2019.04.09
- FR
- EN
Viva Technology invites the public to come celebrate innovation saturday 18 May 2019
Paris, 9 April 2019 – After two days reserved for professionals, VivaTech will open its doors to the general public Saturday 18 May 2019. Students, families, young adults starting their career – all are welcome to come preview the latest innovations, draw inspiration from rising tech stars at the various shows and conferences, and see into the future through the many experiences and activities.
Extraordinary Experiences
Saturday visitors will discover the latest tech trends and spectacular innovations throughout the venue:
- Robotics and hardware in the Robot Park and the Discovery Zone sponsored by EDF, where we have have Antbot, a CNRS robot inspired by ants, Anymal, an autonomous robot with exceptional movement capabilities and some 40 hardware startups displaying their social innovations (Exhauss), digital healthcare innovations (XRapid), energy innovations (Omniflow), smart city innovations, and connected objects.
- The Bvlgari Dream Machine: A vending machine for B.zero1 jewellery, designed by the Rome-based Bvlgari Maison (LVMH group), allows customers to choose jewellery that suits them with the help of a personalized virtual fitting session.
- Virtual and augmented reality: In the XR Park sponsored by Oracle the Backlight studio presents Eclipse, its immersive multiplayer virtual reality experience. Another must-see, in the Immersive and VR zone on the BNP Paribas Lab: Magic Leap demos its technology on native applications such as Star Wars, Angry Birds and Tónandi.
- Future modes of transport at Engie’s Mobility Park, with a HoverTaxi aircraft, Zapata’s Flyboard, and the Hyperpoland Hyperloop project, as well as the latest hydrogen and electric innovations from the Engie group. And don’t miss Veligo, the electrically assisted bicycle on the La Poste Lab.
- Artificial intelligence at Intel’s Computer Vision AI Park. Delair, an image-and-data recognition drone for industrial use, gives an idea how AI is revolutionizing our daily life. Also not to be missed: Step into the shoes of a hacker in Orange’s Hacking Room.
- Lastly, in the heart of Hall 2, GreenTech, with a selection of positive and innovative solutions for water recycling (Watergen), waste treatment (Bin-e), and urban connected agriculture (Growberry, Agrove, Hexagro).
A Day for Serious Entertainment
Throughout the day, visitors will be able to attend e-sport tournaments, sponsored by Sogeti France, featuring Rocket League (RL) and Super Smash Bros Ultimate (SSBU) games. In the afternoon, The Avener will get the crowd moving at a massive Viva Live concert in the Dôme de Paris.
A Day to Boost Youth Employment
VivaTech dedicates Saturday to helping young talent find jobs with the Talent Center by ManpowerGroup, in Hall 2.2, with 1,000+ job postings on a dedicated online job board, on-site job interviews, coaching sessions, and all the resources for testing new job recruiting technologies.
More than 60 partner schools will also be on hand to present for the first time the Next Startupper Challenge, with high schools and universities invited to bring the best work of their student entrepreneurs.
Frédérique Vidal, France’s Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, seizes this opportunity to point out the essential role young talents play in tech: “I’m delighted that over time VivaTech has become one of the world’s biggest tech events, because it is a reflection of our dynamic ecosystem [in France], which is powered by the excellence of our researchers. Furthermore, with the Ministry’s participation in this latest edition of VivaTech, we are sending a clear message to future tech talents who today are studying in our schools and universities. This message is one of innovation, dynamism and creativity. I want to do everything to help student entrepreneurs: I’m actively working on it and I’m counting on all stakeholders to join the effort.”
Elsewhere, Europe’s biggest hackathon will again be organized by TechCrunch. Over the course of 36 hours on 17-18 May, several hundred coders from around Europe will compete to solve challenges proposed by Sanofi, EDHEC and Wix.
#girlpower, Women in Tech
VivaTech continues its commitment to remedy the underrepresentation of women in the tech sector. This edition features a major ”Girl Power” conference with thousands of women in attendance at the Dôme de Paris, along with such “role models” as Loubna Ksibi and Youssef Oudahman, co-founders of Meet My Mama; Clémence France, CEO and co-founder of Novagray; Aude Gogny-Goubert, actor and youtuber; and comedy from Bérengère Krief.
Startups Meet the Public
The 18th of May offers the public a chance to make contact with some 2,000 startups present at VivaTech and participating in pitch contests. Moreover, the Startup Life program track this year will showcase young entrepreneurs such as Céline Lazorthes (Leetchi & Mangopay), Guillaume Gibault (Le Slip Français) and Taïg Khris (Onoff), as well as growth-stage startups such as Qonto, Doctrine and Ynsect.
Tech for Good, the Social Backbone of Viva Technology
The Tech for Good conference cycle Saturday afternoon will enlist public support for concrete solutions. Among the speakers: Julien Vidal (Ça commence par moi), Julie Chapon (Yuka), Ferdinand Richter (Ecosia), Eva Sadoun (LITA) and Vianney Vaute (Back Market).
Major social and environmental issues will be addressed such as with FAMAE’s Water Challenge or Make.org with its action plan to provide opportunities for young people. Also, the Tribunal pour les Générations Futures (Court for Future Generations), organized by quarterly French magazine Usbek & Rica, will host a debate on the theme “Should We Unplug the Internet?”.