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 The next edition of VivaTech will take place
 
 
 
 
 
 June 15 -18, 2022
 
 
 
 
 
 in Paris
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Time is ticking!

<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/thesandbox_f045cc42e2/thesandbox_f045cc42e2.jpg"></figure>Photo credit: MediumAs peak metaverse hype appears to have passed, hundreds of startups and tech giants continue to work on the next phase of the internet – the future convergence of physical, augmented and virtual reality in shared online space.While a precise definition of the metaverse is notoriously lacking, the virtual worlds of<a href="https://www.epicgames.com/fortnite/en-US">&nbsp;Fortnite</a>,<a href="https://www.roblox.com/">&nbsp;Roblox</a> and<a href="https://www.sandbox.game/en/">&nbsp;The Sandbox</a> hint at the possibilities. Today, millions of people socialize there, musicians organize concerts and fashion brands sell digital goods in computer-generated worlds that are always alive and active, with their own economy and codes.No one can say for sure whether functional internet in 3D space is years or decades away, but CB Insights says analysts estimate the metaverse could represent a $1 trillion market by the end of the decade. Some of the building blocks already exist: smart contracts, augmented-reality applications, virtual-reality headsets, persistent online worlds populated with digital avatars.“There is some really significant investment going on, but there are a lot of hard problems, and it’s going to take companies working together,’’ said Marc Petit, general manager of Unreal Engine, the 3D-graphics engine developed by<a href="https://www.epicgames.com/site/en-US/home">&nbsp;Epic Games</a> that’s used in hundreds of games, and in Hollywood movies. “We need to be humble about the state of technology.’’Making the metaverse reality will require better hardware and more bandwidth to handle interactive content. The future Internet will need interoperability – a way to move digital assets from one virtual world to another – and an economic model that encourages content creators.Users driving creationUser-generated content, already a staple for games and platforms including Epic’s Fortnite, and Microsoft’s<a href="https://www.minecraft.net/en-us">&nbsp;Minecraft</a> and Roblox, will likely be fundamental to building the metaverse, say experts such as<a href="https://a16z.com/">&nbsp;Andreessen Horowitz</a> General Partner Jonathan Lai. Players today are creating anything from 3D cosmetic items to dance moves and entire games within games.The Sandbox virtual world is using blockchain and non-fungible tokens to build a decentralized virtual economy, where players and creators own the digital assets they buy or make. Users will create 99% of the metaverse, said Sebastien Borget, the company’s co-founder and chief operating officer.“Rapid evolution of technology, combined with the creativity of user-generated content, will certainly drive even more immersive experiences and new forms of entertainment,’’ Borget said. “We have passed the point of being a niche experience and are now moving into the mainstream.’’The metaverse will redefine ownership, and smart contracts and NFTs that enable decentralization are here to stay, said Sebastien Badault, vice president of metaverse at<a href="https://www.ledger.com/">&nbsp;Ledger</a>, which makes a hardware wallet for crypto assets. As consumers’ digital assets and avatars become a bigger part of their lives, security such as what Ledger provides will become more important, Badault said.An economy focused on creators?Digital goods will probably become a trillion-dollar economy, and the metaverse could be an opportunity to reset to “a very healthy transactional economy,’’ with the majority of the value going to creators, Petit at Epic said. The industry will have to come together to figure out the economics around interoperability, or the ability to move digital assets across platforms, the executive said.Aside from getting the metaverse economy right for creators, there are technological hurdles to overcome. Starting with improving the digital avatars that embody users in virtual space, adding things like eye contact, gaze tracking and full body capture to enable what Petit calls “a sense of core presence’’ that would make a meeting in virtual feel as real as one in the physical world.“We need all those things that make human communications well understood, and then you can express the emotion,’’ Petit said. “We’ve got the voice, we’ve got the graphics, we’re good at facial capture, we need to be better at body capture, and we need to get that at a level of subtlety where our brain will be comfortable with it.’’Photo realismThe latest graphics engines, such as Unreal Engine 5, can generate photo-like realism in real time, Petit said. Sensors in clothes or on the wrist can track vitals, capture motion or create a virtual keyboard, with artificial intelligence and machine learning filling in the gaps when data is lacking.It won’t all be face-covering headsets for metaverse access either. Virtual-reality headsets will be like personal computers, very efficient for certain tasks such as deep immersion and productivity, but not a device to carry around like a mobile phone, Petit predicts.“Augmented reality will be like mobile, something that you flip out of your pocket or you turn on and you consume it right away within the context of what you do,’’ Petit said. He said connected glasses, as well as glass panels from windows to car windshields might be able to display interactive content.Global sales of augmented reality and virtual reality headsets jumped 92% in 2021 to 11.2 million units, according to International Data Corp., which forecasts shipments will surpass 50 million headsets by the end of 2026.Ubiquitous interactive contentAn enabling technology still missing is ubiquitous delivery of interactive content, and the metaverse would require something akin to today’s video streaming, Petit said. Widespread rollout of 5G mobile technology will bring that a step closer.Blending physical and virtual reality in 3D space will also require common protocols and standards. Petit said companies including Roblox, Epic,<a href="https://unity.com/">&nbsp;Unity Technologies</a> and<a href="https://www.nvidia.com/en-us/">&nbsp;Nvidia</a> realize they’re going to have to work together on those standards to realize the metaverse expectations.Games such as Fortnite are proof of concept that a whole economy can be built out of virtual goods, or that events in virtual space can draw huge amounts of people, said Badault at Ledger. Epic Games said an in-game concert by rapper and singer Travis Scott in 2020 drew more than 12.3 million concurrent Fortnite players online.“There are a lot of technological problems to be solved, and that will take some time, at least 10 years,” Badault said. “But we’re going to see a lot of cool things between now and then.”’Just as today’s mobile ecosystem would have been considered fantastical two decades ago, predicting the future of the metaverse risks venturing into the realm of speculation – especially as tech giants such as&nbsp;<a href="https://abc.xyz/">Alphabet</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apple.com/">Apple</a> and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aboutamazon.com/">Amazon</a> have yet to detail their vision for the metaverse. But the foundations for this technological revolution are being laid down now.&nbsp;Petit, Borget and Badault will speak about their visions for the future of the metaverse alongside other Web3 experts at VivaTech. Don’t miss their session on Friday, June 17.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vivatechnology.com/news?ca=FPRSB4T3X">Get your tickets.</a>

