: a big name in computer science with Intel Capital. The investment fund of Intel is planning to invest in companies which develop innovative solutions in the Internet sphere. In Realviz, it hopes to contribute to the commitments of this company in order to optimize its software innovative solutions of image processing for processor families of Intel.
As regarding to Web LCFR, investment company specialized in the Internet and mobile phone applications owned by the LCF Rothschild group, it explains its choice by the fact that the range of products developed by Realviz, makes accessible to a large panel of users techniques of image processing that were until now reserved for specialists (very significant gains in terms of quality and processing time). Thanks to its technology, Realviz reaches a real international market both in audiovisual and Internet applications sectors.
A new division for the on-line image
These new investors in Realviz capital join the previous ones : business angels, among which are Alain Tingaud (Infovista's CEO) and MVI, a group of private investors based in Sweden. Ralviz (80 persons, with a 17 million francs turnover in 2000) will now be able to finance its international expansion, develop new specific products for the Net and a new Internet offer in ASP (Application Service Provider).
'Thanks to this rise in capital, explains Dominique Pouliquen, the CEO, Realviz will go on its expansion on its first markets (special effects for cinema and advertising, architecture, industrial design, video games) and will develop new products linked to the Internet in order to allow the creation of 'rich media' content in 2D and 3D for the websites. Besides, this investment makes it now possible to create a new division that became necessary to take the best of on-line image solutions under ASP. '