French-American Chamber of Commerce Texas - Magazine FW2020

FRENCH-AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

FACES OF FACES OF IINNOVATION NNOVATION

HOW HOUSTON CONTINUES TO RISE PROMISING STARTUPS & GROWING ECOSYSTEM

CLEAN TECH

MED-TECH

200 200 members members

15 15 workshops & trainings workshops & trainings

10,000 10,000 event attendees/year event attendees/year

50 50 Events a year Events a year

10 10 Business Services Business Services

Dear Members,

The world has been facing an unprecedented and devastating crisis for 6 months

In order to carry out its missions, the FACC has adapted its activities, moving forward with a digital approach. We have held many very successful webinars with great speakers and we were actually able to increase our reach with online events.

This new issue of the FACC magazine is dedicated to innovation in Houston, driven by the French-American community. It features prominent members of our community whose outstanding leadership and commitment are highly inspiring. It also presents promising business projects supported by French entrepreneurs who show that passion and creativity can turn dreams into reality even through hard times.The FACC doesn't forget neither its passions and its DNA. The team is working hard to prepare a new concept of the French Festival and we look forward to seeing you all in November to celebrate French art-de-vivre.

Sincerely,

Franck Avice President, FACC Houston

CONTENTS CONTENTS

Interview of Scoot Dale, Executive Director of Halliburton Labs, a startups

To fight Covid and unhealthy particules by the company Bio'R

43

How much do you know about French Language? Understand the asset of speaking french in the business industry 46

The French and international school always delivering a first rate education

Discussing the French- American cultural gap and happy collaboration at work

Influential

Exclusive

Georges Hostache, our consultant and

Discover the story of these two French entrepreneurs who built a retro futurist sports car brand from scratch

Explore the work of Charles Di Piazza, a talented French architect based in Austin

Discover Iskandia

FACC HOUSTON

FRENCH-AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

DEVELOPSTRONGBUSINESSCONNECTIONS

NETWORKING& KNOWLEDGESHARING

Connectwithprofessionals

Access to experts

Exchange of best practices

BUSINESSSERVICES

Hiring services

Communication support

Connections to potentiel clients

Showcase members' expertise

CAREERDEVELOPMENT

Workshop Series

Job Search Program

French Lessons for Business

FRENCH/TEXANBUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

We support your international journey and company’s implementation and growth in both markets.

BusinessDevelopment

BUSINESS PLAN

Business case: Getting new clients

The FACC is accelerating the growth of a small-sized company with a high market potential in Houston. The FACC is leveraging its network to make introduction to the company's solution and setting up appointments with major potential clients.

Communication

MARCOM

Business case: Introduction of a new Brand in the USA

The FACC leveraged its network to secure a targeted audience and a successful launch of a new brand. After a local market study to define the audience, the FACC built strategic partnerships, and achieved a successful event.

MARKET ANALYSIS

STRATEGY & MENTORING

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

Business case: Support for a first time entrepreneur

The FACC supports an entrepreneurial project, assisting the founders with the first milestones:  business plan, market potential, SWOT, financial projections, marketing and communications tools.

HumanResources

TALENT RECRUITMENT

JOB SEARCH PROGRAM

V.I.E PROGRAM & EXPAT SUPPORT

PORTAGE SALARIAL

CAREER COACHING & TRAININGS

Business case: Hiring for small international companies

The FACC has a good understanding of small and medium sized companies that need local managers to lead the US subsidiary.

The FACC uses its network and experience to hire the best talents, with an efficient hiring process.

We re preparing a wonderful evening with the same successful ingredients, and a nice virtual tweak.

"A la Carte" Program

Wine tasting & Cheese Tasting

-----

Mixology class to discover French Calvados

-----

Gourmet basket

-----

Best local Chefs' video recipes

-----

Mixing games & French Culture

-----

Raffle with amazing prizes

French French

facchouston.org/french-festival20/

THE FRENCH AMERICAN CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IS LEAD BY THE BOARD OF

DIRECTORS

BOARD MEMBERS VOLUNTEER TO LEAD AND MAKE OUR BUSINESS COMMUNITY STRONG

Marie Helene Ben Samoun Partner and Managing

Mary Anne Brelinsky President EDF Energy Services

Dennis Petito FACC Honorary Chairman

Alexis Andres Consul General of France in Houston

Richard De Moucheron HR Director Global Operation

Ed Hirs Managing Director

Elizabeth Hunter Managing Director & Senior Banker

Kimberly Johnston National Tax Partner - Energy

Marie Maitre Communications Advisor

Stephen Newton Partner

Arlecia Williams Regional Sales Director

Marie-Nathalie Contou-Carrere Research Advisor for Industry Partners

Bruce Rutherford Managing Director

Laurent Pagnon V al

Gwenaelle Huet CEO

John Eldridge FACC Chairman Partner, Senior Counsel

Jerome Pelletan CFO & Senior VP, Global Functions

Jean-François Bonneté CEO

Jacques Fox Chef and Owner

Stephen Vuong Nguyen VP Business Banking

Franck Avice FACC President

Patrick De Talancé Head of Oil & Gas North America

Nicolas De Coignac Senior Vice President, CEO North America

Franck Trochet VP Finances US

Manuel Orillac Corporate Transactions Partner

Portrait of a leader of our French-American Community

John Eldridge

Chairman

of

the FACC Board

Environmental Senior Counsel at Haynes and Boone

Leading the FACC f roles, passionate a John has been a community We wanted to learn and his general e community

Youhavemanyyearsofexperienceasanenvironmentallawyer atHaynesandBoone. Whatmajorchangesdidyouobservein thesepastdecades? Whatarethemainmilestones?

J.E: My environmental practice, including the 20-plus years as a partneratHaynesandBoone,hasinvolvedcorporatetransactions, regulatory analysis, litigation and appellate work. Over the past few decades, I have seen several trends. Corporations have becomeveryconsciousoftheirimagesandactions,andtheyhave developed a genuine concern for environmental compliance and stewardship. Clean air issues have become the major focus with climate change in the 1970s it was water and in the 1980s and 1990sitwaswaste. Lendersandthecapitalmarketshavebecome drivers for environmental improvement. International standards andtreatieshavebecomemoreimportant,especiallywithclimate change being a global issue. It is also noteworthy how the environmentalconcernshaveblendedwithsocialandgovernance issues (ESG) to become a major force in many companies and investors. Sustainability is now an integral part of the business world.

JOHN ELDRIDGE

Environmental Senior Counsel at Haynes and Boone Chairman at the FACC Houston

John, you are the Chairman of the FACC Houston, you’ve been engaged with our community for years and your wife and children speak French fluently. Can you tell us more aboutthisstrongrelationshipwithFrance?

JohnElridge:MyrelationshipwithFrancetracestothewomen in my life. My maternal grandmother treasured French things, andshevisitedFranceright beforeWorldWarIbegan. MymotheralsolovedFrance,andwe visitedFranceseveraltimeswhenIwasyoung. Then,Imarried my wife, Annette, whose mother is French. I have taken these clues and opportunities to cultivate my own relationship with France,itsbusiness,culture,history,geographyandcuisine. My wife and I enrolled our sons in the AWTY International School, so they would learn to speak French, and we have met some wonderful French families there who remain close friends. My love of French wines has strengthened these relationships as well. I joined the FACC Houston several years ago to network with professional business individuals and to support the ties between the city of Houston and the French-speaking world. BeingpartoftheFACChashelpedintroduceHaynesandBoone to numerous business executives, educators, community leaders and diplomats. Our firm has received legal work throughourFACCconnectionsandIhavepersonallyintroduced ourfirm’sclientstothevariousbusinessresourcesavailableat theFACC.

John in Burgundy with his wife Annette

What are the main environmental issues your clientsintheenergysectorarenowfacing?

J.E: Energy companies must constantly focus on compliance- and beyond They must also adjust to changinglawsandpublicattitudes,especiallywiththe concerns about greenhouse gas emissions Water scarcityisamajorissueformanyclients Whendoing deals,theyareusuallyextremelycarefultomakesure they account for environmental risks and liabilities being acquired In the COVID-19 constrained economy, many energy companies are having to refinance creatively or file for Chapter 11 reorganization, and the environmental risks must be addressedinthesesituations. Meanwhile,ESGissues aregainingmoreandmoretraction,addingpressure from investors and NGOs. Also, environmental litigationisverycommonnow.

