The Viva Technology summit, commonly known as VivaTech, is an annual international technology conference held in Paris, France, focused on fostering innovation by connecting startups, corporate leaders, investors, and policymakers. It is a large-scale, four-day event that functions as a platform for digital transformation and is considered Europe's premier tech gathering.
VivaTech was founded in 2016 by Publicis Groupe and Les Echos-Le Parisien Group. The event was created to position Paris as a key European tech hub and to solve the problem of a fragmented European tech ecosystem by providing a centralized place for startup-corporate collaborations. The inaugural edition, held from June 30 to July 2, 2016, drew over 45,000 visitors and featured approximately 5,000 startups.
The summit works by dedicating the first three days to professionals for business-to-business (B2B) activities, with the final day, the VivaTech Festival, open to the general public. Its mechanism involves keynote speeches, product demonstrations, and networking opportunities, such as the Startup Challenges, which are open innovation competitions where global corporations like LVMH and KPMG invite startups to solve specific business bottlenecks. Key features include the VivaTech Awards, which recognize innovative ventures, and the Impact Bridge initiative, which is dedicated to environmental and societal projects.
VivaTech connects to the global tech ecosystem, featuring speakers like Elon Musk and Yann LeCun, and partners with major institutions to host specialized events like the CMO Summit and the Tech Leaders Summit. A recent change is the introduction of the Impact Bridge in 2024, a dedicated space for positive impact startups and associations. Furthermore, the event achieved ISO 20121 certification for sustainable event management in May 2024. For the 2026 edition, India is the designated AI Partner Country, showcasing its technological self-reliance and connecting Indian startups with international capital.