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The Metaverse: What Fortnite and The Sandbox Can Tell Us About the Future Internet

VivaTech News

<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/web3_832e0a6454/web3_832e0a6454.jpeg"></figure>&nbsp;From decentralization and blockchain, to NFTs and DAOs, the internet is overflowing with lingo about Web3. But what is the decentralized internet and what does it mean for the future of internet use? While we are excited to hear from plenty of speakers on the topic in June at VivaTech, we wanted a deeper look into what the future of the internet might look like. To explore Web3 further, let’s go back in time to better understand the foundations of the internet we use today. Keep calm and start the DeLorean!&nbsp;&nbsp;In the beginningGreat Scott! It’s 2002 and you have a project to do for school about dinosaurs. You head to your local library, but instead of reading through a dozen books and encyclopedias, the librarian shows you to a computer where you can search for the same information in a matter of minutes – incredible! The websites you are most likely to stumble upon are single-page, informational sites about the history of dinosaurs. These read-only pages are part of&nbsp;Web 1.0, or the first version of the internet.Now, jump forward 20 years to see where we’ve advanced since Web 1.0. It’s 2022 and a student has to do the same project on dinosaurs. She can get out her personal laptop at home and search thousands of websites on the subject, but she can also go onto her favorite social media platform and poll her classmates on which dinosaur is their favorite or read a forum arguing which museum has the best dinosaur fossil collection. This version of the internet is&nbsp;Web 2.0 and it allows users to not only read the information on websites, but to contribute to them as well, making the internet much more interactive.&nbsp;A change on the horizonYet what if users weren’t simply consumers who participate in the internet, but rather creators and managers of what happens there. This is where the next wave of the internet,&nbsp;Web3,&nbsp;is heading. As it stands, most of the information on the internet passes through just a handful of large tech companies such as Apple, Meta or Google. While these centralized platforms have their benefits – they provide valuable services and have been core innovators for the tech scene – the issues of trust and privacy of data remain. It’s like having all our eggs in just a few baskets.Hence the notion of decentralizing the internet – taking out the intermediaries and handing control to users. Platforms and apps built on Web3 won’t be owned by a central gatekeeper, but rather by users, who will earn their ownership stake by helping to develop and maintain those services (<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/web3-gavin-wood-interview/">Wired</a>). While Web3 remains mostly an aspiration at this point, let’s see what the internet on Web3 could look like. Jumping back into our (purely speculative) time machine, fast forward ten years to 2032.&nbsp; &nbsp;The future internetThe interface of the future internet probably won’t look extremely different from what it looks like today. It’s rather where the information for websites is stored – on the blockchain versus a centralized database – that makes the difference.&nbsp;Thanks to the blockchain, there will be some pretty intriguing solutions in Web3 that can’t exist in Web2. You’ll be able to make instantaneous payments between friends (or internet strangers if you want) without the need for a bank or platform to complete the transaction, an advantage for people who don’t have access to a bank or can’t open an account. Also, when entering a new website or app, no more accepting cookies – you don’t have to feel like you are selling your soul to a website that wants to collect your data – because you own your data, encrypted on the blockchain, and you decide what to share!In this future web, you could also be a part owner of apps, platforms, metaverses, games or even own a dinosaur NFT, and vote on what happens to them. A prime example of this style of governance, which has already been implemented, is&nbsp;<a href="https://dao.decentraland.org/en/">Decentraland</a> – the first fully decentralized virtual world. &nbsp;Web3: impactful or harmfulSo, users have more control on the internet, no soul-selling required, and they have access to some pretty cool applications in Web3. Not too shabby. How do we access it though, and what will its influence be? Unfortunately, most Web3 applications require some sort of capital to take part in the communities, be that through buying NFTs or land in a virtual world, or through offering your own server space. As it remains, Web3 is more a space for either the ultra wealthy or for techies who understand all the details of blockchain technology and programming.&nbsp;We also can’t ignore the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.investopedia.com/tech/whats-environmental-impact-cryptocurrency/">negative impact</a> that blockchain technology has on the environment. While an internet built on blockchain will lead us closer to user-controlled platforms, most of the blockchain is built using&nbsp;proof of work, which consumes enormous amounts of energy to verify work done on the blockchain, leading to even more carbon emissions. To combat this, specialists are pushing towards&nbsp;proof of stake verification, which reduces the amount of computational work needed to verify blocks and transactions that keep the blockchain secure, therefore reducing carbon emissions as well (<a href="https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/proof-stake-pos.asp#:~:text=Proof%2Dof%2Dstake%20is%20a,and%20keeping%20the%20database%20secure.">Investopedia</a>). &nbsp;Final thoughtsSo, we’re better off with what we have then? Not necessarily. There simply needs to be more research into Web3. As stated in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/us/en/insights/focus/tech-trends.html">Tech Trends 2022</a> report, the current state of blockchain and other platforms “is not unlike that of the Internet in 1997: clunky, with an inadequate user interface, but with lots of possibility for enterprise applications.” Imagine the possibilities of where Web3 could take us, once we find the right applications. As Doc said, “Your future is whatever you make it. So, make it a good one.” To the drawing board!We can’t wait to hear even more about the topics surrounding Web3 at VivaTech and what solutions might push us towards the future of the internet.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass?ca=FPRSB4T3X">Join us</a> from June 15 to listen to top speakers on the subject like John Karp, CEO of NFT Factory; Tami Bhaumik, VP of Civility and Partnerships at Roblox; and Alex de Vries, Data Scientist and Blockchain Specialist. See you there!