Do you think Houston is on the right path to becomethelowcarbonenergycapitaloftheworld?

J.E:Houston appears to be on a good path towards leadership in low carbon energy, although this transitionwillnotbesimpleorlinear. Thedemandsto move towards lower carbon are present in the marketplaceandingovernmentactions,thusHouston companieswillmoveinthatdirection.

WindpowerdevelopmentandLNGaregoodexamples of this type of Houston leadership. The Greater Houston Partnership and the FACC are showing leadership on low carbon initiatives. Houston energy companies will remain leaders, in my view, and will continuetoutilizethetalentedworkforcethatishere.

Did you hear about a local innovative environmentalprojectyou’dliketosharewithus?

J.E: There are a lot of innovation efforts taking place right now in hydrogen, batteries, carbon sequestration, biofuels and energy conservation, to name a few. It is very important that the capital necessary to develop these projects is available, and thatseemstobehappening.

What will be the big next steps for the U.S. EnvironmentalProtectionAgency(EPA)?

J.E:TheEPAalwaysshiftswhenanewadministration takes over. The policy shifts under the current President are very pronounced and will continue absent a change from the November election. However,manystepsproposedbytheEPAaredelayed or stopped due to legal challenges, so it has become much harder for the EPA to adopt and implement controversialnewregulations. Thenextbigstepswill happenin2021,aftertheelection.

The Eldridge family

You’re engaged with the FACC community and certainly with other non-profits, as a lawyer and otherwise. Howdoyouhelpthem? Anyexamples?

JOHN'SBIO

PracticesandIndustries

Environmental EnvironmentalLitigation

Annette has strongly supported the FACC, organizing several editions of the Beaujolais festival

J.E: I devote a great deal of my time to community servicebecauseIseethatastheproperwaytoliveand that is just who I am My Board service has centered on education (at the Rice University Alumni and the RiceHumanitiesSchool,aswellasAWTYInternational School), underserved communities (through the United Way and Haynes and Boone pro bono legal work) and in business (with the FACC and Greater HoustonPartnership) IliketothinkthatIhelpthese organizations through a combination of the “3Ws” benchmarks for Board service --work, wealth and wisdom I believe being a lawyer is an asset when helping non-profits because lawyers are trained to identifyandsolveissues Iamalsothankfultobewith a great firm like Haynes and Boone that supports my non-profiteffortsandthoseofmanyothersatourfirm

Oneexampleofmynon-profitworkisafreelegalclinic thatIhaveorganizedwiththeUnitedWayandamajor energy client to help Houston area non-profit organizations. At each clinic, the volunteer lawyers advisedabout25non-profitorganizationsofallkinds on their legal needs including bylaws, contracts, bankruptcy planning, employment discrimination claims, patents and environmental compliance. By helping these organizations, these clinics assisted all oftheirbeneficiariesaswell.

Visit Haynes&Boone

Energy,PowerandNaturalResources

EnvironmentalDueDiligence

RemediationandBrown-fieldsDevelopments

ProjectFinanceandDevelopment

EducationandClerkships

JD,UniversityofTexasatAustin,SchoolofLaw BA,RiceUniversity

ProfessionalRecognition

RecognizedbyBestLawyersasa2020"Lawyerofthe Year"

SelectedasaLeadingEnvironmentalLawyerinTexas byChambersUSA,Chambers&Partners,2004-2020 SelectedforinclusioninTexasSuperLawyers

ProfessionalandCommunityActivities

French-AmericanChamberofCommerceHouston (Chair,BoardofDirectors)

RiceUniversitySchoolofHumanities(Chair,Advisory Board)

RiceUniversityAlumniAssociation(BoardMember)

GreaterHoustonPartnershipEnvironmentalAdvisory Committee

UnitedWay(AlexisdeTocquevilleSociety)

AwtyInternationalSchool(FormerBoardMember)

AlumniofSt Paul'sSchool,Concord,NH

DaCameraMusicSociety(BoardMember)

ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY

Romain Reboux

Director, Sustainability & Corporate Social Responsibility

ENGIE North America

Romain Reboux is leading Engie North America environmental and social effort. Guided by the company's purpose to “act to accelerate the transition to a carbon-neutral economy, Romain implements its strategy to become the leader in the energy and climate transition Amid a changing energy landscape, Engie is a forerunner in the US and Canada in sustainable energy and services, significantly repositioning its generation portfolio and related investments over the past 5 years

THE SUSTAINABILITY PLAN OF ENGIE IN

INTERVIEW OF ROMAIN REBOUX DIRECTOR SUSTAINABILITY & CSR

Engie has changed over the last few years, moving towards sustainable energy. Could you share some of the biggest achievements regarding the Engie sustainabilitygoals?

RomainReboux: The 5 past years of our company in the US and Canada have seen a clear acceleration in low carbonsolutionsdevelopment.

We have been divesting from coal and from other carbon intensiveactivities,andatthesametimeweincreasedour footprint in renewables development, energy efficiency solutions,andintegratedsolutionstodecreasethecarbon footprintofourcustomers.

Providing renewable energy, Engie supports its clients towardstheirCSRgoals.Couldyousharesomeofyour clients'biggestachievements?

R.R: All our customers in North America have aggressive CSR Goals by 2025 and 2030. And most of the time they need a partner like us to reach these objectives from an energystandpoint.

We can contribute to the CSR objectives of big commercials and industrials like Walmart, Amazon, Microsoft.Andwecanalsobeoneof themainarchitectof this transformation for some customers like Ohio State UniversityortheLongwoodMedicalareainBoston.

As CSR Director, are you directly involved in business discussion with clients? Did you notice a change of perception regarding the CRS goals and its integration withthebusiness?

R.R: This is not our first role in the company but we are moving into this direction : as a facilitator between our commercialteamandourexistingcustomersofprospects

We have a common transversal approach around sustainabilitywithmypeersintheothercompanieswhich canhelptotriggerordevelopnewprojects

NORTH AMERICA

AsCRS&SustainabilityDirector,youhaveatransversal role. Internally, how do you manage working with all units and stakeholders to ensure the CSR goals are met?

R.R: That is what I like with my job The Sustainability Director has a transversal approach on the sustainability trajectoryandmissionofitscompany

Our range of external and internal stakeholders is therefore pretty broad: Cities, Industrial Customers, NGO's,Suppliers,Communities,Employees

You have been working on CSR & Sustainability for 10 years.Couldyoutellusaboutyourcareer,yourchoice toworkinthisfield,andtheskillsthatareimportantto leadCSRinacompany?

R.R:TheCOP21andtheParisAgreementin2015wasreal acceleratorforthewholeSustainabilityfieldandformeas well The CSR Director is not only an environmental specialist Having one expertise is not enough and we musttackledifferenttopicsandexpertiseseveryday.With ofcourseoneobjectiveattheendoftheday:Beingareal BusinessPartnerforouroperationalteams.

You worked in France and in the US on CSR & Sustainability. Did you notice a different approach of thetopic?

R.R: Despite the withdrawal of the US from the Paris Agreement, there are still a lot of states, cities and major privatecompanieswhichareveryactiveandinnovativefor their Sustainability Goals. And we see a growing trend of midsizeandsmallcompaniesthatarefollowingthistrend now. The sustainability approach is totally embedded in themarketnow.

Whatareyourprioritiesforthecomingyears?

R.R: We have strong 2030 CSR Objectives to roll out, meaning that we still need to decrease our carbon footprintacrosstheUSandCanadaandatthesametime communicating on the avoided emissions generated by oursolutions.

Oneinterestingtopicisaroundthesustainabilityinsupply chain and how we will onboard our suppliers to set up somestrongcarbonobjectivesinthemidterm.

Iskandia Energy Operating

Texan Exploration & Production company with an innovative and environmentally friendly approach.

GREEN OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE BY INCREASING THE RECOVERY RATE OF EXISTING RESERVOIRS

with an innovative

with an innovative approach approach

StéphaneLamoine

StéphaneistheCEObasedin

Houston

He was formerly Chief Investment Officer at Société Générale Asset Management and a Consultant with Elliott Advisors

He is an expert in natural resources and associated technologies.

MarcSamuel

Marc is Non Executive Chairman of the Board and CFO, He was formerly the President du Directoire and CEOofEdmonddeRothschild Bank.

