VIVA TECHNOLOGY - The WORLD S RENDEZVOUS For STARTUPS & LEADERS

USPA NEWS - Viva Technology (May 16-17-18, 2019) was inaugurated by French President Emmanuel Macron, who on the Evening prior to the Opening Day had welcomed French and International Technology Leaders at the “Tech For Good“ Summit. Canada´s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Rwanda´s President Paul Kagame and Senegal´s President Macky Sall also honored VivaTech with their Presence and their Participation.... A 24% Attendance Increase over last year, comprising 125 Nationalities, more than 450 Speakers, and more than 13,000 Startups.

Viva Technology (May 16-17-18, 2019) was inaugurated by French President Emmanuel Macron, who on the Evening prior to the Opening Day had welcomed French and International Technology Leaders at the “Tech For Good“ Summit. Canada´s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Rwanda´s President Paul Kagame and Senegal´s President Macky Sall also honored VivaTech with their Presence and their Participation.... A 24% Attendance Increase over last year, comprising 125 Nationalities, more than 450 Speakers, and more than 13,000 Startups. The Fourth Edition of the Viva Technology Startup Challenges attracted 10,300 Applications this year, an Increase of 22,5% compared with 2018. Of Particular Interest: a Greater Number of International Applicants, and a Net Increase of Growth-Stage Startups.

In more than 150 Sessions, some 450 Speakers ““ Entrepreneurs, Leading Business Figures, Investors, Academics ““ discussed the Impact of Tech on the Economy and Society. Among them : Jack Ma (Alibaba Group) - Ginni Rometty (IBM) - Antonio Neri (HPE) - Ken Hu (Huawei) - Garry Kasparov (Avast Security Ambassador and Wormer World Chess Champion) - Young Sohn (Samsung) - Three European Commissioners : Margrethe Vestager (European Commissioner for Competition), Carlos Moedas (European Commissioner for Research, Science and Innovation) and Pierre Moscovici (European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs).

Discussions focussed on major trends shaping the world of tomorrow, delving into artifi cial Intelligence, 5G, blockchain, quantum computing, connected healthcare, the new space race, mobility, the environment.... Among the main thematic pillars of this fourth edition of VivaTech :

- Tech for Good : Examining how to make Technology work for the Common Good and have a Positive Impact, with a Reenactment on the Opening Day of VivaTech of the Commitments from the Tech for Good Summit the Previous Evening at the Élysée Palace.

- United Tech of Europe : Building an Ecosystem to rival the American and Asian Tech Juggernauts and helping European Startups to achieve the Scale of Giants.

- Women inTech : Remedying the Persistent Underrepresentation of Women in Tech and Startups ?

- Jobs: Supporting Entrepreneurs in overcoming one of their Main Challenges, hiring the Right Talent.

- AfricaTech : Exploring the Tech Opportunities for the African Continent.

**** Acting Members of the French Government were among the many Personalities attending VivaTech in 2019 :

Elisabeth Borne, Minister in charge of Transport; Sophie CLUZEL, Secrétaire d´Etat chargée des Personnes Handicapées; Gérald Darmanin, Minister of Action and Public Accounts ; Bruno Le Maire, Minister of Economy and Finance ; Florence Parly, Minister of Defence ; Muriel Pénicaud, Minister of Labour ; Brune Poirson, Secretary of State to the Minister of State, Minister for Ecological and Solidarity Transition ; François de Rugy, Minister of State, Minister for Ecological and Solidarity Transition; Marlène Schiappa, Secretary of State to the Prime Minister, in charge of Gender Equality and the Fight Against Discrimination ; Frédérique Vidal, Minister of Higher Education, Research and Innovation ; Emmanuelle Wargon, Secretary of State, Minister for Ecological and Solidarity Transition. Cédric O, Secretary of State in Charge of Digital, was in Attendance with his Cabinet for all Three Days of VivaTech.

Other Important French Political Fgures were also present : Xavier Bertrand, President of the Hauts-de-France Region ; François Bonneau, President of the Centre Val de Loire Region ; Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice ; Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris ; François Hollande, Former President of France ; Lilla Merabet, Vice-President of the Grand-Est Region ; Patrick Molinoz, ice-President of the Bourgogne-Franche Comté Region ; Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d´Azur Region ; Patrick Ollier, President of the Grand Paris Metropolitan Area ; Valérie Pécresse, President of the Ile-De-France Region ; and Nadia Pellefigue, Vice-President of the Occitanie Region, Jean Rottner, President of the Grand Est Region.

**** Numerous International Politicians also visited VivaTech :

Hakob Arshakia, Minister of Telecoms and IT, Armenia ; David Gruen, Deputy Secretary of the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Australia ; Chenmeta Kan, Secretary of State of Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications, Cambodia ; Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Canada ; Dorothée Bär, Minister of Digital, Germany ; Ajay Prakash Sawhney, Secretary to the Ministry of de Electronic and IT, India ; M. Rudiantara Minister of Communication and Information, Indonesia ; Marco Bellezza, Legal Advisor on Communication and Digital Innovation to the Deputy Prime Minister, Italy ; Yoshihiko Sozaki, State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan ; Yukari Sato, State Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, Japan ; Moulay Hafid El Alamy, Minister of Industry, Investment, Commerce and Digital Economy, Morocco.

Prince Constantin van Oranje, the Netherlands ; Ndiaye Diop´, Minister of Digital Economy, Sénégal ; Pyung-oh Kwon, President and CEO of Kotra, South Korea ; Stina Billinger, Secretary of State for Industry and Innovations, Sweden ; Martina Hirayama, State Secretary of Training, Research and Innovation (SEFRI), Switzerland ; Yu-Chin HSU, Deputy Minister for Science and Technology, Taiwan ; Mohammad Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and the Future, United Arab Emirates ; Omar Al Olama, Minister of State Minister of State for AI, United Arab Emirates ; Jeremy Wright, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, United Kingdom ; Michael Kratsios, Deputy Chief Technology Officer and Deputy Assistant to the President for Technology Policy at the White House, United States.

A total of 21 Countries and Territories presented their Startup Ecosystem :

Belgium, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Morocco, Rwanda, Saudi Arabia with the Misk Foundation, South Korea, Sweden, United Kingdom, Wallonia. 11 countries and territories attended VivaTech for the first time:Algeria, Armenia with UGAB, Brazil, China (Shanghai and Nanjing), Denmark, DRC, Mauritius, Senegal, Spain, Quebec, Taiwan.

Africa was an honoured guest at Vivatech again this Year with a Dedicated Program Track, the Presence of 160 Startups from the Continent, and the Africatech Lab with Sanofi, Total, Vinci Energies and Société Générale.

Source : Viva Technology Porte de Versailles (Paris - France) - May 16-17-18, 2019

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