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Traveling through the ages of the internet, where is Web3 taking us?

<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/122_Jeu_Stage_Y_Keynote_by_Nunu_Ntshingila_Ntshingila_010_32730bb418/122_Jeu_Stage_Y_Keynote_by_Nunu_Ntshingila_Ntshingila_010_32730bb418.jpg"></figure>Nunu Ntshingila, Facebook's Head of Africa, speaking at VivaTech 2019The impact that new tech solutions can have in Africa is significant, and the continent’s tech startup scene continues to grow. Entrepreneurship has been a driving force for social and economic growth, as well as a powerful tool to boost innovation – tech startups are disrupting all sectors, introducing innovative solutions that can help address key challenges in areas like climate change, food security, financial inclusion, and access to essential products and services for underserved populations.&nbsp;Yet, African startups still find it difficult to scale because of lack of funding, among other reasons. According to reports from&nbsp;<a href="https://briter-bridges.typeform.com/liveable-cities?typeform-source=briterbridges.com">Briter Bridges</a>, investments in African tech startups reached $4.9 billion in 2021, a considerable increase from the $2.4 billion invested in 2020. While investments are moving in the right direction, this is still a fraction compared to the funding that startups received in other parts of the world.To help support the growth of startups with impactful solutions in Africa, VivaTech has partnered with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/corp_ext_content/ifc_external_corporate_site/home">International Finance Corporation</a> (IFC) to launch the first edition of the&nbsp;AfricaTech Awards, which will take place at VivaTech in June 2022. The&nbsp;initiative aims to help create new market opportunities for emerging startups with great impact potential in Africa, catalyzing support and inspiring action from investors, policymakers, fellow entrepreneurs, and leading institutions in the tech space.&nbsp;There are three award categories – Climate Tech, sponsored by New Energy Nexus; Health Tech, sponsored by Orange; and&nbsp;FinTech, sponsored by Cassava Technologies.&nbsp; This first edition received over 300 applications from innovative tech startups&nbsp;– an impressive start! Each startup’s mission must address one of the three awards categories. Their solutions range from telemedicine and microlending platforms to solar panel pavers and so much more.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/Communication_Kit_Africa_Tech_Awards_Top_45_1_a5425ad56a/Communication_Kit_Africa_Tech_Awards_Top_45_1_a5425ad56a.png"></figure>&nbsp;On May 2, VivaTech, along with IFC, announced the long list of the&nbsp;top 45 startups&nbsp;– 15 for each category – for the 2022 AfricaTech Awards. Our Knowledge Partner,&nbsp;<a href="https://www2.deloitte.com/za/en/pages/deloitte-africa/topics/deloitte-africa.html">Deloitte Africa</a>,&nbsp; supported us in the selection of startups based on specific criteria, including their potential impact on society/the environment, the level of innovation and scalability of their solutions and business models, as well as the experience and diversity of their teams. Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa, and Morocco had the most startups selected for the top 45, and the average amount of funds raised for each business in the long list was $1.14 million.&nbsp;⇒&nbsp;<a href="https://challenges.vivatechnology.com/en/challenges/africatech-awards/pages/top-45?lang=en">Check out the full list of the top 45 selected startups here!</a>As a next step, a jury of industry experts will narrow down the list to nine finalists – three from each category. The top nine finalists will be invited to VivaTech in June, where they will have the opportunity to showcase their innovations and pitch their ideas in front of a global audience of top investors, tech industry leaders, and media, among others.&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/IFC_president_2bec6e6cf4/IFC_president_2bec6e6cf4.png"></figure>Makhtar Diop, IFC Managing Director. Photo credit: Africa Business Communities“Africa is buzzing with innovative tech solutions that can help address climate change, promote food security, and expand financial inclusion,” said&nbsp;Makhtar Diop, IFC's Managing Director. “Yet over 80% of African startups report difficulties in accessing funding. Initiatives like the AfricaTech Awards, which bring together entrepreneurs, governments, and investors, are key to attracting the resources and support that tech startups need to scale their innovations across the continent and beyond.”Through pan-African initiatives like this one, we want to shine a spotlight on and support the many entrepreneurs who are making a difference in their communities and beyond. Their tech innovations have the potential to address pressing global challenges, and together, we can help them scale where they are needed the most. Stay tuned to find out which innovative startups will be selected as the top nine finalists this year!&nbsp;