He is an expert at structuring andmanagement

Pierre Levin

rre is the Chief Technical icer is an expert in oil oduction enhancement hnologies, he brought veral of them to American ields from abroad luding from Russia and raine

3ENTREPRENEURSOPERATINGIN THEPERMIANBASININWESTERN TEXAS

Knowing that oil would continue to play a significant role in the global energysystemforthenext30years, StéphaneLamoine,MarcSamueland PierreLevindecidedtobeattheforefrontofenvironmentallyconsciousoil management and created a Texan E&P in 2016 is operating fields as environmentally friendly as possible with a financing of ESG focused EuropeanPensionFunds.

The FACC let the founders of the companies present their activities and views.

Founded and driven by the principles of positive environmental impact, sustainability, transparency, and diversity IEO (Iskandia Energy Operating, Inc) is uniquely positioned as an environmentally clean energy tech pioneer and as a positive impact player aiming to transform the oil industry’simpactontheglobalenvironment

The Permian Basin in western Texas

IEO has achieved green operational excellence by increasing the recovery rate of existing reservoirs: finding,proving,usingandmixingclassicandnew environmentallycleantechnologies(fromapoolof more than 100 alternatives) to operate underperforming or recently capped conventional oilassets

Due to the technologies used, IEO’s production is especiallysuitableforuseintheagri-farming, specialtylubricantsandpharmaceuticalindustries anditdoesnotneedtobeburntasfossilfuel

IEO has invested over US$40 million to build its Intellectual Property and learn how to combine disruptive technologies together for optimal results

Positive impact benefits beyond production are also achieved by employing these scalable environmentally friendly disruptive clean enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technologies: Significant cost efficiencies, sustainable competitive advantages, and a committed longterm strategy to protect the environment by avoidingasfaraspossiblenewdrilling

The scalability and repeatability of IEO’s technologies and processes have been demonstrated through its ability to apply enhancementsonavalue-addedbasis.

The company’s track record shows that combining clean and advanced technologies results in a significant increase in production (+110% average) and contributes to lowering production costs, for example the substitution of monthly hot water and chemical treatments to remove paraffin with cost-effective eco-friendly solutions applied every 4 to 6 months, resulting in a reduction of cost per barrel from 3$ to 1$ in chemical and thermal treatments, enhancing its ability to control margins and returns by adapting to changing oil market conditions

Duetothecomplexityofunderstandingwhereandhowto implementnewtechnologies,andtheconservatisminthe oil industry, most exploration and production companies have not properly engaged and embraced EoR technologies

IEOforgesitsownpathandleadsbyexampletopromote the highest environmental standards such as not using freshwater and recycling salt saturated water into the same geological formation and reporting zero flaring & zeroventingin2019

The company fully manages its processes and activities directly,ateverysteptoensureincreasedefficienciesand environmental controls IEO is one of several synergetic andsuccessfulbusinesslineswithinBEAMGROUP

With a positive cashflow, even in these turbulent times, and as an industry leader in ESG practices IEO’s role and main goal is to produce a ripple effect within the oil industry by showing that a balance between profit and awareness ispossible

Gale has been appointed as Executive Director of the Halliburton Lab, a new startups collaborative space committed to the science and continued evolution of sustainable, reliable energy.

Executive Director Halliburton Labs

Scott Gale

Scott

Scott Gale to lead the Halliburton Labs: an accelerator for earlystage companies in the clean energy industry

Halliburton has created Halliburton Labs, a new organization that will accelerate the growth of innovative, early-stage companies by providing access to the company’s lab facilities, technical expertise and business network. Halliburton Labs, a collaborative environment where entrepreneurs, academics, investors and industrial labs come together to advance cleaner, affordableenergy,willbehousedattheHalliburtonheadquartersinHoustonandledbyExecutive DirectorScottGale.Histeamwilladduniquesupporttotheflourishinginnovationcommunityand foster an open environment where participating companies can collaborate and accelerate the development and adoption of long-term, sustainable technologies. Accepted applicants will work withHalliburtonLabs’advisorstoadvancetheirproduct(s),secureneededfinancingandpreparefor furtherscale.

WhatarethedriversforHalliburtonLabs?

Scott Gale: Halliburton Labs aims to create an environmentforinnovatorstoprovideimpactfulsolutions thatcanfacilitateaneffectiveenergytransition.Withthat said, Halliburton believes that oil and gas will remain an affordableandreliableenergysourcefordecadestocome. Halliburton also recognizes that the future of energy will require many new technological advances from new energysourcestoadvancedcarbonmaterialsandpledges the commitment to the science require to drive the evolutionofsustainable,reliableenergy.

Howdoestheselectionprocessworkfortheearlystage companieswhowouldliketoscaletheirbusinessunder theHalliburtonLabs'umbrella?Arethereparticular screening criteria to identify the disruptive technologiesandwhoisthesourceofdealorigination?

S.G: Halliburton Labs will have an open application process with multiple cohorts selected annually The Halliburton Labs team will collect general, nonconfidentialinformation,completeaninitialreviewofthe applications and identify top candidates. These candidateswillenteraduediligenceprocesscomprisedof individuals from across the finance, policy, incubator, businessandacademiccommunities Thisprocesswill includein-personinterviewsandreferencechecks The processculminateswithafinalistpitcheventinfrontof the Halliburton Labs Advisory Board and extended network.Theboardwillbecomprisedofindividualsfrom across the entrepreneurial, academic and investor communities HalliburtonLabswillannounceadditional detailsontheprocessandtiminginthecomingmonths Forearly-stage,cleanenergycompaniestoachievetheir growth targets, they require capital, technical and operationalexpertise,mentorship,accesstolabspaceand the ability to demonstrate that they can scale their technologies.HalliburtonLabsisanenvironmentwhere allofthesecapabilitiesandresourcescometogetherto support commercial success Accepted applicants will haveaccesstoworld-classfacilities,Halliburtonexpertise andnetworkingopportunities.Theywillreceivepractical mentorship,participateinaformalcurriculumandgain exposure to the Halliburton Labs network. Halliburton Labsalsoprovidesuniquecapabilitiesinmaterialscience, engineering, raw material purchasing, vendor relationshipsandmaterialdisposal

We recognize that many new technologies will be required to drive wider adoption of alternative energy sources. We are here to help advance the solutions that have the best potential for meaningful change to the future energy system.

What is the economic model of Halliburton Labs? Is this corporateventurecapitalorventurecapitalmodelwhere Halliburton takes an equity stake in these emerging companies? And how is the profit-sharing strategy managedasaresultofthiscollaboration?

S.G: Halliburton Labs is not a CVC group and is not focused on simply investing in early stage companies. Halliburton Labsusesastartupacceleratortypemodelandwilltakea5% preferredequitystakeinexchangeforhostingeachcompany for 12 months. The twelve-month program includes curriculum, networking and curated mentorship engagements.‘Wearenotlookingtotakecontrolofthese companies,’ said Scott ‘there are no corporate ‘hooks’ associated with Halliburton Labs being on the startup’s Cap Table.’ Participants will also pay a nominal monthly fee for theofficeandlabspacetheircompanyuses.Moredetailswill be announced related to funding opportunities for HalliburtonLabsparticipantsatafuturedate.

Canyouelaborateoncorporateandintellectualproperty considerations for start-ups seeking this type of opportunity?Howistheinventorshiphandledconsidering that Halliburton is providing expertise and knowledge domaintohelpthesestart-upsgrow?

S.G:Participantcompanieswillretainfullownershipoftheir IP along with anything they invent while in the program. Halliburton Labs is providing technical and business mentorship to help these companies further their own discoveries, not doing the discovering for them. The compositionofeachcohortwillbecarefullyselectedtohelp ensure there is not development overlap with Halliburton’s core business. This will allow management to provide an open and collaborative approach to help these start-ups grow.

HalliburtonLabsInitiativeappearstobenotonlyasegue to alternative energy transition but also a cutting edge, sustainable business model that redefines how people work, collaborate, create. Do you think this is the beginning of Halliburton reinventing itself and possibly howcompanieswillworkinthefuture?

S.G:HalliburtonLabsaddsabrand-newapproachtotheway Halliburton engages external innovation. We are not replacing the external innovation model of Halliburton but creating an innovative environment where early-stage companiesfocusedoncleanenergycancomeandaccelerate their success, we encourage early-stage companies that are solvingproblemsthatimpactHalliburton’srunratebusiness to continue to collaborate through established channels. HalliburtonLabsisawhollyownedsubsidiaryofHalliburton and allows a combination of world-class operational expertise while creating a unique culture for participants to innovate and grow their businesses. This model allows companiestohaveaccesstointernalHalliburtonexpertisein business planning, finance, human resources, marketing, supply chain and manufacturing, among others. They will also have access to Halliburton’s wide business network which could include suppliers, potential investors, the broaderoilandgascommunityandmore.

