With VivaTech 2025 just around the corner, excitement is building for another unforgettable edition packed with bold ideas and game-changing insights. Looking for inspiration or want a sneak peek at some of the 400 brightest minds on stage? This year, our team has handpicked a selection of standout speakers who are sure to draw a crowd.
Ready to dive in? Here are the VivaTech team’s top speaker picks for 2025:
Vanessa Wyche, Acting Associate Administrator, NASA
Vanessa Wyche brings a remarkable track record of space leadership to VivaTech. As a top executive at NASA, she oversees strategic operations for thousands of employees and steers critical national programs. Her influence spans decades, from shaping missions at the Johnson Space Center to championing the future of human spaceflight and low Earth orbit commercialization. A bioengineer by training and a trailblazer in aerospace, Wyche’s contributions have earned her some of the field’s highest honors. Beyond her executive leadership, she’s an advocate for STEM education and serves on multiple boards driving innovation and inclusion in science and technology.
Session: New Worlds, New Markets: The Future of Space is Now
June 12 in the Dôme de Paris
Zak Brown, CEO, McLaren Racing
At the helm of McLaren Racing, Zak Brown has redefined what it means to lead in high-performance motorsport. Since stepping in as CEO, he has revitalized the team’s competitive edge and expanded its presence beyond Formula 1 into IndyCar, Formula E, esports, and endurance racing. His leadership has fused bold strategy with commercial savvy, turning McLaren into a global symbol of speed, technology, and transformation.
At VivaTech, Brown will share how McLaren’s data-driven mindset and precision-engineering approach are being applied far beyond the track in a groundbreaking partnership with Sanofi that’s bringing Formula 1-level performance to the future of healthcare.
Session: The Speed of Innovation: How Sanofi and Mclaren Are Redefining Performance
June 11 at 12:10-12:35 PM on Stage One
Alain Aspect, Professor, Institut d’Optique Graduate School
Nobel Prize-winning physicist Alain Aspect has spent his career exploring the deepest questions in quantum mechanics. Best known for his landmark experiments testing Bell’s inequalities, he was awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics for work that reshaped our understanding of the quantum world. A professor at Institut d’Optique and École Polytechnique, he has contributed extensively to fields such as quantum optics and laser cooling.
At VivaTech, Aspect joins a conversation on the disruptive power of quantum technologies. As quantum machines edge closer to reality, he’ll explore how this next-gen computing could upend cybersecurity, and how the very physics behind the threat might also hold the key to defending our digital future.
Session: Quantum Crossroads: Safeguarding Data in the Age of Breakthroughs
June 13 at 4:30-4:55 PM on Stage One
Tarika Barrett, CEO, Girls Who Code
Tarika Barrett, CEO of Girls Who Code, has spent two decades driving change in tech education and gender diversity, impacting over 670,000 young people globally. Tarika brings expertise in building inclusive pathways into the tech workforce and, under her leadership, Girls Who Code has become a leading force in closing the gender gap in technology.
At VivaTech, she’ll join a panel with Piotr Ciepiela, Natasa Perucica, and Despina Spanou, tackling the urgent cybersecurity talent shortage, a challenge made more pressing by evolving AI threats. The discussion will focus on how businesses and governments can work together to close skills gaps, boost diversity, and make cybersecurity careers more accessible and sustainable for the future.
Session: Cyber Skills & Talent Shortage: Who and Where to Hire?
June 13 at 12:10-12:45 PM on the Black Stage
Emily Charry Tissier, Co-Founder & CEO, Whale Seeker
As the co-founder and CEO of Whale Seeker and with over two decades of experience in coastal and Arctic ecosystems, Emily Charry Tissier is at the forefront of using AI to protect marine wildlife. Whale Seeker's innovative technology helps organizations protect biodiversity and reduce human impact on delicate ecosystems. Emily’s work has earned her recognition as one of the Top 100 Brilliant Women in AI Ethics, and she has presented at global platforms like the UN Forum on Science, Technology, and Innovation.
At VivaTech, Emily will dive into the urgent intersection of climate change and biodiversity loss, sharing how technology is transforming our approach to preserving ecosystems and safeguarding wildlife.
Session: How Can Tech Help Us Preserve the Natural Environment?
June 12 at 11:45-12:20 PM on the Black Stage
Jessica Burley, Investor, Planet A Ventures
Jessica Burley is an investor at Planet A Ventures, a VC firm leading the way in science-based impact investing. With a focus on early-stage startups that can scale planet-positive solutions, she’s helping redefine what sustainable growth looks like. Jessica’s roots are in climate policy. She studied at Cambridge and applied in the field through research with the UN Development Program before pivoting to the innovation space via climate startups and impact funds.
At VivaTech, she joins a panel with Sandrine Berthet, Michel Lutz, and Scott Likens tackling one of today’s most pressing questions: can artificial intelligence help get the energy transition back on course? She’ll explore how AI might unlock smarter, more equitable energy systems, and what it will take to turn potential into real-world progress.
Session: AI to the Rescue? Re-charting the Course to Net-Zero Energy
June 12 at 2:15-2:50 PM on the Blue Stage
Justin McLeod, Founder & CEO, Hinge
Justin McLeod, founder and CEO of Hinge, has transformed online dating by creating an app designed to foster meaningful, lasting relationships rather than endless swipes. After a background in consulting and business school, Justin launched Hinge in 2011 with the goal of helping people find real connections. This mission quickly resonated, making Hinge one of the fastest-growing dating apps in key markets after its acquisition by Match Group in 2018.
At VivaTech, Justin will join a panel with Esther Perel and Beatrice Nolan to explore the impact of AI on our relationships. They’ll debate whether algorithms enhance human connection or risk reducing love to data points, questioning how technology shapes intimacy and the future of matchmaking.
Session: The Algorithm of Affection: AI and the Future of Love
June 13 at 2:00-2:25 PM on the Blue Stage
Cliff Obrecht, Co-Founder & COO, Canva
Cliff Obrecht, Co-founder and COO of Canva, has helped build the company into a global powerhouse that empowers over 220 million users worldwide to design and communicate visually. Since launching in 2013, Canva has generated more than 25 billion designs and supports nonprofits by providing free access to its platform.
As Canva scales with a mission to maximize positive impact, Cliff will share five crucial lessons from the company’s remarkable growth journey. At VivaTech, he’ll offer a behind-the-scenes look at how these insights are driving Canva’s next chapter and continued global expansion.
Session: Designing the Future: 5 Lessons from a Decade of Hypergrowth
June 13 at 1:30-1:50 PM on Stage One
Catch Them All
VivaTech 2025 is only a few days away! Don't forget to get your pass and take a look at the full lineup of speakers here.