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Boosting Innovation Across Africa – AfricaTech Awards Finalists

Aviant<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/378_1946324_b87b385674/378_1946324_b87b385674.jpg"></figure>Photo credit: AviantCarrier pigeons may be a thing of the past, but the idea of sending objects through the air got startup&nbsp;<a href="https://www.aviant.no/">Aviant</a> thinking of new means of air travel: fully autonomous delivery drones. What started as a way to help out the Scandinavian healthcare system during the Covid pandemic, soon developed into a full-stack drone service for the transport of cargo. Three students from MIT saw a problem arising in their home country of Norway and decided to make a change.&nbsp;Norway is a very difficult country to traverse and transporting Covid tests and vaccines posed a problem for hospitals. So, the students developed a drone program that could transport goods over 120 kilometers away. The drone delivery proved to be faster, greener, and more flexible than the current transportation system. The drones pick up the cargo, fly autonomously to their destination, and safely deliver the goods to a landing platform. A solution that could bring drone delivery to homes and businesses anywhere in the world.&nbsp;Instruments of Things<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/instrumentofthings_3d28fee315/instrumentofthings_3d28fee315.jpg"></figure>Photo credit: Instrument of ThingsFancy yourself a dancer? What about a musician? You can be both at the same time with&nbsp;<a href="https://instrumentsofthings.com/">Instrument of Things</a>’ wearables. YOU become the instrument with sensors that attach to your wrists and ankles. They connect to your smartphone or computer via bluetooth and sense your movements to make them audible. The SOMI-1 motion sensor wearable is a revolution in the music industry. Dancers can now have power over the music and its tempo, because their bodies are the ones in control. Get creative, and start dancing.&nbsp;German Bionic<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:49.56%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/German_Bionic_5th_Generation_Cray_X_connected_5958f4fb3b/German_Bionic_5th_Generation_Cray_X_connected_5958f4fb3b.jpg"></figure>Photo credit: German BionicDo you think that robots will be the future of the workforce? Think again. Augmented humans might just be where our prospects lie. Employees can do their jobs stronger, faster, safer, and better thanks to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.germanbionic.com/en">German Bionic</a>. They’ve got your back, literally. The German Bionic Cray X power suit attaches to workers to provide up to 30 kg support per lifting movement for the lower back as well as active walking assistance for the legs. So, it basically makes you into a superhero? Almost. The exoskeleton suit helps employees work easier when lifting, loading, or moving large or heavy objects. Their goal is to boost productivity while decreasing strains or injuries during work. Humans could be the new robots of tomorrow!&nbsp;Ascento<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/ascento_ccfaebf59c/ascento_ccfaebf59c.jpg"></figure>Photo credit: AscentoYour next post delivery might be delivered by a robot – not just any robot, but a two-wheeled jumping robot that can go up stairs!&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ascento.ch/">Ascento</a> Pro is the newest development from Switzerland-based startup Ascento. The original design started as a student project from a group of bachelor students at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, but developed into a technology that may revolutionize the robotics market. Ascento can be used for a wide range of needs: inspection and surveillance in large industrial areas, transport and delivery to make transportation tasks fast and effortless, and research and development. A versatile little robot indeed.&nbsp;KNEXT<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/KNEXT_1024x614_7d9735dde5/KNEXT_1024x614_7d9735dde5.jpeg"></figure>Photo credit: KNEXTEveryone knows that baristas make the best coffees. But what if your barista was a robot? would it still make high-quality, handcrafted coffee? Yes!&nbsp;<a href="https://www.knext-solutions.com/">KNEXT</a> combined in-depth hospitality experience with cutting-edge technological know-how to create a robo-barista that crafts coffee drinks that are just as instagrammable as your local coffee chain’s – it even manages robotic​ latte art, like the classic milk foam hearts. The entire system can be set up in less than 3 square meters, which decreases the amount of space needed for a typical coffee station. KNEXT believes that technology should always empower the barista and enable better focus on hospitality and guest experience.&nbsp;Unitree<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/1_0_ea47823da5_44a9de598c/1_0_ea47823da5_44a9de598c.jpeg"></figure>Photo credit: UnitreeCan your canine friend carry your water bottle on walks, hold your goods at the grocery store, or help you choose a better route for your next run? You might want to invest in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.unitree.com/products/go1/">Go1</a> from Unitree then. They’ve developed a new kind of robot dog, with the intention of making their technologies more accessible to consumers – some comparative robot dogs can cost upwards of $74,000, while the Go1 has a base price of just $2,700. The intelligent robot walks beside humans, avoids obstacles, and can run at 2.5 meters per second speeds. We might get one to carry our computer around at VivaTech this year!These are some exciting additions to our already inspiring list of innovations that will be present in June. Want to grab a coffee from KNEXT and take a stroll with the Go1 on the VivaTech floor?&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vivatechnology.com/get-your-pass">Join us</a> at VivaTech on June 15th! And stay tuned to see which innovations we will reveal next month!

