Following the success of the first edition in 2016, VivaTech was back at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles this last June 15th-17th. Among the 50k attendees, the SoAmpli team, selected by two of the enterprises hosting start-up competitions to attend the exclusive event: EuroStar and BNP Paribas.
The line-up of speakers was impressive to say the least, including CEO of Alibaba Group Daniel Zhang, Chairman & CEO of Louis Vuitton Bernard Arnault, Chairman & CEO of Lenovo Group Yuanqing Yang, President and co-founder of Stripe John Collison, President of Euro Disney Catherine Powell, and Chairman & CEO of General Electric Jeff R. Immelt.
The two-day event was packed with more inspiring talks, exhibitions and panels one can imagine. Dedicated to the celebration of innovation in all its forms, VivaTech’s mission is to help dynamic startups engage with proven leaders to come up with revolutionary business solutions.
#VivaTech, here we come! SoAmpli was selected by @Eurostar & @BNPParibas to pitch at this great event in #Paris. Follow us for live updates! pic.twitter.com/xFApohVLBN
— SoAmpli (@SoAmpli) 15 June 2017
Below, some top highlights from our exciting experience…!
The Journey
It all started at St Pancras station in London! Being selected by Eurostar as one of the winners of their startup challenge came with its perks, including an exclusive ticket to travel in their new state-of-the-art e320 train. Sipping coffee and eating fresh croissants, we spent the journey enjoying a bespoke programme alongside top European investors, tech-lovers and fellow pioneers of the future.
The Event
With 50,000 attendees, 5,000 startups, 1,000 investors and 7,000 CEOs, VivaTech wasn’t your typical start-up event. The atmosphere at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles was simply electrifying, providing a glimpse into the future.
Among the many speakers at VivaTech, a special mention goes to newly elected French president Emmanuel Macron!
La France est en train de devenir la nation des start-ups. Elle doit réussir ce pari. #VivaTech pic.twitter.com/1yDHJMlM0w
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) 15 June 2017
Loving #VivaTech! 🇫🇷 50k attendees, 5k startups, 1k investors & 7k CEOs. We even got a glimpse of newly elected president Macron! pic.twitter.com/eCYffub4RP
— SoAmpli (@SoAmpli) 15 June 2017
Amazing #VR & #AR tech at #VivaTech in Paris! Great to see established brands & innovative #startups come together to shape the future pic.twitter.com/INr4fKhx8H
— SoAmpli (@SoAmpli) 16 June 2017
The Pitch
After a few hours at VivaTech, it was pitch time at the BNP Paribas stand for our founder Maz! Although Maz has now become something of a pitch expert, sharing our product vision and our company’s journey in front of a big crowd is always extremely exciting!
When you pitch @SoAmpli at #VivaTech2017 BNP Paribas and president Macron shows up 🙌😀#socialselling #startup pic.twitter.com/Tq3bq11XRy
— Mazi (@Mazi) 15 June 2017
Back to London!
After 48 hours, the time came to leave Paris. An amazing experience all around, and one that we are already looking forward to replicate in 2018!
#Paris #VivaTechnology2017 @BNPParibas @Eurostar thank you for having @SoAmpli had a fantastic time ❤️😀🙌 pic.twitter.com/26qghx95RD
— Mazi (@Mazi) 16 June 2017
