CFI France anchors its sectoral expertise in photonics and quantum by officially appointing Henri Porte as Senior Advisor

Henri Porte
Senior AdvisorParis, Thursday, April 11, 2024 – CFI France officially announces the appointment of HENRI PORTE as Senior Advisor. He joins the team led by ALEXIS DUBIL, Director of the Technology sector, at a time when CFI France aims to actively contribute to merger and acquisition operations and financings in the fields of photonics and quantum.
CFI France has distinguished itself several times in the Deeptech domain, notably during the operations involving the sale of iXblue to the Gorgé Group, the acquisition of Muquans by iXblue, and most recently, during the financing round of Viqthor, a leading actor in the quantum domain.
The number of companies producing photonics components and systems in France is estimated at 1,200. This sector comprises 300 research laboratories, totaling 84,000 jobs and a turnover of nearly €20 billion.
On the other hand, quantum technologies pave the way for a multitude of innovations, including computing, modeling, sensors, cryptography, with major productivity gains at stake. The global market size of quantum technologies is estimated to be between $3 and $9 billion by 2030. Within Europe, France aims to take a leading position, thanks to the quality of its research, recognized for instance by Alain Aspect’s Nobel Prize in Physics in 2022, its major technology groups, and a vibrant ecosystem of innovative startups.
Together, photonics and quantum technologies herald major transformations in various sectors, including transportation, healthcare, industry, chemistry, communications, defense-security, space and energy.
HENRI PORTE is the former Director of Photonics Strategy at iXblue, now Exail. With a scientific background, Henri earned his Ph.D. in optics and signal processing from the University of Besançon in 1985 and then joined the CNRS. There, he conducted research activities in the field of ultra-fast optical modulators. In 2000, as a CNRS research director, he founded Photline Technologies in Besançon and became its CEO. In 2014, Photline joined the iXblue group, then the Exail group in 2022.
Henri Porte has published over 150 articles in scientific journals and international conferences, co-invented nineteen patents, and supervised a dozen theses. He served as Vice President of Photonics France, the French federation of Photonics, from 2018 to 2022.
Henri Porte states: “The sectors of photonics and quantum are only at the beginning of their expansion. They benefit, like the entire Deeptech sector, from significant interest from public authorities, both at the European and French levels, as evidenced by the Chip Act and France 2030. CFI France, by combining a deep understanding of these technologies and the industrial world, is ideally positioned to support companies in transformative operations in these fields.”