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Tech Radar: April’s Innovation Reveal

<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/TOP_30_FFC_ALL_c00ff8fcb5/TOP_30_FFC_ALL_c00ff8fcb5.png"></figure>Photo credit: VivaTechHave you seen the&nbsp;<a href="https://cpblondon.com/news/imagine-a-world-where-gender-makes-no-difference/">Imagine</a> poster campaign by CPB London? If not, let’s give it a go – imagine a CEO. Is it a man? Now imagine a nurse. Is it a woman? As much as we would like to think that gender bias doesn’t play a role in our everyday thoughts, it is more deeply rooted than we think. This campaign shed some light on career stereotypes that are in every industry. In the tech sphere, which is largely dominated by men, it can be hard for women to break into the scene, especially into high-level roles like CEO. For example, in 2020&nbsp;<a href="https://2020.stateofeuropeantech.com/chapter/diversity-inclusion/article/diversity-inclusion/">only 1.7%</a> of capital raised in Europe went to women founders – which is unfortunately a decline from 2017 when it was at 2.6%. The numbers are even worse for women of color –&nbsp;<a href="https://2020.stateofeuropeantech.com/chapter/diversity-inclusion/article/diversity-inclusion/">only 0.02%</a> of funds in Europe went to black women founders.For this exact reason, VivaTech launches the&nbsp;Female Founder Challenge (FFC) every year, in partnership with 50inTech. The goal of the challenge is to facilitate VC-startup meetings to accelerate the financing of women-led startups all around the world and to urge VC funds to commit to more gender equality at all levels.&nbsp;Any self-identifying woman founder, co-founder, CEO or co-CEO of a global startup in the process of raising funds can apply for the FFC. This year, for the fourth edition of the challenge, over&nbsp;500 women from&nbsp;69 different countries applied to participate. A new record! The founders' exciting projects range from a variety of sectors including software development, healthtech, fintech, and many more. Every single applicant will get access to a special online Bootcamp with sessions on best fundraising practices from expert investors and founders. The speakers include&nbsp;Lubomila Jordanova, founder of Plan A (which just&nbsp;<a href="https://plana.earth/academy/plan-a-raises-usd-10-million-carbon-accounting-esg-management-platform/">raised $10 million</a> in its series A funding), who will share her key takeaways on how to conduct a roadshow;&nbsp;Nelly Lavielle, partner at BGV, who will talk about how to build a pitch deck; and&nbsp;Arthur Porré, Founding Partner at Avolta Partners, who will speak about how to prepare for fundraising.&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/104_PIT_Ven_Female_Founder_Challenge_032_0dabd147d0/104_PIT_Ven_Female_Founder_Challenge_032_0dabd147d0.jpg"></figure>Vivian Nwakah, 2019 FFC winner. Photo credit: VivaTechThe top five finalists will be invited to VivaTech in June to pitch their solution in front of a jury of top VCs and investors. They will also get the opportunity to talk one-on-one with a VC during their Office Hours at VivaTech – a unique moment where they can get specific feedback on their project, pitch, fundraising, and more.After all five finalists have pitched their projects, the FFC jury will choose one winner. This year’s VC jury is made up of&nbsp;Nicolas Debock, Managing Director at Eurazeo;&nbsp;Didier Lallemand, Managing Director at Société Générale Ventures;&nbsp;Shikha Ahluwalia, Investor at Balderton;&nbsp;Candice de Fretay, Investor at Accel; and&nbsp;Aurore Falque-Pierrotin, Partner at Samaipata. The selection criteria for the FFC winner is based on four aspects: innovation, scalability, team profile, and business model of the startup. The winner gets private meetings with the VC jury and a startup booth at VivaTech 2023; an opportunity to show VivaTech how much they’ve been able to learn and grow in one year!&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/097_STD_Jeu_Office_Hours_015_46ee603694/097_STD_Jeu_Office_Hours_015_46ee603694.jpg"></figure>Investor Office Hours. Photo credit: VivaTechLast year’s&nbsp;<a href="https://challenges.vivatechnology.com/en/challenges/female-founder-challenge/pages/back-to-2021?lang=en">winner</a>, Clarisse Hagège, co-founded&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dfns.co/">DFNS</a>, a start-up that provides banks and fintechs with an infrastructure to secure their cryptocurrencies. DFNS has just completed a seed round of 12.3 million euros coming from a dozen investors including White Star Capital, Coinbase, the Dutch bank ABN AMRO, Bpifrance and Xavier Niel. "VivaTech allowed me to not only meet my mentor, Claire Calmejane, who later put me in touch with the right people for my fundraising, but also to establish credibility with investors,” Hagège stated.&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/VIVATECH_R_BORD_0869_214727fd71/VIVATECH_R_BORD_0869_214727fd71.jpg"></figure>Clarisse Hagège, 2021 FFC winner. Photo credit: VivaTechFrom the 504 applicants in 2022, 30 were chosen for the Top 30 FFC List,&nbsp;<a href="https://vivatechnology.com/media/press-releases/to-close-the-gender-gap-in-funding-vivatech-and-50intech-join-forces">announced</a> this week. The finalists come from twelve different countries and their projects extend beyond ten different sectors. We’ve compiled a highlight of the top finalists for this year’s challenge and more about each of their projects;&nbsp;<a href="https://challenges.vivatechnology.com/en/challenges/female-founder-challenge/pages/top-30-female-founders-2022?lang=en">discover it here</a>.&nbsp;With such an exciting line-up of female-led startups, we can’t wait to see which ones will come out on top. You’ll be able to catch the pitches of the five finalists on the stage at VivaTech on June 17th. By spotlighting self-identifying women founders through challenges like this one we get one step closer towards the larger goal of closing the gender gap in funding across the tech industry. Here’s to a future where we imagine CEOs as any gender!

