In partnership with Paris Region, Choose Paris Region was at Viva Technology, one of the world's most prestigious technology events, from June 14 to 17. This 2023 edition placed Paris Region as the European capital of attractiveness and innovation, as it prepares to welcome the rest of the world at the Rugby World Cup and the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 180 international startups were invited by the agency and 21 international delegations were welcomed and provided with support for future collaborations in the Tech sectors.

An immersive experience for international companies to discover the economic potential of Paris Region

On the eve of the event, Choose Paris Region organized an extended experience program, which allowed international companies from all over the world to discover Paris Region. The agency has taken a dual approach to promoting the destination and approaching companies in strategic sectors with a positive impact on society and the environment, which help to make the region more innovative, sustainable and inclusive by setting up operations here.

On June 12, Alexandra Dublanche, Chairwoman of Choose Paris Region and Vice-President in charge of Recovery, Attractiveness, Economic Development and Innovation for Paris Region, met with the American delegation of "Women in Mobility", a group founded by Selika Talbott, professor at USC (University of Southern California) along with other influential women in the United States on mobility issues, with a strong focus on inclusion, youth and minorities.

Members of the delegation:

• Monique Earl - Director State and Local Government Guidepost
• Justine Johnson - Director of Engagement California Mobility Center
• W. Celeste Davis Stragand - Head of Smart City Engagements Ford Motor Company
• Kameale Terry - Founder and CEO ChargerHelp
• Jacqueline Ramos - Director Research and Operations Solutions 4 New Mobility Education
• Candace Cluck-Gomez, Sr Advisor Sustainable Mobility, Movin’On
• Connie Llanos - Interim Head LADOT
• Selika Josiah Talbott, Esq. Professor USC, CEO /Founder Autonomous Vehicle Consulting
• Katrina Manning, Councilwoman City of Hawthorne, Los Angeles County, Member of Economic Development Council
• Delilah Lanoix, Cofounder, CEO Butterfli
• Kimberley Evans, CEO, Just Her Rideshare

Open innovation, meetings between international startups and major corporations on artificial intelligence

On June 13, Alexandra Dublanche, Chairwoman of Choose Paris Region and Vice-Chairwoman in charge of Recovery, Attractiveness, Economic Development and Innovation for Paris Region, opened the TechMeeting on artificial intelligence, which brought together 15 international startups and 9 major corporations. The morning event, which took place on SAP's premises in Levallois-Perret, featured three highlights:

• Round table "Generative AI: Where is the world going? Impact within entreprises and markets"
• 9 international startups pitched their solutions
• 85 One-to-One meetings between startups/scaleups and major groups took place

Paris-Saclay AI R&D Learning Expedition
 

On the same day, the Choose Paris Region teams organized a learning expedition. 13 participants, including 9 international companies, discovered key points in the artificial intelligence and R&D innovation ecosystem at Paris Saclay, with visits to the Paris-Saclay Playground innovation center, IBM's AI research center and Atos' High Performance Computing research center.

Explorer Tours

During the Viva Technology event, Choose Paris Region organized several exploration tours to showcase outstanding Olympic sites, industrial sites, innovative companies and famous cultural venues. These visits allowed participants to gain an insight into the region's excellence in innovation, and to see how our region is meeting the challenges of the ecological transition and inclusion.

• The "Discover the Olympics sites in Paris Region" Explorer Tour, organized in partnership with Plaine Commune and Global Sports Week, allowed international Sports Tech companies to discover the Olympic Aquatic Center, which will host the 2024 Olympic Games, in particular the waterpolo, diving and artistic swimming events. This aquatic center meets a major challenge in terms of adaptability by offering innovative, high-performance infrastructures. The group then visited the "Pleyel - Bords de Seine" Athletes' Village, located near the Stade de France, which will welcome 10,500 athletes from 206 nations during the Olympic Games and give way to three new city districts in 2025.
• “Discover the Deeptech Ecosystem” Explorer Tour: 11 international investment funds visited and discovered the world's largest startup campus incubator, Station F, the Vélodrome National and 3DEXPERIENCELab, Open Innovation in the Age of Experience, Dassault Systèmes.

