Last June, VivaTech 2023 set new records, and we couldn't imagine surpassing them just a year later. Yet, here we are, celebrating the incredible success of VivaTech 2024, where we broke attendance records once again. Let’s dive into the highlights of these unforgettable four days.
2024 in Numbers
VivaTech 2024 saw over 165,000 visitors, a 10% increase from last year. The event attracted 13,500 startups, who had the chance to build business relationships across more than 25 business sectors and connect with over 2,000 investors. With representation from 120 countries and 40 country pavilions including Japan, our Country of the Year, the global impact of VivaTech 2024 was truly remarkable.
Online, social media outreach soared, reaching more than 2 billion people worldwide. VivaTech News, the event’s global broadcast channel, amassed 6.5 million viewers from across the globe.
From left, Pierre Louette, Linda Yaccarino, Kevin Mayer, David Kenny. Photo credit: VivaTech
The Champions of Tech
On the stage, over 400 international speakers spoke, debated, and shared their expert views. We listened to the likes of Elon Musk, Serena & Venus Williams, Robin Li, CEO of Baidu, Arthur Mensch, CEO of Mistral AI, Linda Yaccarino, CEO of X, Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, Meredith Whittaker, President of Signal Foundation, and so many more. Here are some of the most inspiring quotes from our top speakers!
Serena & Venus Williams spoke about the intersection of sports and business and talked about their current investment strategy. "We want to invest in diversity. We believe in women of color, in men of color, in diversity of ideas. Ideas that are different, that help [everyone], not only the elite 10% of the world," Serena shared.
For Venus, stepping into the business world wasn’t easy, but not doing so might have been a mistake. "I won my biggest match when I had to go out of my comfort zone. It's so easy to stay in the comfort zone and just maybe hope that something great will happen," she said.
On addressing fast fashion on their platform, Marie-Christin Oebel, CMO at Vestiare Collective, explained, "...86% (of our users) just switched to premium or luxury second-hand items... So actually by educating them on the fast fashion problem, we managed to get a behavioral change."
In a push to protect freedom of speech around the world, Linda Yaccarino, X’s CEO explained the recent happenings on X in Australia. "There was a need for X to stand up and protect people to maintain access to information. The good news is, the people prevailed so we're happy to be that beacon of light and place for truth."
Elon Musk was back at VivaTech again for an exclusive Q&A. In response to how AI development can remain transparent, he said, "It's important that AI is trained to be truthful, and not to be politically correct. Political correctness is often simply not true, and that means you're programming AI to lie, and I think that will backfire very badly. Honesty is the best policy."
AI was center stage at VivaTech. Swami Sivasubram, VP of Database Analytics & ML at AWS Cloud, touched on how it’s entering every business. "We're entering a space where AI is now at the center of every board room discussion, and every industry is reinventing itself with generative AI."
From left, Olivia Hervy, Zuzanna Stamirowska, Albane Dersy. Photo credit: VivaTech
Where Are the Winners?
Startup awards and challenges are a core of VivaTech every year. Let’s see which startups came out on top!
On Thursday, the spotlight was on two prestigious awards: the Female Founder Challenge and the LVMH Innovation Award. Albane Dersy, Co-founder of Inbolt, claimed the 2024 FFC title, while Morgan Mao, Co-founder of FancyTech, received the 2024 LVMH Innovation Award grand prize from Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH.
On Friday, the AfricaTech Awards winners were announced on Stage One. In the Climate Tech category, Schoolz from Egypt won for promoting eco-friendly transportation. In the Fintech category, South Africa's Inclusivity Solutions was recognized for making insurance accessible to emerging consumers. In the Health Tech category, Thalia Psychotherapy from Kenya was honored for addressing the mental health crisis in Africa.
On Saturday, The Next Startupper Challenge pitch took place and Jacques de Montigny walked away as the winner with his positive impact project Green Fusyon, and a €5,000 check to boost his business.
On the gaming side of VivaTech this year, the Corpo League Final was held on Saturday. Alten France earned a victory after eight months of effort and intense competition. They won the title of champions, establishing themselves as the best team among the eight competitors.
Exhibiting on the AI Avenue. Photo credit: VivaTech
What’s Next?
With new records set and incredible tech showcased, the bar is higher than ever for next year's VivaTech. After such an unforgettable edition, mark your calendars for next year's dates. Join us from June 11-14, 2025, to continue your exploration of the worldwide tech ecosystem in Paris.
Want more insights from the stage? Take a look at our daily digests from VivaTech 2024. Day One Digest, Day Two Digest, Day Three Digest.