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Empowering Women-Led Businesses – VivaTech’s Top 30 Female Founders

<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/hand_holding_young_plant_on_blur_green_nature_concept_eco_earth_day_9c2af2b771/hand_holding_young_plant_on_blur_green_nature_concept_eco_earth_day_9c2af2b771.jpeg"></figure>&nbsp;An annual survey of the state of European tech from Atomico, a London venture capital firm, has become the industry standard and a must read. The most recent report included an eye-popping number: in 2021, investment in purpose-driven startups in Europe was more than $12 billion, up more than 50 percent from the year before.That was hardly the only remarkable statistic. Overall investment in purpose-driven startups in Europe was 16 percent of the total investments in tech companies, well ahead of 10 percent in North America. And Europe’s share of early-stage purpose-driven investing (amounts of less than $5 million) was 61 percent of the global total.Clearly, Europe has become a center for such types of investments. But what are they and why are they popular in Europe?The idea of a purpose-driven startup would appear to be an oxymoron as any company has to have a purpose if it is to succeed. But the term refers to 17 sustainable development goals of the United Nations, which were first defined in 2012 at a conference in Rio de Janeiro. They encompass a range of priorities, including combating poverty and hunger, improving education, reducing inequality, reducing pollution, and combating global climate change.Those issues have no regional bias or boundaries, but they may have a particular resonance with Europeans.A receptive ecosystemLawrence Leuschner, the co-founder and chief executive of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.tier.app/en/">Tier Mobility</a>, a Berlin-based company that was started in 2018 but is already one of Europe’s leading clean-energy mobility providers, said that he thought that it was easier to establish and grow his company in Europe.“In Europe, many of our cities have excellent public transport options, they have built infrastructure to accommodate micro mobility (to varying degrees), and the populations are used to living with and already readily use micro mobility for travel,” Mr. Leuschner said.He added, “Also, climate change has been firmly on the political agenda in Europe for longer, making it a receptive and more supportive market in which to launch a company like TIER, dedicated to reducing emissions.”Regulation can be helpfulEurope has a reputation of being more tightly regulated than other markets and entrepreneurs often chafe at those rules because they say that it can stifle innovation and creativity.There is doubtless truth to those claims.But the regulations arise out of concerns for protecting small companies from predatory competition, fighting against inequality in the workplace, and protecting the environment, among other concerns. Companies that adapt to European regulations may have an easier time expanding in other markets because they have already overcome obstacles and proved themselves.Pierre Dubuc, the co-founder of&nbsp;<a href="https://openclassrooms.com/en/">Open Classrooms</a>, a company that has provided online vocational training for 2.5 million people, explained, “Education is a very regulated market and the fact of having started in Europe, where the market is basically more regulated, is probably an asset. We are indeed more ‘equipped’ compared to our American competitors, with an already accredited product and an organization accustomed to regulation and the public sector.”&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/openclassrooms_4f87b6a542/openclassrooms_4f87b6a542.jpg" alt=""></figure>OpenClassrooms has raised almost $150 million in funding since its start. Photo credit: SalesforceMany bright spotsLooking around Europe, it is easy to be optimistic about the place of purpose-driven startups in the ecosystem. The ten largest fundraising deals for such investments in 2021 all surpassed $100 million, according to Atomico, with one, for&nbsp;Northvolt, the company that makes lithium-ion batteries, raking in $2.8 billion.Other deals included&nbsp;Back Market ($335 million),&nbsp;Kry&nbsp;($312 million),&nbsp;Vinted&nbsp;($275 million),&nbsp;Volocopter&nbsp;($241 million), and&nbsp;Vestiaire Collective ($210 million).Some catching up to doDespite the progress of purpose-driven startups in Europe, investments in them still lag behind those in the United States, according to Atomico. In 2021, the total capital in such investments in the United States was $24 billion, or about double the investments in Europe. In addition, the total amount of capital invested in purpose-driven deals as a percentage of all investing declined in Europe to 14 percent in 2021 from 17 percent in 2020.Mr. Dubuc, whose company has raised $150 million over the years, said that, in general, he had found it easier to raise capital outside of Europe. “There are more investors outside of Europe, particularly in the United States,” he said. “And they are often more agile.”Mr. Leuschner of Tier Mobility, which completed a $200 million round of series D funding last October, with investments from Softbank of Japan and Mubadala Capital of the United Arab Emirates, among others, said investors outside Europe were more knowledgeable about his sector, which made approaching them easier. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/tier_mobility_trottinette_scooter_82ee2da429/tier_mobility_trottinette_scooter_82ee2da429.jpg"></figure>Tier offers e-scooters, e-mopeds, and e-bikes in urban settings. Photo credit: Tier MobilityEU plansLeaders in Europe are sensitive to the needs of entrepreneurs and are taking steps to help the European ecosystem catch up to North America and Asia.The European Commission has created what it calls a Digital Compass that has identified four areas that must be addressed to improve Europe’s digital future. It includes improving government services by having them 100 percent online, having a trained workforce of at least 20 million information and technology specialists, improving infrastructure by putting highly secure edge nodes into service and developing high-end semiconductor factories, and helping most businesses have access to cloud, artificial intelligence and big data service.Spurred by the French government, a project called&nbsp;<a href="https://scaleupeurope.tech/">Scale-Up Europe</a> has also been created. It will have access to $3.5 billion in late-stage funding, will help cut through bureaucracy to make recruiting talent easier, and identify the next generation of unicorns.These steps may not be enough to allow Europe to overtake North America and Asia, but they should help. They are making entrepreneurs like Mr. Leuschner, who has started his own investment fund for purpose-driven startups called&nbsp;Blue Impact Ventures, more comfortable with Europe as a nexus for startups.“These factors, combined with the fact that I am from Berlin and know my home market, means that Germany - and Europe in general - was the best place for me to start TIER,” Mr. Leuschner said.

