The City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of International Affairs, Invest Atlanta and the City of Toulouse, France announced the four startup technology companies selected to participate in the first Atlanta-Toulouse Startup Exchange. The two-week residency program will provide the selected companies a platform for global expansion. Atlanta-based Carbice Nanotechnologies, Inc., and Partpic, Inc., and France-based startups Donecle and Uwinloc were chosen to participate in the exchange.
 
“Providing entrepreneurs with the resources necessary to expand their businesses and create quality jobs for Atlantans is a top priority for our city,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “The Atlanta-Toulouse Startup Exchange will allow Atlanta-based startups to pursue international investment, explore export opportunities and build an international strategy in to the foundation of their emerging businesses.”
 
Baratunde Cola, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for Carbice, and Don De Laria, Executive Vice-President of Sales for Partpic will conduct their residency at the Airbus BizLab and the CapGemini Lab’innovation. The executives will meet with French entrepreneurs, European decision makers, investors, and executives in their respective sectors. They will also attend EmTech France 2016, an international conference to showcase emerging technologies and connect startups with venture capitalists from across the globe.
 
The International Startup Exchange program supports the City of Atlanta’s continued efforts to increase exports through its participation in the Brookings Institution’s Global Cities Initiative and through the launch of the Atlanta Metro Export Plan in 2015. The Atlanta MEP outlines key strategies to increase export activities in the metro Atlanta region to enhance the local economy and create more jobs in the city.
 
“With 95 percent of the consumer market located outside of the United States, exporting is essential for our companies to thrive in today’s economy,” said Dr. Eloisa Klementich, President and CEO, Invest Atlanta. “This opportunity will provide Carbice and Partpic access to one of the largest aerospace clusters in the world and provide a platform to expand within the European market.”
 
In November 2016, the City of Atlanta will host Toulouse, France-based startups Donecle and Uwinloc. Executives from each company will fulfill their two-week residency at the Garage at Tech Square and will participate in programs at ATDC, Sandbox, and the Consulate General of France in Atlanta. The residency will provide key partners the opportunity to showcase the City of Atlanta as an economically-sound choice for their North American operations in the future. They will also attend the 2016 Venture Atlanta conference, which draws over 1,000 attendees annually and has led to more than $1.3 billion in startup investment since 2002.
 
More than 30 applications were submitted by startups to participate in the International Startup Exchange. The exchange is the result of a series of activities commemorating the 40th sister city anniversary between Atlanta and Toulouse last year. In April 2015, City of Atlanta Chief of Staff Candace Byrd led a delegation to Toulouse, which was followed by a trade mission led by Invest Atlanta. Toulouse Councilmembers Aviv Zonabend and Nicole Miquel-Belaud also visited Atlanta in October 2015.