2007
NFC showcase for L’Echangeur
AIRTAG has developped a showcase for L’Echangeur. L’Echangeur is the European center for innovative customer relation practice. Starting september 25, 2007, Visitors will have the opportunity to visit a contactless Retail Shop with their NFC Phones (payment and loyalty cards, interactivity with a contactless kiosk).
The solution is based on AIRTAG platform and uses AIRTAG SIM based NFC application


Guillaume Massis | Co founder - Sales & Business Development Director
Prior joining AIRTAG, Guillaume has been working within GE Capital Solutions as Sales Director, where he met succesfully several different sales and management challenges. He developed in particular a Franchise Finance business where he built a strong expertise in the retail sector.
Guillaume holds a Master Degree from EM Bordeaux. He speaks French, English and Italian.
AIRTAG® announces successful closing of €2 Million Funding Round with Seventure partners
Paris (France) - June 28, 2007 - AIRTAG®, the first European company to turn contactless & NFC into a marketing, loyalty and advertising tool, today announced the closing of a €2 million funding round with leading European venture capital investor Seventure Partners (funds Banque Populaire Innovation 10 et Crédit Agricole Asset Management Innovation 6). The transaction is the first funding round of the company.
"We are very pleased to benefit from the support of such an experienced investor with deep expertise in the telecom and retail industries," said Jérémie Leroyer, president and CEO of AIRTAG. "We will leverage this new funding to support the rollout of our contactless ‘smart objects’ loyalty and payment offer and speed up the development of our next generation Near Field Communication (NFC) platform".
“We were particularly impressed with AIRTAG’s seasoned management team. The company has consistently demonstrated its ability to leverage its investments wisely, win strategic accounts and move an R&D-intensive business forward. We strongly believe that NFC is the next big opportunity that will happen in the mobile field, AIRTAG’s roadmap and its focus on customer satisfaction will make it a success”, said Fréderic-François Lebrun, Partner, Seventure Partners.
With AIRTAG, consumers can use a contactless “smart object” (customized card or keyfob, transport pass) for a new personalized shopping experience: loyalty programs become smarter, payment easier and secured and promotions focused and contextual. For example, AIRTAG launched in 2007 the GSPOT program for Gedenim a multi-brand lifestyle & clothing retail network, targeting 15-25 year-old customers of its 15 stores in the Paris region.
Moreover, this funding transaction provides AIRTAG with the resources to further develop and complete its secured service platform for MNOs, which will include the following features:
- Embedded JavaCard applications development & personalization,
- Applications life-cycle management,
- Over-The-Air (OTA) provisioning of consumer applications NFC enabled devices.
European MNOs will start launching commercial offers by early 2008 and AIRTAG positions itself as a Trusted Service Manager specializing in retail services with a twofold objective:
- Securely distribute and manage the merchants and retailers services to the MNOs customer base,
- Turn the cell phone not only into a contactless payment device but also into a powerful tool for contextual marketing, loyalty enhancement and targeted advertising.
AIRTAG’s solutions for MNOs have been highlighted at the 3GSM Congress where AIRTAG demonstrated a NFC loyalty, payment & ticketing application.
AIRTAG’s customers include mobile operators, fast-food companies, retailers, financial services companies and other service providers.
About AIRTAG
Founded in 2006 by two co-founders of Haïku / Index Europe, AIRTAG is the first European start-up company fully dedicated to NFC technology applications.
AIRTAG provides contactless / NFC solutions to retailers and mobile carriers: embedded application (JavaCard), Application Platform (Applications lifecyle management) and NFC middleware Gateway for third parties.
AIRTAG is hosted and supported in its R&D by Telecom Paris Entrepreneurs a Paris based start-up incubator.
www.airtag.com
About Seventure
Active Partner of companies with high growth potential, Seventure invests since 1997 in innovative technology businesses. Seventure Partners invest in young French and European ventures acting in NTIC, Telco and Life Science field. With € 400,000,000 under management, Seventure Partners is one of the largest European Venture Capital investor. Seventure Partners is a branch of Natixis Private Equity, one of the Private Equity leaders in Europe.
www.seventure.fr
Placement agent: Optiva Capital.
AIRTAG to launch GSPOT, a contactless loyalty program for GEDENIM
AIRTAG announces today the launch of GSPOT, a contactless loyalty program for the GEDENIM shop network in Paris and the Paris region.
GEDENIM, a multi-brand lifestyle & clothing retail network targeted to 15-25 with 10 shops in the Paris region, proposes the first contactless loyalty program with a branded interactive smart object, interactive POS materials and promotion contactless kiosks.
AIRTAG developed the whole solution for Gedenim, the program is based on AIRTAG contactless platform, middleware & infrastructure. AIRTAG’ platforms connectors enabled the complete integration of GSPOT with the cashiers’ software and company information system.
The program is fully compatible with NFC mobile handsets to be launch by early 2008 in France by mobile carriers.
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3GSM : AIRTAG & Inside Contactless present next generation NFC Services
Leading contactless technologies and partners enable unparallel telecommunications services, demoed on booth F33, hall 2, 12-15 February, 2007
Further to access control and payment, NFC makes everyday life easier and 3GSM will be a major opportunity showcase latest NFC developments with application to the telecom industry.
At 3GSM, together with Inside Contactless, Gemalto, and SFR, AIRTAG will be demonstrating the direct integration of applications into the telephone’s SIM card. Combining standardised solutions with a high degree of security (NFC Forum specifications and SWP protocol), INSIDE’s NFC enabled chipsets with AIRTAG SIM card embedded application and platform will enable mobile carrier to propose effective, flexible and secure relationship marketing application to main retailers (Loyalty, Couponing, Smart posters) and service companies (Ticketing).
3GSM will also be the time to showcase the "Contactless Travel Agency Showcase". Developed in partnership with Inside Contactless and Gemalto for SFR, the project features a smart poster application enabling end-users to download promotional offers on a private, mobile loyalty card. The voucher will then need to be redeemed on a NFC kiosk, enabling users to choose a destination, confirm the purchase and upload airline ticket directly on NFC mobile.
AIRTAG & Telecom Paris exhibiting at the "Salon des Entrepreneurs"
Cyril Porteret, co-founder & CTO of AIRTAG, was presenting the company and its R&D partnership with Telecom Paris and the GET (Groupement des Ecoles Telecom). together with other companies from Telecom Paris incubators: Navx, Netvibes, Peuplades, Nais.

