Welcome to a glimpse of the electrifying coverage by Marco Ciappelli on the latest episode of On Location, diving into the brain and heart of the VIVA TECH Conference 2024 in Paris.
Guest: François Bitouzet, Managing Director at Viva Technology [@VivaTech]
On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/fran%C3%A7ois-bitouzet-180a89/
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Host: Marco Ciappelli, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [@ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining Society Podcast
On ITSPmagazine | https://www.itspmagazine.com/itspmagazine-podcast-radio-hosts/marco-ciappelli
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Episode Notes
A Celebration of Technology and Innovation
The VIVA TECH Conference 2024 in Paris proved to be a rendezvous of the brightest minds and innovators in the tech realm. With a blend of key speakers, groundbreaking sessions, and vibrant discussions, the event will be a melting pot of ideas, creativity, and collaboration.
In Conversation with Visionaries
Marco Ciappelli, along with his guest François Bitouzet, the managing director of VIVA TECH, engaged in insightful dialogues touching upon varied aspects of technology's impact on society. From the language of tech to the importance of collaboration and the role of diversity in innovation, the conversations were both enlightening and thought-provoking.
Spotlight on Key Themes
The event will spotlight key themes such as AI, sustainability, Internet and democracy, and the creators' economy, amongst other. The intersection of technology with democracy sparked crucial discussions on safeguarding democratic processes in the digital age.
Business with a Twist
Amidst the flurry of innovation, VIVA TECH aims to provide a unique platform for startups to connect with potential investors and clients. The business-focused approach of the event adds a touch of creativity, epitomized by the 'bar-hopping' networking concept on Rue Montorgueil.
Building Connections and Finding Your Tribe
At the core of VIVA TECH 2024 there is the core mission of building connections and fostering collaboration. The event focuses on bringing together individuals from diverse backgrounds to find common ground, empower each other, and unlock new possibilities in the tech landscape.
An Echo of Excitement
As VIVA TECH 2024 is about to start in Paris, it echoes with the buzz of excitement and anticipation. The convergence of ideas, the clash of perspectives, and the melding of creativity set the stage for a transformative experience for all attendees.
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Resources
Learn more about VIVA TECH 2024: https://vivatechnology.com/
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Find Your Tribe and Be Part Of The Most Passionate Innovators In The World Of Technology | An On Location VIVA TECH Conference 2024 Coverage Conversation with François Bitouzet
Please note that this transcript was created using AI technology and may contain inaccuracies or deviations from the original audio file. The transcript is provided for informational purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for the original recording, as errors may exist. At this time, we provide it “as it is,” and we hope it can be helpful for our audience.
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[00:00:00] Marco Ciappelli: Hello, everybody. Welcome to an episode of On Location, which is usually with myself, Marco Ciapelli, and Sean Martin. We're just fresh from our RSA conference in San Francisco, and the summer is the season of On Location coverage, and I couldn't be more happy than actually today to talk about Uh, a big event in Europe about technology is called Viva Tech.
We have the managing director here with us, and I had the pleasure to talk to Francois Bizi last year. And, uh, I, I, I hope I pronounce your last name correctly. And, uh, it's funny, we were just having fun. It's an Italian and a French, trying to have a podcast in English, and we'll, we'll do our best, but for sure.
It will be entertaining and it will be full of passion. How about that, Francois?
[00:00:56] François Bitouzet: I fully agree and I think it's not the language like French or Italian. The question is the language of tech and I hope it will be a good discussion with the language of tech.
[00:01:09] Marco Ciappelli: Absolutely. Absolutely. And if there is something that makes me excited, It's talking about technology and all the things that it's doing in society.
I think last year we didn't talk about generative AI. It's probably the year of generative AI this year, as well as many, many other things. And as I mentioned, Francois, I would like for you to introduce yourself for people that didn't listen to you last year. They don't know who you are, and then we can dive in.
But I just want to say that this is, uh, this is already, I believe, the eighth edition of the attack. And has become the event about technology and society and all that, that, that matters to, to everybody living technology this day, uh, in Europe. So, uh, I want to know what's about to happen in a few days.
