The News

Sofinnova Becomes a Shareholder of PC30

26/02/2008

The investment will accelerate the young company's international development

Paris, France - 26 February 2008 - Sofinnova Partners, the French venture capital firm premier among the top European firms, announced shareholder participation in PC30, the leader in France for technology troubleshooting in the home, quoted on the Free Market of the Paris Stock Exchange.

On 22 February the shareholders of PC30 voted Olivier Sichel of Sofinnova Partners onto the company's board of directors.

This investment reinforces Sofinnova Partners' strategy of investing in promising companies with long term growth potential.

The multiplication of digital devices in the home has created a veritable need for the individual, and so on. Office computers, DVD players, digital cameras, WLANs, game consoles, portable music players and mobile telephones with Internet access have become increasingly common over the years, and problems with installation, configurations and maintenance have followed their increased prevalence.

PC30 was created in 2003 with a mission: to come to the assistance of individuals experiencing IT problems such as installation challenges, viruses, crashes, broken Internet connections and training needs. Today, with 700,000 technical interventions completed, PC30 is the leader in the French market with a national presence organized around 70 agencies in all territories.

Gianbeppi Fortis, CEO of the company, said, "We congratulate ourselves on the entrance of Sofinnova, a major player in venture capital in Europe, to the capitalization of PC30. Sofinnova will take the role of our two co-founders, who are departing for new personal projects, and will team with the company during a new stage of development. Olivier Sichel, who I have known since he was CEO of Wanadoo, will bring to the board his pan-European expertise in the development of broadband and digital home equipment."

Olivier Sichel of Sofinnova Partners added, "I am pleased to join PC30 during a pivotal moment in its development. The company is primed for growth and has all the trump cards necessary to be successful in its international expansion."