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Europe: Fertile Soil for Purpose-Driven Startups

<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/Climework_carbone_c7da134723/Climework_carbone_c7da134723.jpg"></figure>Direct air carbon capture technology from Climeworks. Photo credit: ClimeworksCarbon removal is having a breakthrough moment.Climate scientists warn that to keep global warming below dangerous levels we will require some way to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Startups in Europe and North America are scaling solutions and raising record funds to do exactly that.In April alone, Swiss startup&nbsp;<a href="https://climeworks.com/">Climeworks</a> completed the biggest funding round for a carbon-removal startup yet, five companies led by payments unicorn&nbsp;<a href="https://stripe.com/en-fr">Stripe</a> said they’d spend nearly $1 billion to buy carbon removal through to 2030, and climate-tech investment firm&nbsp;Lowercarbon Capital&nbsp;announced a $350 million fund focused exclusively on startups in the field.“We are seeing real traction in the market,’’ said Hannah Bebbington, head of strategy for&nbsp;Stripe Climate. “Both from the companies executing and also from investors starting to really put investment behind them.’’Carbon removal is “unavoidable’’ to reach net zero around 2050, and only reducing emissions is no longer enough, the UN’s IPCC said in its latest report in April. Dozens of startups are on the case, with solutions from growing kelp to capture CO2 to filtering the gas from air, crushing rocks to react with atmospheric carbon, or turning biomass into carbon-rich black liquid sludge or charcoal.“It’s definitely a critical moment for the development of carbon dioxide removal,’’ said Mahmoud Abouelnaga, Solutions Fellow at the&nbsp;Center for Climate and Energy Solutions in Arlington, Virginia. “The technology has been demonstrated, the issue is we need to demonstrate at scale.’’The world may need to suck up to 10 billion tons a year of CO2 from the atmosphere by mid-century to stay on track for global emissions targets, more than the ocean absorbs every year, according to scientists. Compare that with the world’s largest direct-air capture facility, operated by&nbsp;Climeworks&nbsp;in Iceland, whose filters capture 4,000 tons of CO2 per year from the atmosphere.“We estimate today only 10,000 tons of permanent carbon removal from these type of solutions has been done, so the scale up here is what’s so important to recognize,’’ Bebbington said.&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/heirloomcarbon_24e1fbf96e/heirloomcarbon_24e1fbf96e.png"></figure>Heirloom Carbon uses minerals to draw down CO2. Photo credit: Technology ReviewPumping up the fundingClimeworks, which showcased its technology at VivaTech in 2021, raised 600 million Swiss francs earlier this month, and plans to use the funding to scale its direct-air capture plants to multi-million-ton capacity.Carbon removal definitely has investors’ attention, with startups raising more than $820 million in funding so far this year.&nbsp;<a href="https://verdox.com/">Verdox</a>, which designed an electric system to soak up carbon from the air, received $80 million in February, while&nbsp;<a href="https://www.heirloomcarbon.com/">Heirloom</a>, which heats limestone to sponge up CO2 through mineralisation, raised $53 million in March.Global funding for carbon capture, utilization and storage jumped more than fourfold last year to $1.44 billion, data from CB Insights shows. That’s after spending in the area accounted for less than 0.5% of global investment in clean energy and efficiency through to 2020, according to the International Energy Agency.The IPCC stressing the importance of CO2 removal is a “clear signal’’ to investors this is a safe area to invest in, indicating that the technology will be needed, Abouelnaga said. Some industrial processes, such as cement production, produce carbon even when powered by 100% clean energy, and those emissions need to be captured in some way.Lowercarbon, which announced its carbon-removal fund this month, has backed startups including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.runningtide.com/">Running Tide</a>, which aims to pull CO2 out of the atmosphere through kelp farms, and then sinking the kelp to sequester carbon on the ocean floor. The fund also invested in&nbsp;<a href="https://charmindustrial.com/">Charm Industrial</a>, which converts biomass into a carbon-loaded oil that can be injected into underground storage.Payment startup&nbsp;Stripe, whose co-founder John Collison has spoken at VivaTech, has been buying carbon removal credits from the likes of&nbsp;Climeworks,&nbsp;Heirloom&nbsp;and&nbsp;Running Tide for the past two years. The Dublin-based company, together with&nbsp;Alphabet,&nbsp;Meta,&nbsp;Shopify&nbsp;and&nbsp;McKinsey, is taking that a step further, committing to purchase $925 million worth of carbon removal through 2030.The Stripe initiative, called&nbsp;Frontier, was inspired by the advanced market commitments that helped fund development of vaccines against pneumococcal disease and, according to Bebbington. The commitment corrects a market failure caused by the fact it had been unclear who would buy future carbon-removal capacity, she said.