The Team

Visit Halliburton

ScottGale ExecutiveDirector

GregPowers VicePresident

DiannaSingh Operations&StartupsuccessManager

NEWS FROM THE GROWING TECH ECOSYSTEM

AsHouston'secosystemis growing,FrenchStartups settleinMedTech,Clean Tech,IoT,AI...

Houstonianaccelerators welcomeLaFrenchTech!

A PROMISING GROWTH FOR HOUSTON INNOVATION

BY GEORGES HOSTACHE,

CONSEILLER COMMERCE EXTERIEUR

In 2016 Houston was the 4th largest city in the USA but ranked 20th, out of 25, among startup ecosystemsintheUSA.ThatsameyeartheCity of Houston decided to do something about it. Where are we now? Can Houston do it alone? WhatwastheimpactofCovid?Whattoexpectin thefuture?

VC (Venture Capital) investment in Houston averaged$238millionfrom2011to2015withalow of$135millionin2012andahighof$415millionin 2014.Forthesameperiodtherewasnogrowthin the number of companies funded by VC. It was around$$360millionin2016.

At the end of July 2020 the VC investment in Houstonwas$466millionforthefirst7monthsof 2020.Itisexpectedtoreach$600millionattheend of 2020. A significant progress considering the Covid impact. As expected Health Care accounted for40%ofthatamount.Weallknowthatwehavea very dynamic Texas Medical Center in the city. Energy was only 2% that can be explained by the current oil & gas crisis in the world. Surprisingly Info Tech amounted to 39%, almost as much as HealthCare.

Twolargefinancingweredonein2020.

One for $137 million was for Preventice Solutions with its remote monitoring services that connect physicians and patients threatenedbycardiacarrhythmias.

The other one for $125 million was for HighRadius an SaaS company leveraging AI Autonomous Systems to automate Accounts ReceivableandTreasuryprocesses.

In 2016 such large investments would have been impossible in Houston Money would have to be found in the West or in the East That would have most probably forced these two companiestooutofHouston

Comparingthefirstsevenmonthsof2020withthesameperiod in2019showsthatthegrowthofVCinvestmentfortheUSAwas 25%butitreachedcloseto7%forHouston Notbadduringsuch aturbulentperiod

How did we get there? There was a tremendous growth from 20016 to 2020 of the resources needed to have a thriving innovationecosystemfrom:

Co-workingresourcesgrewfrom2to13,morethat6times AcceleratorsandIncubatorsgrewfrom16to35morethan2 times

SeedandAngelCapitalgrewfrom6to12,doubling VentureCapitalgrewfrom13to26,doubling

Private Equity (23) and Corporate Venture Capital (5) remainedconstantandlarge,asexpected

The growth of VC investment for the USA was 2.5% but it reached close to 7% for Houston

The Texas Medical Center was instrumental in accelerating innovation in Health through its many innovationentitiesandthroughitsincubator.

The creation of Houston Exponential (HX) by the Mayor’s Innovation & Technology Task Force, the Innovation Roundtable founded by the Greater Houston Partnership, and the Houston Technology Centertopromoteandcoordinateinnovation

The HX Venture Fund (HXVF) that raises corporate funds and invests them in non-Houston VC funds Createdin2018HXVFhasalreadyinvestedinVCfunds in Austin, Washington DC, Chicago, San Francisco and Boston. Those VC funds have already invested in over 30 startups in Houston. Those funds represent over @2 billion actively looking at Houston investments.

HTX Techlist is a free tool for information about Houstonstartups,investors,hubs,andcorporations.

Houston is definitely on the right track, its efforts are starting to bear fruits, the Covid seemed not to have stoppeditsdynamism.

In its August/September 2020 issue the FDI, the Intelligence Division of the Financial Times, published its tier2citiesofthefutureranking.Tier2citiesarenonunion capitals with a total population of under eight million. Houston is in second position behind Montreal in the overall ranking as well as in the Human Capital and Lifestyleranking

Houston is also number 7 in the Economic Potential rankingbehindMontreal,Dusseldorf,Seattle,Boston,and Hamburg

Otherresourcesplayedabigrole.

Georges Hostache, founder of OSTA Consulting

Whataresomechallengestofaceinthefuture?

In 2019 the VC investing in Houston was $400 million That was 133% of VC investing in Texas Austin was at $1,840 million Even with the estimated$600millionforHoustonin2020thereis stillroomforprogress

Austin with $1,840 million was only number 10 among US cities San Francisco leading with $24,100 million Even the megalopolis Houston/Dallas Fort Worth/Austin/San Antonio promotedbyCapitalFactoryreachesonlyjustover

$3,000million

Again another challenge That megalopolis concept has been reinforced by Covid as it forced onlineworkingandkindofabolisheddistancesin awaythoughtimpossiblebefore Inthefuturethe possible high speed train or an Elon Musk’s high speed travel machine can also contribute to that megalopolis

Texasitselfin2019isnumberfourforVCInvesting behind California, New York, Massachusetts, and Washington but with $3,660 million as compared toCalifornia$63,700million.Againthereisroomto go.

In the World Bank ranking of countries by GDP in 2019 Texas, as a country, will rank at the ninth place.IntherankingofVCfundingbycountriesin

2019 Texas with $3.7 billion ranks number 9 as well. Ahead of Texas are USA (without Texas) at $105, then China at 42.8, India (14.5), UK (1.4), Germany (7) Israel (6.4), France (5.2), and Japan (4.1). The next one is Canada at 1.2. Note the relativemodestplaceofJapanbuttheimpressive performance of Israel. Interesting to note that the HTX Techlist mentioned previously is done in cooperationwithIsrael.

SoasacountryTexasisnotdoingtoobad.France isnotdoingtoobadeither,andbothcountriesare on a steep upward trend, shall we say an exponentialcurve.

What a nice promising future for these two representative countries of the French-American ChamberofCommerce.

Texas itself in 2019 is number four for VC Investing behind California, New York, Massachusetts, and Washington

MEDTECH: A NEW FRENCH STARTUP IN HOUSTON

HERA MI PROVIDES AN EARLY DETECTION OF BREAST CANCER THE COMPANY STARTED THE ACCELERATION PROGRAM IN HOUSTON WITH MASS CHALLENGE

The youngFrenchcompanyusing ArtificialIntelligencetoimprove earlybreastcancerdetectionandto savemillionsofwomenworldwide.

Hera-MisecuredapartnershipwithFuji FilminFrancetoinstalltheirsolutionon theirequipment.

Hera-MI is a French company created in April 2017 Our goal is to use Artificial Intelligence to improve earlybreastcancerdetectionforbetterpatientcare, thus creating the possibility to save millions of women'slivesworldwide

The team is currently composed of 12 people and is growing; Hera-MI personnel have extensive experience and knowledge in the field of medical imaging.

Hera-MIisthefirstandonlyFrenchcompanytohave obtainedCEclearanceforasolutiondedicatedto breast cancer diagnosis for both 2D and 3D mammography.

CustomerPainPoint

Breastcanceristhemostcommonlyoccurringcancer in women with 2 million new cases per year worldwide. 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer duringherlifetime.The5-yearrelativesurvivalrate forlocalizedbreastcanceris99%whileitisonly26% for a metastatic cancer Today, the biggest issue surrounding diagnosis and treatment is information overload for medical providers. Evolution in equipments has led to an increase in the volume of information and images that radiologists have to analyze They see an average of 50,000 images per day.Processingsuchalargeamountofdataexceeds thehumanbraincapacityandcanpresenttheriskofa lower quality analysis while also subjecting radiologists to intense stress, and both of these factors contribute to the terrifying possibility of missionearlycancersignals

Solution

Hera-MI has developed Breast-SlimView, a patented clinical decision support software for 2D & 3D mammographybasedonArtificialIntelligence(AI).

Breast-SlimView offers an innovative and disruptive readingsupportwhereonlyrelevantinformationis displayed. The patent is based on the technical process of mammograms called "negativation". Our AI algorithm automatically detects and removes all benignareasofthebreast(vessels,glandulartissue, muscles,fat,mammarygland,etc.)andreplacesthem withartificialfat.

