AI, sovereignty, robots, heat, and record-breaking attendance — this was the high-energy mix with which VivaTech celebrated its first decade. Over four days, French and international tech players gathered at Porte de Versailles in Paris to discuss the key issues of the moment and showcase a wide range of innovations.
To explore them, visitors first had to navigate VivaTech’s brand-new layout: Pavilion 7, the largest hall at Porte de Versailles, spread across three levels. Not an easy task at first for those accustomed to roaming Hall 1 for the past nine years. But it also marked an opportunity for the organizers to take a new step forward and look toward the next decade.
For this 10th edition, launched in grand style on the Champs-Élysées, organizers reported more than 200,000 visitors from 165 countries, compared to 180,000 in 2025. A symbolic milestone celebrated in full force. Across 70,000 square meters of exhibition space—20,000 more than last year—the Paris trade show featured more than 15,000 startups and 1,155 speakers, including some of the biggest names in global tech.
Jeff Bezos Takes Center Stage
The biggest star of VivaTech 2026 was none other than Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon. He came to speak about space exploration, AI, and entrepreneurship alongside Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp and former NASA astronaut Mike Massimino.
The American billionaire took the opportunity to reiterate his ambition to go to the Moon with Blue Origin and his desire to move all polluting industries “far away from Earth.”
Bezos also discussed the impact of artificial intelligence on the world, seeing it as a powerful driver of entrepreneurship.
“Every young person today should be excited to be where they are right now, because there has never been a better time to be an entrepreneur, a better time to start a company,” he said.
Among other high-profile speakers, Peter Steinberger, the creator of OpenClaw, an open-source AI agent that made a strong impression, also stood out. He received the “Breakthrough Award” at the very first “VivaTech Bloomberg Awards,” presented as the “Oscars of tech” by the tireless Maurice Lévy. French AI superstar Yann LeCun, a leading figure in the French Tech ecosystem since the launch of AMI Labs, was also awarded the “Momentum Award.”
As expected, artificial intelligence dominated the conversation. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also spoke at VivaTech, advocating for inclusive and responsible AI development, building on the Paris AI Summit last year and the New Delhi summit a few months ago. His remarks echoed France’s ambition to build a “third way for AI,” positioned as an alternative to the more unrestrained American and Chinese models.
Macron’s Farewell to VivaTech and the French Tech Ecosystem
Within this context, Emmanuel Macron attended VivaTech for the last time as President of the Republic. However, due to a very tight schedule including the G7 summit in Évian and a dinner with Donald Trump at Versailles, he did not speak on stage and instead toured the exhibition halls alongside Narendra Modi. The two leaders notably visited the India pavilion, designated as this year’s AI partner country, which hosted more than 80 startups.
Unable to address VivaTech directly, Emmanuel Macron instead hosted a reception at the Élysée on the evening of Friday, June 19. Opening this “Garden Party,” Maurice Lévy delivered a warm tribute to the former Minister of the Economy. “I have always considered him to be the boss. He always set objectives for me,” said the co-founder and now co-shareholder of VivaTech.
The President of the Republic, a strong advocate of the “Startup Nation,” then delivered an impassioned speech in support of the French Tech ecosystem before an audience of entrepreneurs, investors, and major tech executives, including Frédéric Mazzella (BlaBlaCar), Éléonore Crespo (Pigment), Corine de Bilbao (Microsoft), and Bill McDermott, CEO of ServiceNow, hard to miss with his tinted glasses.
“You have changed the face of France. You have helped begin reindustrializing the country. You have restored its pride. You have placed France at the heart of European and global innovation. So thank you very much and congratulations,” he said.
He also outlined his vision for the future, calling for a “European preference” to better compete with the United States and China, and for accelerating progress in innovation financing, as the third phase of the Tibi initiative has just been unveiled, with €13 billion already secured from institutional investors.
“Do not let what we have achieved over these past 10 years be dismantled in the coming budget debates or in the next presidential discussions,” he warned the audience. He concluded: “The world is accelerating, so you must accelerate even faster!”
The speech delivered by Emmanuel Macron carried strong undertones of sovereignty, a theme that was widely echoed throughout the four days of VivaTech. The shock decision taken by Washington a few days earlier—ordering Anthropic to cut access to Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5 for all non-American users—triggered a sudden awareness of the risks of relying on non-European solutions. This sentiment was clearly reflected in many of the discussions and speeches across the Paris trade show. As a result, booths from companies such as OVHcloud and Scaleway, both of which consistently promote a sovereignty-focused narrative, appeared even more aligned with current geopolitical concerns.
A “World Expo of Innovation” with a Robot Invasion
On the exhibition floor, there was also a noticeable increase in the visibility of international delegations. It was impossible to miss Germany, this year’s guest country, with its more than 200 startups. The pavilions from Canada, Japan, and Taiwan were also particularly prominent. In total, VivaTech hosted 60 national pavilions, up 20% compared to last year. In short, it resembled a true “World Expo of innovation.”
Hard to overlook, robots stole the show across the event—sometimes even knocking over screens while dancing. Chinese companies such as Unitree and Agibot particularly fascinated visitors with their highly choreographed humanoid performances. For context, China accounted for 87% of the 13,000 humanoid robots deployed worldwide in 2025, according to a study by the UK-based consultancy Omdia.
French startup HABS also made use of a Unitree robot to deliver a striking “telepathy” experience, highlighting the potential of brain–computer interface technology.
While Chinese companies remain dominant in robotics—something already observed earlier this year at CES in Las Vegas—European players are trying to catch up.
In the aisles, visitors could spot Mirokaï, the robot developed by French startup Enchanted Tools, which is capable of speaking around fifty languages.
Another European player, Spanish startup PAL Robotics, showcased its latest fully Barcelona-made models designed for tasks in logistics and agriculture. As this year’s guest country, Germany was also strongly represented through Neura Robotics, which develops industrial, domestic, and humanoid robots.
Health, Longevity, and Corporate Innovation in the Spotlight
This edition also highlighted fast-growing sectors such as health and longevity. Nearly 200 exhibitors were present in this field, compared to 140 last year. In this context, major groups like Samsung and L’Oréal showcased particularly impressive booths and took the opportunity to highlight their collaborations with startups.
Corporates in the Spotlight, Eyes on the Future
As a reminder, VivaTech serves as an ideal innovation showcase for large corporations. This year, the “Je choisis la French Tech” program surpassed the €2 billion milestone, with 23 major French companies now committed to purchasing from startups. The initiative is also set to expand across Europe under the name “Choose European Tech”, once again reflecting a growing push for technological sovereignty across the continent.
This special edition of VivaTech concluded with a public “innovation festival” on Saturday. Maddyness also hosted a panel discussing the inner workings of one of France’s most well-known platforms: Leboncoin.
The event closed on a space-inspired note, with an appearance by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet.
With this sense of escapism and ambition, VivaTech wrapped up its 10th anniversary edition, marking the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new phase in its history, scheduled to return from June 16 to 19, 2027.