Expo Tours

At the same time, Choose Paris Region provided international companies with 3 Expo tours on:

• energy, with visits to the Total Energies, Engie and Air Liquide stands.
• artificial intelligence, with a meeting with the AIvancity school, a visit to the stands of XXII, Microsoft France, Owkin and INRIA, followed by participation in the conference "AI Trends: From Lab to Market" Scene 3
• Sports Tech, with visits to the stands of Seventure Partners, Orange Events, and Le Tremplin

Round table “Sport as a driver of sustainable innovation” | June 14
 

At the opening of Viva Technology on June 14, Alexandra Dublanche, Chairwoman of Choose Paris Region and Vice-President in charge of Recovery, Attractiveness, Economic Development and Innovation for Paris Region, opened the "Sport as a driver of sustainable innovation" round table with Marie-Cécile Tardieu, Managing Director of Business France. This was also an opportunity to welcome Dr Martin Schlegel, Chairman of Australian Sports Technologies (ASTN) and representatives from Global Victoria, whom we had met a few months earlier in Melbourne.

The first day ended with several networking events: a VC night at Publicis and the "Tech along the Seine river" evening.

VC Networking Evening | June 14
 

In the presence of Maurice Lévy, Chairman of the Supervisory Board at Publicis Groupe, Valérie Pécresse, President of Paris Region, and Alexandra Dublanche, Chairman of Choose Paris Region and Vice-President in charge of Recovery, Attractiveness, Economic Development and Innovation at Paris Region, welcomed some 100 investment funds on the Publicis Group premises. This was an excellent opportunity to discuss business opportunities for international investors in Paris Region.

Tech Along the Seine River Night | June 14
 

Choose Paris Region organized a special evening for 670 participants from the Paris Region and international Tech ecosystem, in partnership with the Alliance Française des Industries du Numérique, Medef and Business France.

On June 16, Lionel Grotto, Managing Director of Choose Paris Region, signed a memorandum of understanding with Korean Innovation Center Europe and GBSA, and presented the Paris Region's dynamic ecosystem to South Korean startups, with its strong potential for innovation and business development.

Valérie Pécresse, President of Paris Region, and Lionel Grotto, CEO of Choose Paris Region and Rémi Bergues, Deputy Director of Choose Paris Region, met with Jawed Ashraf, the Indian ambassador to France. This meeting, which was organized by Choose Paris Region, was followed by a presentation on India's booming technology system.

Valérie Pécresse, President of Paris Region and Alexandra Dublanche, Chairwoman of Choose Paris Region and Vice President in charge of Recovery, Attractiveness, Economic Development and Innovation for Paris Region, visited the stands of a number of outstanding Paris Region companies, all key players in the region's innovation and attractiveness, including Sanofi, Owkin and Medvir.

Round table on impact and the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games | June 15

At the Paris Region stand, Choose Paris Region organized and moderated a round-table discussion on Impact and the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, in the presence of:

• Quentin Gesell, Mayor of Dugny and VP of the Grand Paris Metropolitan Area
• Bertrand Picard, CEO of Natural Grass
• Moderated by Yann Masson, Health, Sport & Health Technologies Expert, Choose Paris Region

Round table on research and innovation support programs for startups | June 16

Choose Paris Region organized and moderated a round table discussion on research and innovation programs for startups on June 16, in the presence of:

• Thomas Prest, Lead Cryptography Researcher, PQShield,
• Pierre Marchand, Managing Director, Arsene Innovation
• Nicolas Muczynski, Innovation and Digital Project Manager, EPT Grand-Orly Seine Bièvre
• Moderated by Thomas Fauvel, Deep Tech & Technologies Expert, Choose Paris Region