1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer during her lifetime.

Breast-SlimView assists radiologists by guiding them to areas at high risk of malignancy, while decreasing their interpretation time In addition, Hera-MI R&D team works on future innovative features in order for the company to offer a completebreastimagingsolution

Market

Today, the market for decision support software applied to breast cancer represents around 440M$ (647M$ by 2024) The US holds 58% of the market share and Europe 25% with 5% being in France Consideringthesedata,Hera-MIhasimplementeda strategy of international development in Europe, the US and the Middle East Original and negativated mammogram Hera-MI's target customers are radiologists as well as mammography manufacturers who will sell our softwarealongtheirmammographyequipments

Competition&differentiation

Thanks to our patented and innovative approach, Breast-SlimViewistheonlysolutionreducingthe volume of information, leading to a more accurate diagnosisandareductionofunnecessaryexams

US Strategy Hera-MI created its US subsidiary in April 2020 and the operational launch of Hera-MI Corp. is planned for January 2021. Hera-MI has establishedcollaborationswithUSimagingcenters specializinginbreastcancerdiagnosistocollectUS 2D & 3D mammograms in order to consider the diversityofpopulations.Thosepartnerscentersare Hera-MI references and will drive sales in the US. Breast- SlimView will be FDA 510 (k) cleared by December 2020. Hera-MI Corp. will be headquartered in the Indianapolis Chamber of Commerce (Indy Chamber) building. The company is fortunate to benefit from the significant support providedbytheIndyChamber,whichfacilitatesits installation and exploration of collaborations with imaging centers in the region such as Indiana University School of Medicine, Indiana University Health and the Komen Tissue Bank at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive CancerCenter.

In addition, the operation of Hera-MI in the US has begun through its selection from more than 400 companies applying for the highly competitive program of the Houston Accelerator MassChallenge

Hera-MI plans to open a second office in Houston in Q1 2021 Thanks to this program, Hera-MI aims to set up collaborative scientificprojectswithbreastimagingcentersinTexasandwill launchaUSfundraisingof2M$inJune 2021tostrengthenand accelerateitsbusinesscapabilitiesintheUS

Visit Hera-Mi

Silvie Davila, CEO and Co-founder of Hera-MI

STARTUP MEDTECH: INNOVATION TO TREAT PANCREATIC CANCER

DR. PIERRE FLORIANO AND NTO RE-IMAGINED CANCER TREATMENT, LEADING THERAPEUTIC DEVELOPMENT FOR THE STARTUP NEOTHERMA

NeoTherma Oncology (NTO) is a medical device companyfocusedonofferinghopetotheover450,000 patients worldwide who receive a pancreatic cancer diagnosis every year The company has developed VectRx™, a FDA-designated ‘breakthrough device’. VectRx is a proprietary “fever-range” thermal therapy system intended to treat solid tumors situated deep into the abdomen. The investigational VectRx™ is designed to deliver thermal energy in a targeted manner inside a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanner. The pancreas body temperature is intended to be monitored by MR Thermometry Imaging (MRTI) forbothsafetyandtomonitorthermaldoseandother physiological changes expected to be beneficial to patientoutcomes.

Hyperthermia (HT) is an effective cancer treatment modalityandastandardofcareforcertainindications (e.g.,cervical,bladderandrecurrentbreastcancers)in EuropeandAsia.NTOaimsforglobalclinicaladoption of VectRx™, including meeting FDA requirements for use in the U.S. To that end, NTO is working toward initiatingapancreaticcancerfocusedFDApivotaltrial tosecureaPremarketApprovalapplication(PMA)with potential initial commercial deliveries in the U.S. in late2022.

Thefirstplannedindicationisasadjunctivetreatment for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) with livercancerinthepipelineoffutureindications.

NeoTherma investigational VectRx device is intended to work with MRI

Dr Pierre Floriano had the privilege to study on both sides of the Atlantic He owns a Master’s in physical chemistry from the Faculté des Sciences et Techniques de Besançon, France and a PhD in Analytical/Physical Chemistry from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge His PhD work gradually transitioned away from molecular electronics to the design and development of diagnostic sensors and devices He was a Senior Scientist at University of Texas in Austin and at Rice University in Houston. He joined the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer to develop a biomarker panel for the early detection of lung cancer and published numerous peer-reviewed publications and a book At NeoTherma Oncology, he designs and directs pre-clinical and clinical studies to demonstrate therapeutic impact of the VectRx device.

WHYHYPERTHERMIA?

Itiswellestablishedthatmostsolidtumorsthrivein,andsustain an oxygen-deprived environment, resulting from poor oxygen delivery due to leaky, poorly formed and chaotic newly formed blood vessels in the tumor. Mild HT in the range of 39-43°C improves blood flow. Better blood flow means better delivery of therapeutics and re-oxygenation of the hypoxic tumor microenvironment, which is at the center of cancer development, proliferation,metastasisandresistancetotreatment.Additionally, when properly applied, HT can [1] interfere with DNA damage repair mechanisms leading to accumulation of double strand breaks, [2] sensitize cells in the S phase, further reducing their resistance to radiotherapy, and [3] induce the cellular stress responsebyactivatingheatshockproteins(HSPs).HSPsplayakey roleinthemanagementofapoptosisandtheinitiationofapotent immuneresponsebypresentingtumorantigenstodendriticcells, which recruit CD8 killer cells from the lymph nodes to the tumor, improvingthebody’sownimmunesystemtofightcancer.

HT has been shown in numerous phase III randomized clinical trials to improve clinical outcomes across a broad range of malignancies as adjunct therapy to chemo-, radio- and immuno-therapies, such as complete response, progressionfree survival, and overall survival. HT works for a variety of malignancies such as sarcoma, head and neck, breast, rectal, cervicalcancersjusttonameafew.Mostrecently,theJournal of the American Medical Association published results from a 10-yearfollowupofaPhaseIIIsofttissuesarcomastudywhich showed HT used as adjuvant therapy to chemotherapy improved overall survival ~ 9 years from 6.2 to 15.4 years as comparedtochemotherapyalone(JAMAOncol.2019;5(1):113–114). This study added to the growing body of evidence demonstrating HT as a potent chemo- and radiotherapysensitizerforanumberofcancers.

NTO'sTECHNOLOGY

VectRxisaClassIIB(EU),ClassIII(US)medicaldevicedesigned to deliver localized HT to solid tumors by applying radiofrequency(RF)energyatthefrequencyof13.56MHz. The VectRx System delivers localized HT to solid tumors by applyingRFenergytoapatientusingtwoRFpowersourcesvia multiple antennae that surround the patient's body. VectRx steers an inductively coupled electromagnetic field (EMF) to produceHTwithintheareaofinterest.Softwareisdesignedto allow the operator to safely and accurately maintain control over the temperature of the target region for the length of the plannedthermaldose

WHATNTOHASDEMONSTRATED?

NTO has completed pre-clinical studies in swine to demonstrate initial evidence of the safety and functionality of our thermal treatment VectRx device in these animals. Three healthy pigs underwent four VectRxheatingtreatmentseachunderanesthesiaover a 2-week period. We successfully reached a temperature of at least 395°C in the pancreas of all pigs and maintained a temperature range of 39.5°C43°C for up to 60 minutes Blood chemistry and hematologyshowednoevidenceofanyacuteorlate toxicity, and there was no evidence of skin burns, physiological or tissue damage. The data summaries were provided to FDA and supported NTO’s “breakthroughdevice”designation

WHAT IS PLANNED FOR THE COMPANY UPCOMING FIRST-IN-HUMANSTUDY?

NTO has submitted an Investigational Device Exemption to the FDA to permit an early feasibility studyinthefirstQuarterof2021.Inthisstudy,VectRx™ HT treatment will be combined with a standard pancreaticcancerchemotherapyforthetreatmentof patients presenting with borderline resectable and unresectable, locally advanced pancreatic cancer. PDACisadevastatingdiseasewithpoorprognosisand limitedtherapeuticoptions.

The American Cancer Society reports that 57,600 new cases of pancreatic cancer are expected to occur this year, with an estimated 47,050 deaths, equally affecting men and women It is anticipated that PDAC willbecomethesecondleadingcauseofcancerdeaths in the US this year The vast majority (80%) of pancreatic cancer patients are diagnosed with nonresectable PDAC disease These individuals are faced with a high risk of dying exemplified by a 5-year survival rate of 9% despite the plethora of carefully studied treatment options that have contributed to only marginal improvements in patient clinical endpoints

The American Cancer Society reports that 57,600 new cases of pancreatic cancer are expected to occur this year, with an estimated 47,050 deaths, equally affecting men and women.

