2023: The Best Edition Yet

Our 2023 VivaTech edition came to a close June 17th. In terms of audience, speakers, content, and more it was our best edition yet.

Photo credit: VivaTech

We broke all the records this year! Across the two Halls at Porte de Versailles, VivaTech was a buzzing hub for the tech and startup communities for four days. Countless connections were made, startups showcased next-gen solutions, and the stages offered endless hours of insights from the greatest in tech.

2023 by the Numbers

Our 150,000 attendees flew in from all parts of the world, from 174 different countries to be exact! 2,800 exhibitors showed off their solutions and initiatives. 11,400 startups were present and had access to 1,700 investment funds over the three B2B days of VivaTech.

Online we saw record figures across the board as well. 919 million people were reached on social networks, 5 million viewers tuned in to the VivaTech News channel, and more than 6 billion impressions were made on social media.

Over 450 speakers grabbed the spotlight on our four stages, including a special conversation with Elon Musk that amassed over 6,000 people in the Dome de Paris.

“A Conversation with Elon Musk.” Photo credit: VivaTech

Quotes from the Greatest

With so many tech legends and innovation leaders on our stages, there were bound to be some moments of incredible insight. VivaTech’s greatest moments can be watched on demand if you missed your favorite speaker. See everything on demand.

"Life can’t be only solving problems one after the other. We need things that inspire us." – Elon Musk. Watch the full conversation.

"With diversity and inclusion, it"e;s all about leadership engagement. If it doesn"e;t come from the top, forget about it." – Corine de Bilbao, President of Microsoft France. Watch the full session on ‘How Can We Reach Greater Diversity in Tech’

“Something big is happening with generative AI. It took 2 months for ChatGPT to reach a hundred million users, versus 9 months for TikTok and 2.5 years for Instagram.” – Christel Heydemann, CEO of Orange. Watch the full session on ‘Efficient, Ethical, Embedded: The New Era Powered by Generative AI’.

"Technology will aid our path to net zero, but the real challenge is shifting our marketing machine and transforming our mindset and culture." – Cyril Garcia, Global Head of Sustainable Services & Corporate Responsibility at Capgemini. Watch the full session on ‘Clean Atmosphere: Can We Decarbonize Earth’

"AI"e;s transformation of healthcare, medicine, and fundamental biology is just getting started. It will enable us to democratize things that are now really expensive." – Zoubin Ghahrama, VP of Google DeepMind. Watch the full session on ‘The Promise of AI’.

Female Founder Challenge Award ceremony. Photo credit: VivaTech

Tech Happenings

In addition to the inspiring sessions at VivaTech, we hosted our four major awards and challenges once again. Zuzanna Stamirowska, founder of French deeptech startup Pathway, the first Python framework for easily building data products, walked away as the Female Founder Challenge winner. Karl Andersson, from Swedish food waste scale-up Matsmart, was crowned as Europe’s Next Unicorn. For the AfricaTech Awards, one startup won in each category: Kubik for Climate Tech, Curacel for FinTech, and Waspito in the Health Tech category. And on Saturday, Mateo Beacco with his startup Ida was chosen as the Next Startupper.

On June 14, SNCF Voyageurs privatized carriages on cross-border trains from four European startup hubs – Zurich, Barcelona, London, and Milan – to converge in Paris in the most environmentally friendly way. The initiative, named Tech on Tracks, included speed dating sessions and pitch contests on board each train.

The Good Hack, a community brainstorming hackathon, amassed over 9,200 participants. Over four days at VivaTech, everyone worked together tackle the question: How can we bring more women into the tech ecosystem After thousands of votes and 15 acceleration workshops, one project came out on top. "Bring school-aged girls to tech events or summer bootcamps, where they can discover the tech world." This project will be supported for one year by VivaTech and the project partners Make.org, Schoolab, and Klaxoon.

After a hard day of networking, attendees gathered in the Food Court for the Viva After Work every evening. Visitors enjoyed the outdoor space with a pint, listened to live music, and extended the networking opportunities to meet with even more connections.