Institut d’Entrepreneuriat et d’Innovation

VivaTech 2025 Recap from HEC Paris

VivaTech 2025 Recap: HEC Paris Showcases Bold Innovation at Europe’s Premier Tech Event

From June 11 to 14, Viva Technology 2025 turned Paris Expo Porte de Versailles into the heartbeat of global innovation. With more than 180,000 attendees and 450 speakers, the event reaffirmed its status as Europe's largest tech gathering. Among the highlights? The strong and diverse presence of the HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute ecosystem, showcasing visionary startups, groundbreaking panels, and new partnerships.

This article recaps HEC Paris presence at VivaTech 2025, spotlighting the key moments, inspiring collaborations, and its global community of innovators, entrepreneurs, mentors, corporate partners, students and professors, startups and fellows.

 

A New Era for AI, Robotics, and European Tech Sovereignty

Viva Technology 2025 shattered records and confirmed its status as Europe’s leading tech and innovation event, welcoming over 14,000 startups from 171 countries. Held in Paris, this landmark edition became a global platform for announcing game-changing tech partnerships, AI breakthroughs, and sovereignty-driven strategies that reflect Europe’s ambition to lead in the next wave of technological innovation.

With an unmatched speaker lineup that included French President Emmanuel Macron, Jensen Huang (NVIDIA), Joe Tsai (Alibaba), Arthur Mensch (Mistral AI), Vanessa Wyche (NASA), and Yann LeCun (Meta), VivaTech 2025 confirmed that the future of innovation is being shaped in Europe.

The momentum was visible: more than 300 major announcements were made, spanning artificial intelligence, quantum computing, robotics, and deep tech infrastructure. Here are some of the key highlights that set the tone for a bold, tech-forward future:

  • NVIDIA x Mistral Compute: Europe’s AI Sovereignty Takes Shape
  • AI for Government Services: Mistral Goes Public
  • NVIDIA's GTC Paris Premiere
  • AI x Robotics: From Lab to Factory
  • €1 Billion for French Startups: "Je Choisis la French Tech"
  • “Osez l’IA” (Dare to Use AI): Scaling Adoption
  • Investing in Semiconductors: Strengthening the AI Supply Chain
  • Quantum Zone: Europe’s Commitment to Next-Gen Computing

 

HEC Paris at VivaTech 2025: Scaling Innovation With Collaboration

As Viva Technology has grown over the years, so too has HEC Paris’s presence. In 2025, the HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute was involved in 18 major activities, either as a lead organizer or strategic partner. From high-level panels and pitch contests to exclusive workshops and international delegations, this year’s participation marked a new milestone in the school’s engagement with global innovation ecosystems.

 

L’Oréal x HEC Paris: Beauty Tech in the Spotlight

 

Breakdown of the main activities and partnerships that brought HEC Paris to the forefront of VivaTech 2025

June 10: Welcoming Global Delegations

  • The HEC Paris Incubation & Acceleration Center welcomed the General Delegation for Rapid Entrepreneurship of Women and Youth (DER/FJ) from Senegal.
  • The Québec Tech delegation, the largest ever gathered for VivaTech, was also received at STATION F — a moment of transatlantic collaboration with strong ties to North America’s innovation scene.

June 11: Scaling Startups and Building Bridges Across Europe

  • HEC Paris contributed to the “Scaling With Startups” panel hosted at the L’Oréal booth.
  • The Institute also joined the Inria-led workshop: “Deeptech in France: Are We Ready to Scale?”
  • That evening, La French Tech in Europe hosted a powerful side event with representatives from 23 European Tech Communities. Teams from both the HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute and CDL-Paris participated, strengthening the school's European footprint.

June 12: A Day of Panels, Pitching, and Strategic Encounters

  • HEC Launchpad students took the stage at the Pitch Studio, while the HEC Challenge+ team led the Sustainability & Innovation conference at the AfricaTech stage.
  • A new partnership was announced with Le Réseau des Carnot, further linking HEC Paris to France’s applied research ecosystem.
  • Startups from across HEC Paris programs pitched in collaboration with INPI France.
  • A second panel with L’Oréal and a Women’s Forum session featuring alumnae from Women Entrepreneurs for Good rounded out a packed agenda.

On the diplomatic side, HEC Paris hosted an inspiring Indian delegation featuring:

  • Jitin Prasada, Union Minister of State for Commerce & Industry, and Electronics & IT
  • Abhishek Singh, CEO, IndiaAI
  • Eenam Gambhir, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India in Paris

They engaged directly with 10 Indian startups currently accelerating through the CDL-Paris program, exploring opportunities for cross-border AI collaboration.

Later that evening, HEC Paris was invited to an official event at the Canadian Embassy, hosted by Ambassador Stéphane Dion and other Canadian dignitaries. Inge Kerkloh-Devif, Aymeric Penven, and Peter Fischer proudly represented the school at this symbolic moment for transatlantic innovation diplomacy.

The day concluded with two high-energy networking events:

  • A 360° live concert with The Blaze, organized in collaboration with Live Nation
  • The VivaParty, co-hosted by STATION F, Anthropic, Scaleway, Leboncoin, and Sifted

June 13: Deep Tech, Korea, and CDL Celebration

  • In partnership with Hi! PARIS and the Creative Destruction Lab Paris, HEC Paris hosted the workshop: "The Fabulous Journey of Next Generation Computing!". Celebrating five years of CDL operations in France, the session brought together founders, mentors, and researchers shaping the future of computing.
  • For the third time, HEC participated in a panel at the L’Oréal booth.
  • Pitch Studio with KOSME (Korea SMEs and Startups Agency) and KOCCA (Korea Creative Content Agency)

This offered a unique opportunity to engage with next-generation Korean entrepreneurs and explore the intersection of culture, creativity, and technology.

June 14: The Ethics and Myths of AI

Laura Sibony, lecturer at HEC and Sciences Po, and author of "Fantasia: Tales and Legends of Artificial Intelligence" (Grasset, 2024), closed HEC Paris’s participation with a thought-provoking talk on what AI is — and what it is not.
 


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