The Eldridge family

A FRENCH COMPANY TO FIGHT COVID-19 INDOORS: THE AIR CONDITIONING SOLUTION

FRANCK BELAN & FRANÇOIS DUTERTRE

The WHO has confirmed that Covid-19 is transmitted through the air due to the airborne suspension of the microdroplets,andconfinedspaceshavesubsequently become major areas of concern regarding ease of transmission Currently, disease specialists agree that air conditioning is potentially harmful in combination with the virus because it is continuously recycling the sameairthatinturnrecirculatesCOVID-19particles.

This problem prompts the most pressing priority among air quality specialists at the moment: to find themosteffectivesolutionsinairfiltrationtocombat COVID-19’sspread

In his context, Bio'R has established itself as the solution for ai treatment, dehydration and bio'air conditioning

Unlike standard air conditioning systems,Bio’R’s air conditioningtechnologyoperateswithoutrecycledair, ensuring clean and sanitary airflow that eliminates eliminate99%ofdustandfineparticleslargerthanO4 µm, drastically reducing the possibility of disease transmission.

In addition to being healthy, our solutions are ecologicalandeconomicalbecausetheydonotrequire refrigerant fluids that create a negative ecological footprint,andonlyrequireaone-timeinstallationthat canbeintegratedtopre-existingairconditioningunits andasimplefiltertobechangedonceayear.

Bior'R is present in all the tertiary sectors and has previousexperienceinswimmingpools,offices,hotels, sportshallsandretail

Recently at Fitness Park, an upscale holiday resort in Brittany,Bio’Rwashiredtoredesigntheairfiltrationat the resort’s Ormes aquatic center, and the challenge was significant : prevent condensation on a 4500m2 domeandregulatethehygrometry

Although the task at hand was intimidating, success waswonwiththecouplingofadehydratorandaheat recovery system, along with synthetic palm trees to make the air conditioning device as discreet as possible; the dome of the Domaine des Ormes has becomeanoasisinwhichtemperatureandhygrometry areperfectlyregulated.

Thanks to Bio'R's hard work, the company has obtained the prestigious Solar Impulse label which

Reflectingontheseachievements,Bio'Risonthewayto becoming a market leader, driven by three words that are symbolic of the company's goals : ecology, innovation and performance. Bio'R shares these values withtheothercompaniesintheAnemosGroupinwhich Bio’R shares membership with companies such as Chronopropre, a specialist in cleaning, AQS, a specialist in aeraulic auditing, and New'R, Bio'R's sister company intheindustry

Bio'R hopestocontinueitsprogresswiththesupportof AnemosGroup,andtoforgeaheadwitharevolutionary perspectiveandupholdingthegoalto:"Innovateinthe presenttoimprovethefuture".

Franck Belan (left) & François Dutertre (right) are the managers of Bio'R

Visit Bio'R

EDUCATION & CULTURE

Do you speak Business French?

FRENCH BUSINESS LANGUAGE

AN ASSET FOR YOUR BUSINESS AND YOUR CAREER

BYROMAINDEVAUX

Theevolutionoftheglobaleconomyandinternationalsettingrequireshighlevelsofforeignlanguageskills, but also cultural competencies. Communicating in a foreign language goes far beyond knowing syntax, grammar and vocabulary; it is also developing cultural sensitivity, international awareness and a global mindset.

Professional research has shown that businesses settings can greatly suffer from linguistic and cultural misunderstanding.TheBritishChamberofCommerce published a language survey in 2004 (The Impact of Foreign Languages on British Business) showing how British exporters were penalized by language deficiencies.Theresearchsurveyed1000Britishsmall and medium businesses (SMEs); three quarters of the reportedlossesinexportsalesduetotheirinabilityto meet linguistic and cultural requirements in internationaltrade.

The survey showed there was a direct correlation between the value an export manager was placing in language skills and his/her annual turnover. The ELAN (Effects on the European Economy of Shortages of Foreign Language Skills in Enterprise, 2006) and PIMLICO (Promoting, Implementing, Mapping Language and Intercultural Communication Strategies in Organization and Companies, 2010) studies, led by theEuropeanCommission,confirmedthatasignificant amount of companies could be losing business opportunities as a result of missing skills in languages andinterculturalcompetence.

Language management strategies can be a valuable asset in company considering that the economic impact of foreign language skills among employees on a company’s exportperformanceisindisputable.

FRENCH PROFICIENCY IN THE U.S. JOB MARKET

Ageneraltrendshownbya2017reportbythe thinktankNewAmericanEconomy,NotLostin Translation, The Growing Importance of ForeignLanguageSkillsintheU.S.JobMarket, foundthatlanguageskillsarenowessentialin many professional sectors and mastery of Frenchisakeyadvantage.

Devaux, International Project Manager

Frenchproficiency:aninternationaladvantage

On an international level, French proficiency can also be regarded as strongly profitable to international companies. The francophone world is the 6th largest geopolitical space for its population, and could become the 4th by 2050. The Organisation international de la francophonie estimated the approximate number of French speakers in the world to be increasing from 230 millionpeoplein2014to300millionin2018.

From an economic point of view, francophone countries arestrongimportersofgoodsandservices. Francophone countries in Africa have known an approximately 12% annual growth of their importation over the last decade, and this growth has reached 15% for countries in the Maghrebregion.

The 2020 Global Economic Prospects report of the World Bank shows that by 2030, 100 million people in SubSaharan Africa should become middle class consumers and that household spending should increase by 5% per yearuntil2030,comparedtoanaverageof3,8%inother developingcountries.

Nearly22,300joboffers publishedonlinein2015 intheUnitedStateswere lookingforcandidates proficientinFrench comparedto9,500in 2010.

French is the third most requested language on the American labor market, particularly in sectors such as insurance,healthcare,finance,andhumanitarianaid.

A second study led by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages, "Making Languages Our Business: Addressing Foreign Language Demand Among U.S.Employers,"hasshownthatin2019Frenchwasinthe top 3 languages with the greatest demand among US employers,butalsorankedashavingthebiggestshortages. 85% of U.S. employers say they’re reliant on Spanish, makingitbythefarthemostsought-afterlanguage.Thisis followed by Chinese (34 percent) and French (22 percent). Meanwhile, 17% of employers say they’re experiencing a shortageinFrenchskills

Lackofcommonlanguageisabarriertotrade.Overcomingthisbarrieriscostlybutthepayofffromeffectiveimplementationofsecond languageproficiencycouldbeinvaluableforacompany.Inanincreasinglycompetitiveglobalmarket,businessesseekcapableworkers thatareadaptedtoaglobalizedworld.Foreignlanguagecompetencyatworkisagreatassettohaveinateam,andaccordingtorecent surveys,FrenchseemstobeoneofthetopchoicelanguagestolearnforUSprofessionals.

For this reason, the Paris Ile-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Le français des affaires supports institutions willing to develop a Business French course offer for companies and professionals through joint actions with Franco American Chamber of Commerce.

Romain

“Physical distance makes effective communication necessary and cultural distance makes effective global communication essential”N.Spinks&B.Wells

BUSINESS FRENCH PROGRAM

Make the difference with French Language

French lessons tailored for business use

Communicate efficiently with francophone colleagues and clients

Develop cultural sensitivity, international awareness, and global mindset

Gain fluency and lead business discussion in French

Add an asset to your professional skill set with

Add an official certification to your resume

Tailor-made and result-oriented program

Within the first months, you will be able to:

Oral Communications

Introduce yourself and others, ask questions, collect information, lead a simple conversation, answer a phone call

Written Communications

Write a short text, communicate by email and text message, fill in a document

Business French Vocabulary

Learn specific words and sentences that can be easily used in a professional context

Your TeacherS

All our teachers are French native speakers

They also have a corporate or entrepreneurial experience in their resume, and they know exactly what are the challenges of speaking French in a professional environment

They all followed the CCI Paris's mandatory training "Français des affaires" to build this curriculum

Why learning French?