[00:01:59] François Bitouzet: Yeah, thank you for the introduction. It's a lot of pressure and, uh, but, uh, it's, uh, the 8th edition of VivaTech. So Viva Tech or Viva Technology, we are a tech, digital and startup event. In eight years, we have managed to become the biggest event in Europe. And it's true that now we are invisible in the tech and business global agenda.
Uh, we do things, uh, we try to make something special or at least useful. So we are not trying to do like the other events because big events like the CS, they already exist, they do a great job. And so we wanted to, to bring something new, uh, on the, on the tech and digital things. So basically we are focused on B2B, uh, B2B approach and what we try to do, we try to bring.
Around the table, all the stakeholders, uh, in, uh, innovation. So we have startups. So we have, uh, more than 3000 startups. Uh, we have of course tech champions like, uh, Google, meta, IBM, Microsoft, Amazon, uh, what is very unique, it's also we have a lot of, uh, uh, uh, corporate, uh, uh, companies. Uh, something like, uh, 300.
Global leaders in their own sectors. So, for instance, we have LVMH for luxury. Uh, we have Tesla for cars. We have Airbus for, um, aerospace, et cetera, et cetera, in 25, uh, uh, business sectors. And last but not least, we also have, uh, the public sectors. Uh, just to give you an example, this year we will have, uh, 40 national pavilions.
So it makes VivaTech a kind of world expo, uh, of tech and digital and all these people, they met in Paris coming from 120 countries and we tried to make it like a, like a mess, something very chaotic. And, uh, from this chaos you bring and you, you can take, uh, business, lots of business, inspiration with key speakers.
Last year we were so Proud to have Elon Musk and a lot a lot of fun because we consider that tech It's about fun at the end of the day
[00:04:28] Marco Ciappelli: Yeah, and I I love how you you Made a comparison with the world fairs of Many years ago. That's where, you know, when you had the new innovation coming, like the Edison presenting the electric bulb or, you know, very, very important things.
And people will come from all over the places to do that. Now it's easier to travel, but I feel like the excitement is still the same. It may be more chaotic. There is a lot more technology. And, and it's, I feel like it's where event like yours, Viva Technology is where you feel the pulse. Of the economy, as you said, the innovation and what is the government doing about it?
Of course with AI, we need guardrails. We all hear about this. So the fact that you put all together, I hope something very, very good comes out of that.
[00:05:23] François Bitouzet: Yes, this is exactly what we try to do every year. And, uh, I think for us, it's very important to consider that. Tech and digital, um, it doesn't, um, belong just to tech people.
Um, in France, uh, 100 years ago, after, uh, during World War I, we had a, uh, Prime Minister, and he used to say that war is too important. to be just for soldiers. And I think that idea tech, we have the same convictions. The fact that tech and digital, it's so important in our lives, in a business, jobs, democracies and everything that we do as human being on this planet.
It's too important just for, uh, to, to, to be left to, uh, take people. Of course, they are important. I mean, there's no issue, but let's bring also, uh, this is a general public, uh, uh, business decision makers, policy makers, because it's very, very important. So this is also a new open way of thinking about, uh, about technology, but I can tell you that this is what is very exciting at, uh, Algebra Tech.
And I think also it gives a, um, a complimentary approach, uh, of tech and digital because very often. You have the feeling that, um, uh, tech is a kind of dilemma. On the, on the one hand you have the, uh, the US model, uh, Silicon Valley. On the other hand, you have the Chinese model, very, you know, government and everything and nothing in between.
And at tech, what we like. The most is to bring all the models taken digital models from all over the world. This year japan is country of the year. We have india. We have a lot of african countries the middle east Asia and and it's great because there's so much multiplicity In the tech world, that gives people the possibility to make up their mind and to choose with the right vision of what is possible, what is not possible, what they want and what they don't want.
And I think it's part of the pleasure that you can, you can take from, uh, from VivaTech.
[00:07:44] Marco Ciappelli: Yeah, and I agree with you. It's about the collaboration. There are no boundaries anymore, right? Absolutely. We live in a connected world. We live in the internet where there are no boundaries. We need to collaborate all together.
