Informal meetings focused on international development, opportunity

Foley Hoag LLP recently welcomed owners of five Normandy, France-based start-ups as part of a week-long "study tour" in New York facilitated by Normandy French Tech, an organization formed to assist that region's thriving technology sector and entrepreneurs.

Foley Hoag attorneys Daniel Schimmel, Heather Miles, Jennifer Blount, Erik Huestis, Matthew Kopko and international law clerk Karl Buhler spent several days with the entrepreneurs at the firm's New York office, leading in-depth discussions on start-up/entrepreneurial cultural differences between the U.S. and France; employee recruitment in the U.S.; intellectual property and corporate law; business development; and networking. Foley Hoag also introduced the entrepreneurs to venture capitalists, business angels, and a broad range of service providers who could potentially help them grow their businesses stateside.

In addition to meetings with Foley Hoag attorneys, the entrepreneurs spent their time in New York with tax specialists, potential clients, consultants and contractors to further explore expansion in the U.S. and related issues, including immigration, taxation, accounting and communications.

The foreign start-ups taking part in this informational exchange were My Merry Birthday (virtual loyalty cards), Optimetre (optical positioning system), Kayo (event industry lead generation software), Ulteo (virtual office software), and Spread (marketing solution software).