Ten years of VivaTech: the European recipe for technological sovereignty

With an exhibition space expanded by 30% and the participation of around 15,000 startups, the event confirmed itself as the fulcrum of the international debate. “This new dimension makes VivaTech the perfect place to explore the big discussions of the moment that today, inevitably, revolve around AI and technological sovereignty,” says Bitouzet, underlining the central role of the event in dictating the global digital agenda.

This edition is also characterized by a strong openness towards the public and not just professionals, attention culminating in a special event organized on the Champs-Élysées. “Technology is now fundamental in everyone’s life, which is why we must bring innovation directly to people, instead of waiting for them to look for it”, comments the Managing Director. The initiative was a great success, showing the public around forty projects related to health, robotics and the future of work: “It was a beautiful moment of connection and closeness between citizens and the tech ecosystem. We are really proud of it”, he adds.

However, the topic of digital sovereignty remains the real political and economic issue for the future of Europe, and VivaTech presents itself as a meeting ground between worlds that often struggle to dialogue. “Our job is to show the quality and strength of our ecosystem: if we want technological sovereignty, we must first demonstrate to people that we have the talents and startups to achieve it,” says Bitouzet. Inside the fair, the space for discussion allowed actors with opposing interests to sit at the same table: “Startups talk about sovereignty but often reject regulations, while political decision-makers in Brussels focus on laws. Having them united in the same room, together with ministers and heads of state from nineteen countries, is essential to finding common ground”.

On the profound meaning of “European sovereignty”, Bitouzet highlights the ongoing debate between two different visions: the French one and the German one. “The French vision tends to want to do everything in house, from infrastructure to data centers, up to language models (LLM) and the cloud,” observes the Managing Director. “On the contrary, the vision of Germany – which this year is our partner country – suggests that being sovereign does not mean being independent on every single aspect, but avoiding depending on a single supplier or a single country. It is about diversifying global partners, forging ties with countries such as Canada, India or Japan, and learning to prioritize critical sectors, such as defense or healthcare. The right path for Europe will probably be found in the middle, and VivaTech wants to contribute to this synthesis”.

Despite the growth of the sector, there are still strong obstacles pushing many European founders to move to the United States. Bitouzet mainly identifies three. The first is the fragmentation of the market: “If a German startup wants to expand in the USA, it finds a single, well-organised market. In Europe, however, it has to deal with twenty-six different national markets”. The second problem is linked to the capital market: “Financing can be found in Europe up to one hundred or two hundred million euros, but beyond this threshold we do not have an integrated capital market at a European level capable of supporting subsequent growth”. Finally, there is a cultural issue: “The myth of Silicon Valley still has a strong appeal to young entrepreneurs. We must be able to build an entirely European narrative of success, and this is precisely the objective we are working on.”

Looking to the future, VivaTech’s ambition is to transform the success of the annual event into constant and ongoing support for the community. “The future is bright,” concludes Bitouzet with a smile. “We want to understand how to be even more useful, perhaps by exporting the format or creating a network active all year round. Whatever we do, we will keep our DNA intact, continuing to surprise and carrying forward a typically European approach: great global ambition, but always accompanied by a pinch of energy and fun.”