“Market uncertainty has been a huge bottleneck to getting the field on the right track, such that it can scale to 10 billion tons a year by 2050,’’ Bebbington said. “The angle here is to provide a very robust demand signal to the market. Essentially, build and we will buy.’’Frontier&nbsp;is “ready to start buying carbon removal from really exciting technologies today,’’ and wants startups to hear that signal loud and clear, according to Bebbington. She said that while carbon removal is still really expensive, the only way to get costs for CO2 removal below $100 a ton is to start buying credits “in earnest’’ today.The future of the carbon removal market&nbsp;Carbon removal could become an up to $1 trillion market by 2050, depending on required capacity and prices, Bebbington said.Historically, the costs for some environmental technologies have fallen faster than expected once deployed, said Abouelnaga at the&nbsp;Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. He highlighted sulfur capture in the 1970s, where costs went down ten times faster than predicted by economic studies, as well as solar photovoltaic and onshore wind.“We need to see how economies of scale in the carbon-dioxide removal area will drive down the cost,’’ Abouelnaga said. “Would it be fast enough to achieve that by mid-century, that’s the trillion-dollar question.’’With hundreds of startups trying different technology and nature-driven fixes to bend the emissions curve, there’s also a question of how to measure carbon removal across the emerging industry.“For any of these projects to get the carbon-removal credits that they aspire to, they need to demonstrate on a lifecycle analysis that they are net negative,’’ Abouelnaga said. “We are not there yet for carbon utilization or carbon removal.’’&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/homepage_thefutureforestcompany_trees_3_58535fa852/homepage_thefutureforestcompany_trees_3_58535fa852.jpg"></figure>Future Forest Co. is on their way to planting their first one million trees. Photo credit: Future Forest Co.Nature vs. technology-based methodsTechnology-based approaches to removing CO2, even those that use some sort of natural process, have the advantage of being scalable and providing permanent carbon storage, according to Abouelnaga. That’s not necessarily the case for so-called nature-based solutions such as reforestation, where a wildfire could undo all carbon benefits.Forests, which on balance absorb 7.6 billion tons of CO2 a year, are faltering because of deforestation, forest fires and other disturbances, with the Congo the only large tropical rain forest that remains a strong net carbon sink, according to the&nbsp;World Resources Institute.Scottish startup&nbsp;<a href="https://thefutureforestcompany.com/">The Future Forest Co</a>. wants to plant 50 million trees by 2025, and combine that with technologies to remove ten times more carbon than through reforestation alone. The company plans to produce carbon-rich biochar from forest waste, and spread crushed rock on its lands to accelerate the natural weathering process that naturally removes CO2 from rainwater.“Oftentimes, the best solutions are actually a mix of natural processes and some kind of tech acceleration,’’ Bebbington said, citing Running Tide and The Future Forest Co. as examples.&nbsp;<figure class="image image-style-align-center image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://storage.googleapis.com/cdn.vivatechnology.com/vt-prd/medias/135_Jeu_Stage_Y_Reversing_Climate_Change_Egger_Sombsthay_030_6b853b5cb3/135_Jeu_Stage_Y_Reversing_Climate_Change_Egger_Sombsthay_030_6b853b5cb3.jpg"></figure>Daniel Egger, Head of Marketing and Sales at Climeworks, speaking at VivaTech. Photo credit: VivaTechThe decade of actionClimate tech startups raised $39.2 billion in 2021, and dollars for carbon technology rose about tenfold, significantly more than other sectors, according to a tally by&nbsp;Climate Tech VC. With global CO2 emissions climbing to their highest level ever last year, there’s no time to waste to put that money to good use.“This is the decade of action,’’ Abouelnaga said. “On the mitigation side, but also on the scaling of innovative technologies for carbon removal.’’While more carbon removal startups emerge over the next decade, there will be plenty of progress in these technologies. At VivaTech, we love supporting innovations that are making a difference in our world. We are excited that a handful of these startups are working to tackle carbon emissions and that many more will be on the event floor starting June 15th. Keep in touch to find out which ones!&nbsp;

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