French is the third most requested language on the American labor market

Nearly 22,300 job offers published online in 2015 in the United States were looking for candidates proficient in French compared to 9,500 in 2010

In 2019 French was in the top 3 languages with the greatest demand among US employers

Details & Pricing

MODULE 1

2 8H

2 x 1h Evening classes

Unlimited online training platform

Price:$840 for the 1st module $30 enrollment fees

ANNUAL ENROLLMENT OFFICIAL CERTIFICATION

6 8 H

2 x 1h Evening classes

Unlimited online training platform

Price:$2,040 $30 enrollment fees

Official Business French Certification (exam fee)

50% of the course fees are required to enroll

Please send us an email for placement test, availability and any other question. Merci!

contact@facchouston.org

facchouston.org

Despite a pandemic, The Awty International School continues to deliver a first-rate education

Last Spring, COVID-19 imposed significant changes to Houston and the world This unprecedented year presented challenges that The Awty International School decided to view as opportunities to showcase and further develop resilience,adaptability,andspirit

While no one could have predicted how the 2019-2020 school year would unfold, Awty was fortunate to have already been on a path to equip our community with all the tools necessary for success in the 21st century long before the pandemic Since 2017, there has been an intentional effort to invest in our employees, technology, and assets that especiallybenefitedAwtystudentswhenfacedwiththerealityofthisnewworld

Within just 24 hours, Awty transitioned to a virtual learning environment, delivering on our high academic standards and promoting active digital collaboration. In large part, this was due to the technologicaltoolswealreadyhadinplace,theability to provide personal devices and hotspots to those withoutinternetaccess,andourenormouslyprepared andflexiblefaculty Atthisincrediblyuncertaintime, oneofourparentssaiditbestwhentheywrote,“the worldisshaking,butnotAwty".

LittledidweknowwhatAwtyanticipatedtobeaweek ofremotelearningwouldturnouttobetensuccessful weeks During this unsure time, Awty prioritized support, connection, and reassurance. One of the many ways we did this was by staying true to our traditions.Ourcommunitydressedup,sentinphotos, collaboratedonvideos,andsharedtheirfavoriteAwty memoriestoremotelycelebrateSpiritDays,FineArts Day, Francophonie, and even our signature International Festival All of this does not even account for the many other remotely-transitioned events! The effort everyone brought forth for togethernesshasbeenoneofthehighlightsof2020.

The key was keeping our values at the forefront throughouttheremotelearningtransition,embracing and celebrating diversity, equity, and inclusion More thanaschool,Awtyisacommunity Whenwesaywe are#inittogether,wemeanit

Awtydecidedtotakecommunitybuildingevenfurther whenweofferedfreeoptionalsummerprogramming on campus to returning families. Those summer weeks were full of in-person (socially distanced) connection, warm delicious lunches, and of course, safety protocols. Awty learned so much from this experience, incorporating these lessons into reopeningtheschoolforFall2020,butwhatwastruly invaluable was the social-emotional benefit for our studentsandfaculty.

At Awty, more than anything, what we want to give our community is opportunity The opportunity to achieve whatever they want, to participate in and learnaboutrich,diversecultures,andtodoitallina waythatisrightforeachofourfamilies.Thisiswhy Awtyisofferingfamiliestheoptiontochooseat-home oron-campuslearningatsetintervalsthroughoutthe schoolyear.

Weknowtheworldischanging,andsoaretheneeds andwishesofourfamilies.Asaninternationalschool, Awty is doing everything possible to support our globalfamilies.

Awtyisconfidentandexcitedaboutwelcomingback students for the 2020-2021 school year, whether studentsareathomeoroncampus Whiletheschool will look different, some things will never change, including Awty’s commitment to community and a 21st-centuryeducation.

A perspective of French- American cultural gap & happy collaboration

I recently sat down for a Zoom conversation with authors Agathe Laurent and Sabine Landolt to hear about the making of their new book, Can We Agree to Disagree?,whichtackles thechallenges,complexitiesand,yes,struggles ofAmericansworkingwiththeFrench,andviceversa, in companies in both countries Its format is to treat different work-world themes insections,supportedwithreal-lifequotesfrom professionalsofbothnationalitiesinthefield Underlying the authors' work is the idea of facilitating cross-cultural communication and understandingbetweenprofessionalsfromand on both sides of the Atlantic It's truly an unconventional attempt to bridge the disconnectbetweencultures

The authors want to encourage companies, and specifically,HRdepartments,tosupportemployeesinthis discoveryoftheotherculture Togobeyondon-boarding andoneshotworkshops,buttofosterconsistentandindepthculturalknowledge,tostimulatecreativityonhow togetthere.Ms.LaurentandMs.Landolthopetheirbook willwhettheirreaders'appetitetolearnmorefromthe real-world experiences that they have organized into a highlyaccessibleformat.

Theystatethattheirultimategoalfor Can We Agree to Disagree? istoallowindividualstoopentheirmindsand workbetterwiththeircolleaguesfromeitherFranceorthe US So,certainly,professionalsworkinginmulti-national and cultural organizations, and leaders within these organizations,willbenefitfrompagingthroughthisnew entry in the business and intercultural communication literaryconversation.

Encourage companies, and specifically, HR departments, to support employees in this discovery of the other culture

havegainedfromtheirownextensivecareersandtheir ownthoroughresearchforthisbook,issimple,butone thatisoftenforgotten:

"Weshouldallstayhumbleandavoidjudgingwhenwe don'tknowtheotherperson;theirculture."

Thebook,throughtheauthors'well-devisedandvetted interview methods, looks to promote "cultural understandingbeyondstereotypes" Normally,theyhave foundthatpeopleinaworksituationdon'tunderstandthe reactionsofsomeoneoftheotherculturetoone'sown cultural mores and attitudes. They insist that you can't extrapolate your own country's working process to another's.Intriguingly,theauthorsconsiderfeelingsand emotionstobeanimportant-maybethemostimportantofworkingthroughcross-culturalmisunderstandings.

As the quotes from French and American professionals working with people of the other nationality form the heartofthisbook,thereaderwillfeeltheintensityofthe emotions expressed in its pages. Laurent and Landolt noticed that the people they were interviewing felt uncomfortable. A broad spectrum of emotions was triggeredintheparticipantsonexaminingtheirworkwith membersoftheotherculture.Forsome,theyreallydidn't wanttoworkwiththeotheragain.

CanWeAgreetoDisagree?ispurposelynotalinearread

It'sa"mosaic" Itfeaturestopicsthatmattertopeople,to professionals Chapters connect and refer back to each other,aremulti-layeredandfullofsubtleties.It'sabook forsensitivepeoplewhoappreciatethe"other"andwant tolearnparguisefromanaestheticallypleasinglayout, design,andprinting,allofwhichanyreaderwillfindinthis tome.

Reachingunderstandingforbetterworkingrelationships betweenpeopleofdifferentnationalities,andcultures,is whatthetwoauthorsof Can We Agree to Disagree? are after--and this is work they genuinely and passionately enjoy.

Orderthebook

Promoting "cultural understanding beyond stereotypes"

ART DE VIVRE Lifestyle

RETRO -

Jannarelly Automotive, which was founded in Dubai by two French expatriates, Anthony Jannarelly and Frederic Juillot, has turned into a true FrenchAmericanventure.Thecompany,whichlaunchedthe Design-1 sports car, recently partnered with Alexander Lee, the former CEO of Singer Vehicle Design,toexpandthecompany’sreachintotheU.S.

Jannarelly joined the FACC Houston in 2019, and collaborated with our organization to launch the brandinHouston,TX.

Here, we speak to Frederic, who recently moved to Houston, about Jannarelly Automotiveanditsfirstcar, theDesign-1.

How did Jannarelly Automotive get its start, and whyDubai?

FredericJuillot: ImetAnthonyinDubaialmostfive years ago. I happened to be building carbon fiber racing boats at my company, Equation Composites, andAnthonyhadmovedtheretodesigncarslikethe Lykan HyperSport for W Motors. We both happened to own sports cars that were based on the 1957 to 1973LotusSeven;inmycase,aDonkervoort,andin Anthony’s,aCaterham.Well,youdon’tseetoomany of these cars in Dubai, so when we saw each other oneday,wehadtostopandsayhello.

FUTURIST

A French sports car startup to settle its future warehouse in Houston

As luck would have it, Anthony was a fellow French expatriate and car enthusiast We became fast friends, and it wasn’t too long beforewestartedtotalkaboutbuildingasports car for ourselves We started working on the projectinformallyinlate2015,andthendecided toturnourprojectintoabusinessinearly2016 About a year-and-a-half later, in the summer of 2017,welaunchedourfirstcar,theDesign-1

Please tell us more about the Design-1. What is it and how is it different from other sports cars?

