France is the (tech) place to be: Some of the essential events that took place at Viva Technology 2018

 

Viva Technology: Over 100,000 people from all over the world at the rendezvous for innovation and startups.
An unprecedented participation of top speakers and game changers from all over the world.

2018 Viva Technology, the global rendezvous for startups and leaders, took up the challenge to raise the bar even higher this year. More than 100,000 attendees participated in the 3 days of VivaTech and were able to meet and initiate collaborations with the 1,800 startups either exhibiting or pitching, 1,900 investors and thousands of business leaders, as well as 1,900 journalists from around the world.

Viva Technology 2018 received the President of France Emmanuel Macron for the inaugural address. The day before, President Macron met global technology leaders for the “Tech For Good” summit.

Exceptional innovations presented for some for the first time

In the Hall of Tech, attendees were able to discover the latest innovations that will transform their business andimpact their lives, driven by tech giants and hundreds of innovative startups.

Among the must-sees: Airbus’ self-contained land and air vehicle Pop.Up, Cybedroïd’s Alice robots, and Unsupervised’s Aida, the reproduction of the US space station with HPE, the model quantum computer of IBM,immersive virtual reality experiences in the Alibaba VR Park, Valeo’s innovations for drivers and passengers and Jaguar’s electric cars.

An unprecedented participation of top speakers and game changers from all over the world

The biggest global players in innovation were present. Through more than 150 conferences, over 300 entrepreneurial speakers, top business leaders, investors and researchers discussed the impact of digital on the economy and society: Mark ZUCKERBERG, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Facebook; Ginni ROMETTY, Chairman,
President and CEO, IBM; Satya NADELLA, Chief Executive Officer, Microsoft; Dara KHOSROWSHAHI, CEO,Uber; Eric SCHMIDT, Technical Advisor & Member of the Board, Alphabet Inc.; Chuck ROBBINS, Chairman and CEO, Cisco; and Bill McDERMOTT, CEO, SAP; Stewart BUTTERFIELD, Co-Founder and CEO, Slack; FrédéricMAZZELLA, Founder and President, BlaBlaCar; and also Stéphane RICHARD, Chairman and CEO, Orange;Isabelle KOCHER, CEO, Engie; and Bernard ARNAULT, Chairman and CEO, LVMH; Patrice CAINE, CEO of ThalesGroup; Florent MENGAUX, CEO of Michelin; Jean-Paul AGON, CEO of L’Oréal; Jacques ASCHENBROICH, CEO of Valeo …

The debates highlighted the major trends that are shaping the world of tomorrow with key themes such as «Tech for Good» or how technology can be a positive force for society,, the great leap forward of the African continent, the future of artificial intelligence or the latest marketing trends. At the time of the GPRD, Isabelle FALQUE-PERROTIN, President of the CNIL was able to discuss all facets.

“The success of VivaTech is concrete proof that France is capable of creating an international event, to build on the long-term, and to attract the greatest names of Tech and those who create the world of tomorrow. Thanks to partners from 95 different countries who have supported us this year, we can say that, with VivaTech, it is the
whole world that comes to Paris,” Said Pierre Louette, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Groupe Les Echos – Le Parisien.

Some of the essential events that took place at Viva Technology 2018:

• The second edition of the LVMH Innovation Award awarded Oyst. The award was presented by Bernard Arnault, Chief Executive Officer and Ian Rogers, Chief Digital Officer of LVMH.
• Two Sparknews «Positive Impact» challenges took place at VivaTech on the circular economy and inclusion; Mundao, Dycle and Alchemists won the FAMAE Foundation’s «Make our Planet Green Again» Grand Prize; Great Cause Make.Org «Give a chance to every young person» rewarded The Passport of Commitment, with the Audience Award and the Grand Prize among VivaTech’s 28 Labs initiatives.
• The TechCrunch Battlefield, in partnership with Michelin, elected Wingly, the best startup in Europe.
• Europe’s biggest corporate hackathon, also with TechCrunch, in partnership with Microsoft, IBM, Leboncoin, Renault, Talan and Gefco rewarded the best projects.
• The Girl Power conference, in partnership with ELLE magazine, brought together more than 1,500 young women sharing their desire to break into entrepreneurship.
• A large «Fortnite Battle Royal» tournament organized by the PMU in partnership with L’Equipe newspaper.

Date set for 2019

VivaTech will bring together innovators from all over the world for 3 days in 2019 from the 16th to 18th of May for a fourth edition.