VivaTech Is Back For Its 10th Anniversary – And This Edition Is Its Biggest Yet

Ten years ago, VivaTech launched in Paris with 45,000 visitors and a single ambition: bring the whole tech world together under one roof.

This June, Europe’s largest startup and technology event returns for its tenth edition – and the numbers alone tell you how much has changed. From 17 to 20 June 2026 at Porte de Versailles, VivaTech is expecting 15,000 startups, 4,000 investors and more than 180,000 visitors from 171 countries. That’s a 300% audience increase since the first edition, investor attendance has multiplied by 12 and the number of startups has tripled.

The tenth edition isn’t just larger – it’s intentionally bolder. VivaTech is taking over Hall 7 with three floors, 30% more exhibition space, doubled seating capacity, 1,500-plus demos, 4,000-plus business and networking meetings and a new Investors Office Hours programme connecting founders directly with leading investors.

For anyone building a company in Europe right now, this is the calendar date that matters.

Germany Takes Centre Stage

Germany has been named VivaTech’s 2026 Country of the Year, and the size of the delegation reflects how seriously the appointment is being taken.

The German presence includes 200 startups, 14 Länder, 12 government entities and two federal ministers: Karsten Wildberger, Federal Minister for Digital Transformation and Government Modernisation, and Dorothée Bar from the Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space. The delegation occupies an 800m² booth – the largest in VivaTech’s history.

At a time of growing global and technological fragmentation, the appointment is a pointed statement about European tech sovereignty. VivaTech has consistently positioned itself as the place where that conversation happens, and Germany’s presence confirms that the ambition to assert European leadership in AI and deeptech is very much a government-level priority, not just an industry talking point.

The Demos That Will Get Everyone Talking

VivaTech 2026’s programme is built around four themes – AI and Productivity, Cybersecurity and Defence, Greentech and Energy, and Deeptech – and the world-exclusive debuts across each are noteworthy.

In deeptech: IBM will present a ‘quantum chandelier’ capable of calculations far beyond classical computers, with applications in healthcare, telecommunications and industrial optimisation. EOS X SPACE is opening the door to civilian space tourism. Xpanceo is demonstrating an AI and extended reality-powered smart contact lens that displays information directly in the field of vision.

On the AI side, a real-time brain-machine interface from Unitree x HABS and the first mass-market dual-vector exoskeleton from Sumbu both make their world debuts, alongside the French conversational AI agent platform GetVocal AI.

In greentech, Nyobolt is showcasing ultra-fast energy solutions capable of charging a battery to 80% in under five minutes, while Bienesis is presenting an intelligent crop coverage solution for climate resilience and Tenaka – in a world exclusive – is demonstrating technology to regenerate oceans. The programme leans hard into physical-world applications, not just software.

On cybersecurity, the backdrop is stark: according to Accenture, cyberattacks surged 75% in a single year. French startup Riot and Belgian startup Aikido are among those showcasing tools for employee cybersecurity and AI-assisted vulnerability detection. And 89% of executives now trust AI to guide their company’s decisions, according to the 2026 VivaTech Trust Barometer – a stat that frames why the AI and Productivity theme is central to this year’s agenda.

India joins this year as AI Country Partner, a direct continuation of the AI Impact Summit in Delhi and the Franco-Indian Year of Innovation, bringing an international dimension to the AI programming that extends well beyond Europe’s own tech scene.

A Speaker List That Spans Boardrooms And Startups

The confirmed speaker list spans two worlds.

On the corporate side: Bernard Arnault (LVMH), Roland Busch (Siemens), Christophe Fouquet (ASML), Elizabeth Stone from Netflix, Julia White from AWS, Shantanu Narayen from Adobe, Joe Tsai from Alibaba, Yann LeCun from AMI Labs and Rodolphe Saadé from CMA-CGM, alongside two European Commission representatives, Henna Virkkunen (EVP Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy) and Ekaterina Zaharieva (Commissioner for Startups, Research and Innovation).

On the startup side, founders and CEOs from ElevenLabs, Pigment, Alan, Pasqal and Gradium are among those speaking – a mix of recognised names and companies still building category-defining businesses. The combination of established players and emerging builders is part of what makes VivaTech an accurate read on where European tech is heading, not only where it’s already been.

As François Bitouzet, CEO of VivaTech, put it alongside co-chairs Maurice Lévy and Michèle Benbunan: ‘This 10th edition marks a change of dimension for VivaTech, reflecting a new era for tech: that of AI, deeptech and a geopolitical reconfiguration in which Europe must fully assume its role.’

Two Events Designed To Go Beyond The Industry

For the first time in the event’s history, VivaTech is taking the Champs-Élysées on 14 June – pedestrianised for the day and transformed into a free, open showcase of innovation covering AI, robots, mobility, climate and health for Parisians, Île-de-France residents and tourists from around the world. On 20 June, the VivaTech Festival opens to 18–35-year-olds on themes of AI and Society, the Creator Economy and Talents of Tomorrow, with a Careers Festival, coaching formats and exclusive demonstrations.

This intentional expansion of discourse highlights VivaTech’s strategic vision for its next decade: elevating technology into a mainstream societal conversation rather than keeping it confined to industry insiders.

VivaTech 2026 runs 17–20 June at Porte de Versailles, Paris. The Champs-Élysées takeover takes place on 14 June. More information is available at vivatech.com.