F.J:CarsliketheDonkervoort,Caterham,andof course their predecessor, the original Lotus Seven, had all been designed with a clear mission in mind. They were meant to be as simpleandaslightweightaspossible.Asaresult, thesecarsareincrediblyrewardingtodrive.You can immediately feel a direct connection to thesecars,andhowtheyareinteractingwiththe roadbeneaththem.

In stark contrast, modern sports cars have not onlygrownlargerandheavierovertheyears,but they have also become increasingly complex Because of this, as amazing as modern sports cars are, they provide a very different type of drivingexperiencethanaLotusSeven,orforthat matter,anyvintagesportscar So,wedecidedto dosomethingabitdifferentandbuildananalog sportscarthathadtherawandunfilteredfeelof avintagecar,butusedmoderndaycomponents and materials to improve the overall performanceofthecaraswellasitsusability In some respects, the Design-1 serves as a bit of a bridge between the simple and lightweight sportscarsofthepastandthesportscarsofthe present

We’ve heard you and others call your design ‘retro-futuristic’,why?

F.J:Yes,AnthonyandIarebigfansofsportscars fromthe1950sand1960s,andyoucanseethat we were inspired in part by the ethos and spirit of that era However, Anthony also designed a carthatwasquitemodern,ifnottimeless, which we hope will be appealing to fellow car enthusiasts

by biologists and computer

It was fitting that this event happened on the same grounds

What’sinstoreforthefutureofyourbrand?

F.J: Latelastyear,webroughtAlexLeeonboardasour CEO.AlexwastheCEOofSingerVehicleDesign,andheis currently based in California. Alex is heading up our strategicpartnershipandinvestmentdiscussions.

As you know, I recently moved to Houston from Dubai, and I’m currently reviewing our options for launching our U.S. operations here in Houston. The business climateisveryfavorablefornewcompanieshere,andas I quickly learned, the community of car enthusiasts in Houston is incredibly strong. Meanwhile, Anthony is basedinDubai,wherehe’sbeenworkingonthedesign ofournextproductlaunches.WhileIcan’tsaytoomuch aboutitnow,we’llhavesomeinterestingnewstoreport inthecomingmonths.

As for the future of our brand, there’s no doubt that theseareincrediblychallengingtimesforanybusiness. Nevertheless, it has also been a rather interesting time for us too. Large OEMs have largely abandoned the product segment that we’re focused on, and we’re firm believers in the idea that ultra-lightweight cars with increasingly efficient internal combustion engines will play a meaningful role in the overall product mix for quitesometime.

That’snottosaythatwewon’tbemakingEVstoo,which is something of great interest to us. However, we think that the idea of lightweighting will play a key role in definingwhoweareasasportscarbrandirrespectiveof thetypesofpowertrainsthatweuse.Inaddition,we’re bigbelieversinmechanical,analogthings,whichmeans that for the foreseeable future, we will be very focused onbuildingpure,driver-focusedcarsliketheDesign-1.

Co-founder Designer

Alexander Lee CEO

Frederic Juillot

Co-founder

Mechanical Engineer

Anthony Jannarelly

BUILDING A NEW CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

Charles Di Piazza is a French architect and recently joined the FACC Houston's network.Thisyear,CharleshascompletedtheDogtrotHousewhichwasselectedfor theupcoming2020AIAAustinHomesTour(inOctober)!

He has also worked on the remodeling of a historic residence called the Windsor House located in Austin, whose objective is to embrace a safe and sustainable constructionenvironment.

PriortofoundingCHARLESDIPIAZZAARCHITECTUREinAustin,Charlesworkedfor two internationally recognized offices on projects ranging in size from a carbonneutralcityof90,000inhabitantsandaskyscrapertoaretailbankbranchprototype andanintimategalleryofphotographicarts

Charlesbelievesbuildingscaninspireusinitiatemoremeaningfulsocialinteraction, more open relationships with nature and more productive and upbeat lives. He is passionate about sustainability, and he strives to contribute toward architectural projectsintermsofreducedfootprints,recycledmaterialsandminimalisticenergy solutions.

The construction industry plays a major role in driving economic growth and has a direct impact upon our country’s GDP. It also holds the reputation of having the lowest productivity gains and lowest profit margins of any industry (except for retailing) according to notable economic consultants,McKinsey.

How did this come about? Prices for building materials are not to blame. More culpable are its traditional ways of building delivery and the shortage of skilled labor which has slowed down growth, decreased quality, and produced excess waste.

Examplesofhowthemodernconstructionindustry might move forward are not hard to find. Off-site constructionoffersmoresustainablesolutions,and its options include a form of building called panelizedconstruction.

Panelized construction is a catch-all term that includes many techniques and systems, but it generally refers to using an off-site manufacturing facilitytobuildwalls,floorsandceilingsinahighly controlled environment. Once the modular sections are completed, they are transported onsiteforinstallation.

Buildingpanelsatanoffsitelocationoffersseveral keybenefits; adecreasedneedforonsitelaborand an increase in product quality and control. When panelsareassembledinacontrolledenvironment, fewer employees are required on-site, decreasing the amount of wasted materials, lowering the chanceofjobsiteburglaryandallowingforvolume purchasing.

What’sdifferentnowaboutpanelizedconstructionfromafewdecadesagoistheinternet;wehaveITandlessexpensiveaccess toCNCmillingtechnology Theseresourcesaregamechangersforanykindoffabrication Butthehousingconstruction industryhasnotbeenabletofullyharnessthesetechnologiesbecausetheyarerelativelynewtothefield.

Inautomotiveproduction,robotshavebeenapartofvehicleassemblyfordecades,butthewaytheserobotsareconstructedis notconducivetohomebuildinginthetraditionalsenseAutomotiverobotsaredesignedforthesolefunctionofbuildingcars, andutilizingthatmechanizedtechnologyforhomebuildingisnotwhatmostconsumerswoulddesireforthecreationoftheir personallivingspace.

Copyright Charles Di Piazza Architecture

Remodelinga80+yearsoldhistoricresidence

Whenmypracticewascommissionedtoremodelahistoricresidencein theOldWestAustinNationalRegisterHistoricDistrictacoupleofyears ago,weanticipatedatraditionalonsiteconstructionprocedure Asthe scaleoftherenovationandtheambitionoftheprojectgrew,wefelta more radical approach was needed so we reached out to Houston native David Escobedo of the Escobedo Group who specializes in panelizedconstruction

The original Windsor house was built in 1937 as a two-story L-shaped building It underwent numerous renovations over the past decades and currently features an enlarged rectangular footprint with a basement,aconventionalcellularsequenceofsplit-levelroomsonthe mainandupperfloorsandafullattic Duetothecompartmentalized nature of the interior spaces and limited daylight inside, the construction brief called for the removal of all interior walls, ceilings and partitions while leaving the exterior facades intact The most uniquequalityofthisprojectbecamethe‘pod’concept Thepodsare physicallyindependentfromthesurroundingbuildingshell Theyare two-storytallfullybuiltwithflashing,insulationandwiringoff-siteand then delivered by crane and dropped into the house creating two double height spaces outside the pods The intervention is driven by the idea that the house's exterior shell is a traditional load bearing masonrywallwhereasthepodsareanewmethodofconstruction

Offsite panelized construction could be a solution to many future residentialprojects,butsomeofthechallengesincludecost,schedule, labor, scope, quality and risk which represent a sliding scale of opportunityandtradeoffsratherthandefinitiveanswers

Pros:

Shorterconstructionschedules

Greaterdegreeofpredictabilityincost

Reducedmaterialwaste

Reducedcarbonemissionsduetotransportationtoandfromsite

Reducedsitedisturbance

Increaseofsafetyandsecurityoflaborersandtradeequipment

Betterbuildquality

Cons:

Structuralbulkiness: floortofloorheightsandwallthicknesses affected

Transportationrestrictionslimitmodelandpanelsize Spansandconfigurationsofdesignsaresomewhatrestricted Newformsofoverheadtoconsiderandassociatedincreasein designerfeesifnewtotheprocess

Flexibilityandchangeabilityofstructurethroughfuture renovationsbecomemoredifficult(ifthedesignsaretooeccentric)