VivaTech returns for its seventh year. This is what you can expect from one of Europe’s biggest tech and start-up events in Paris.
The doors of the immense exhibition halls of the Porte de Versailles opened on Wednesday for a new edition of VivaTechnology – or VivaTech for short.
ADVERTISEMENTFounded in 2016, the annual Paris fair is one of Europe’s leading technology events, this year attracting 2,400 start-ups – double the number it welcomed in its first year – and more than 2,000 investors seeking to fund the next big innovation that could change the world.
Of course, there’s one topic in particular that you can’t escape at this year’s event: artificial intelligence, or AI.
But that’s not all. Cybersecurity, climate technology, sports, femtech and many others are high on the list of hot topics. Here’s what’s driving the discussions in the French capital this week.
The rise of AI
As the European Union passed the world’s first legislation giving lawmakers clearer control over technology, AI continues to soak up the sun on VivaTech’s opening day.
Dominating the agenda of the event’s many conferences, the technology is prevalent throughout the exhibition space with major companies and start-ups evangelizing about the use cases of this transformative technology in their various fields.
There has been a heightened sense of concern about AI recently, with technology experts including the “godfather of AI” Geoffrey Hinton sounding the alarm about the possible risks to humanity.
One of the highlights of the first day of the event was when Meta’s Chief AI Scientist, Yann Le Cun, took the stage to share his views, saying that “AI is a amplifier of human intelligence and that when people are smarter, better things happen.”
French President Emmanuel Macron, who officially opened the event and has been one of its champions in the past, also took the opportunity to announce new investments in the development of AI in France.
This follows the announcement that French start-up Mistral AI, founded four weeks ago, has secured a record European investment of €105 million.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk: Man of the moment or villain? The tech billionaire is certainly a divisive figure and has sparked his share of anger following his takeover of Twitter at the end of 2022. Just before the event, with great fanfare by the organizers, he was announced as one of the main speakers this year.
The Year of South Korea
With many countries vying for space at VivaTech, South Korea is this year’s Country of the Year. The event maintains the initiative launched during last year’s edition and constitutes an opportunity for the chosen country to highlight its technological ecosystem.
ADVERTISEMENTSouth Korea has become a leading technology country, with 23 unicorns and an economy in which, like the EU, 99% of its companies are start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
#VulvaTech – femtech at the forefront
One of the key pillars of this year’s event is femtech. The sector is exploding in value, surpassing $30 billion (27.6 billion euros) in 2022 and is expected to reach $135 billion (124 billion euros) in 2023.
In a nod to the importance of the sector, VivaTech this year launched the first-ever Femtech Village where start-ups will be able to exhibit and demonstrate their innovations to help with menstrual and reproductive health, mental health and much more .
In an ironic desire to raise the visibility of the femtech sector, the four women behind the Gapianne company renamed the branding of the event to VulvaTech.
The future of sports
The coming year promises to be monumental for sport in France. The country is preparing to host both the Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. So it’s no surprise that sports technology has such a strong presence at this year’s VivaTech.
ADVERTISEMENTWhile usually held in a large exhibition hall, VivaTech 2023 has expanded to a space adjacent to Hall 2 where companies and start-ups showcase the latest technologies and industry trends.
Local sporting heroes, including former French tennis star Jo-Wilfried Tsonga and former French international footballer Blaise Matuidi, will join industry experts to discuss the future of sports technology and its social impact.
