VivaTech 2026: A Historic Tenth Edition That Propels Paris to the Rank of Global Capital of Innovation

To celebrate its tenth anniversary, VivaTech 2026 didn’t just blow out the candles—it reached a new milestone that confirms its status as a major international technology event. Held June 17–20, 2026, at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, the event set an all-time record with more than 200,000 visitors from 165 countries—the highest attendance since its inception in 2016. This anniversary edition also brought together more than 15,000 startups, 4,500 exhibitors, and 1,155 speakers, and generated a cumulative audience of over five billion views on social media, demonstrating the event’s growing influence far beyond France’s borders. In ten years, VivaTech has evolved from a promising European gathering into a global platform where the technological trends that will shape the coming decades take shape.

This year, upon entering Hall 7 at the Porte de Versailles, one immediately sensed a shift in scale. Wider aisles, more ambitious booths, and a stronger presence of international players made it feel like attending a true world’s fair of innovation. The event even expanded beyond its traditional setting by taking over the Champs-Élysées starting June 14, transforming France’s most famous avenue into an open-air technology lab. This symbolic initiative perfectly illustrates the organizers’ commitment to making innovation visible and accessible to as many people as possible, far beyond the usual circle of industry professionals.

Artificial intelligence naturally emerged as the undisputed star of this year’s event. Building on major global debates about generative AI and following the AI Summit in New Delhi, the conferences dedicated to productivity, digital sovereignty, cybersecurity, and emerging uses of artificial intelligence drew considerable crowds. The presence of leading figures in the sector, such as Yann LeCun—a pioneer in deep learning and now head of AMI Labs—and Thibault Sottiaux of OpenAI, made it possible to address the technological and societal challenges associated with this ongoing revolution. The public’s interest in these topics was palpable in every conference room, where discussions often continued well past the end of the official presentations.

The lineup of guest speakers was one of the most impressive ever assembled in Paris in the field of technology. Visitors were able to hear from Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and Blue Origin; Dave Limp, CEO of Blue Origin; former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino; Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe; Joe Tsai, co-founder of the Alibaba Group; Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH; Rodolphe Saadé of CMA CGM; Patrick Pouyanné of TotalEnergies; and Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web. Rarely has a European event brought together so many influential leaders from the fields of technology, industry, energy, luxury, and digital, offering visitors a comprehensive view of the transformations underway in the global economy.

VivaTech’s growing international reach was also reflected in a particularly strong presence from Germany, named “Country of the Year 2026.” The German delegation, led notably by Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister for Digital Transformation and State Modernization, and Dorothée Bär, Federal Minister for Research, Technology, and Space, underscored the strategic importance placed on European cooperation in the fields of innovation and cutting-edge technologies. India, meanwhile, served as the “AI Country Partner” with a high-profile appearance led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, underscoring the country’s growing role in the global artificial intelligence ecosystem.

Beyond the speeches and announcements, VivaTech remains, above all, a vast showcase for the innovations of tomorrow. Among the most spectacular demonstrations at this year’s event was that of XPANCEO, which unveiled a smart contact lens designed to replace traditional screens and become a new human-machine interface suited to the age of artificial intelligence. Another innovation that drew particular attention was the autonomous protective capsule developed by Lifepod, designed to provide immediate shelter in the event of natural disasters or extreme situations. In the medical field, Lattice Medical presented its 3D-printed resorbable implants for soft tissue reconstruction following cancer treatment, while Tetmet demonstrated its automated manufacturing process for metal mesh in the automotive, aerospace, and defense sectors. But it was undoubtedly the demonstration by Unitree and HABS that most amazed the audience: a humanoid robot controlled directly by a human operator’s brain activity—a scene that seemed straight out of a science-fiction movie just a few years ago.

The 2026 edition also marked an important milestone in the event’s economic maturation. The new Business Plaza and Investors Office Hours spaces were designed to transform informal meetings into concrete opportunities. This more business-focused direction reflects a profound evolution of the event, which over the years has become a premier venue for connecting startups, investors, and large corporations. With more than 15,000 startups in attendance and participants representing over thirty different industry sectors, VivaTech reaffirms its role as a catalyst for global innovation.

One of the most notable new features of this year’s event was the launch of the VivaTech x Bloomberg Awards.
These awards recognized several figures who have left their mark on the global technology ecosystem. Sir Tim Berners-Lee received the Visionary Award for his historic role in creating the World Wide Web, while Joe Tsai was awarded the Leadership Award. Yann LeCun was awarded the “Momentum Award,” and Peter Steinberger, founder of OpenClaw and a member of OpenAI, received the “Breakthrough Award.” The “Investor Award” went to Jeannette zu Fürstenberg, while May Habib received the “Rising Star Award.” Finally, the “CitizenTech Award” was presented to Ukraine for its innovative use of technology in a particularly complex context.

As it does every year, VivaTech also highlighted impact entrepreneurship through its Startup Prizes. Liz Dennett, founder of Endolith, received the Female Founder Award. Fanny Giannou won the Tech for Change Award for her work at Alithea Biotechnology. The AfricaTech Award was presented to Ahmed Yahia for Surgia, while Sasha Ovalle was honored at the Next Startupper Challenge. Finally, the Innovation of the Year Award went to Karim Boussetta, founder of Hodor, highlighting the diversity and richness of the projects presented at this year’s event.
The general public was not forgotten. Following the spectacular event held on the Champs-Élysées, June 20 gave thousands of visitors the opportunity to experience some of today’s most innovative technologies for free. French astronaut Thomas Pesquet’s appearance was one of the highlights of this public open house, underscoring the close link between technological innovation, space exploration, and collective inspiration.

Ten years after its creation by the Publicis Group and the Les Echos-Le Parisien Group, VivaTech seems stronger than ever. As Maurice Lévy, Michèle Benbunan, and François Bitouzet emphasized, this edition was not so much a celebration of the past as a starting point for a new decade of innovation. At a time when artificial intelligence, robotics, deep tech, and space technologies are reshaping our society, VivaTech confirms that Paris has become one of the world’s leading hubs for inventing the technologies of tomorrow. The dates have already been set for June 16–19, 2027, for the eleventh edition, which will now face the daunting task of following up on this record-breaking event.

Photos: Boris Colletier / Mulderville

(Source: press release)