And I love the fact that you do that. But I'm curious
[00:08:01] François Bitouzet: If I may, I think you're right and you're wrong at the same time.
[00:08:06] Marco Ciappelli: Okay, let's go there.
[00:08:07] François Bitouzet: No, no, no, I think it's, I'm joking, but it's very important. What you say is true. It's the fact that innovation, it's about connection. You're right. You know, the mythology of the guy alone, uh, uh, in his room, uh, creating, blah, blah, blah.
It, it doesn't exist anymore. I'm not even sure that it never happened really that way, uh, in the past. The truth is that, uh, an idea can come from, uh, Taiwan, but you need to have a connection with people of the, in the us, uh, to have a, uh, uh, a block from ai. You need people, uh, in, uh, for instance, uh, in Spain for uh, uh, I don't know, blockchain, et cetera.
And so it's, it's global, but uh, and I think it's innovation is global now, but we are living a very special moment in the human history. Where the, the, the, the, the world, as we used to know it, is a little bit, uh, changing. Uh, we've got, uh, the conflict, uh, between, uh, uh, Ukraine and uh, and Russia, uh, tension between, uh, uh, China and the us And it's the same for tech.
And you see that, uh, boundaries are back frontiers, et cetera, et cetera. And I think what is interesting at Viva Tech, it's a place where it's a kind of safe place. Where you have all the nations of the people and try to create again this unique Global planet Of tech and I can tell you that at this very moment It's something important and not always as easy as it seems
[00:09:52] Marco Ciappelli: Now I agree with you.
I mean, I think you need to foster Uh, the individual country, the way that they,, create education and they, they make thrive their, their innovation. But as, as you said, sometimes you need the convergence of different technology in order to make the cream de la crème, right?
The la crème de la crème happen. Uh, so that, that's the beauty of it. Um, Give me I know already because I looked at the website. You have some incredible keynotes last year You had a you had Elon Musk and and this year you have somebody that I understand used to play tennis Yeah, talk in there. So give me give me a little bit of Teaser for who is going to be leading the keynotes this year
[00:10:42] François Bitouzet: Yeah, so we've got something like a 100 keynotes and, uh, sessions, uh, fire chat, uh, et cetera.
Uh, I think we will, we try to have the, as you said, crème de la crème for AI. That's for sure. So, uh, for instance, uh, we will have, uh, uh, Yann Lequin, uh, Joshua Bengio. So, I mean, uh. Uh, touring prices, uh, together. Uh, we will have also, uh, people from open ai, uh, from, uh, anthropic, uh, run, uh, runway, uh, also from Nvidia.
So you, you know, we have, uh, I think the key players in, uh, in ai and also we will have, uh, a lot also of. Uh, um, uh, CEOs, CMOs, uh, we will have, for instance, uh, Bernardo, uh, the, the, the CEO of, uh, of, uh, of, uh, of, uh, match. We will have a lot of, uh, uh, tech and digital leaders from all over the world. For instance, Robin Lee, the CEO of Baidu, Miki Tanisan, the CEO of Rakuten, Eric Schmidt.
I think there's no need to introduce him. And also a lot of people who are making the world of tech moving and changing. For instance, I like her so much, Meredith Whittaker from Signal. Linda Iaccarino from, uh, from X Twitter. So you see, uh, a large, large, uh, uh, spectrum of, uh, of speakers. Also, we will have John Kerry.
Uh, and I think he will, uh, tell us a lot of things about sustainability. Uh, Charles Michel, he's the president of the European Council. And people who have a vision on tech and digital. So we were talking about tennis. We are very proud because this year we will have Serena and Venus Williams on stage. Uh, so we are super excited.
Uh, first because they haven't been together on stage, uh, for a long, long time, so I think it's been for, for four years. And also, you know, they are very important investors, uh, in tech and digital now. And so they will tell us about, of course. Sport and tech, uh, is, uh, uh, in investing in tech, uh, like, uh, like a sport, like a fight sport, et cetera.
I think it's going to be something very, uh, um, something to, to, to, to, to remember. Definitely.
[00:13:15] Marco Ciappelli: Absolutely. And I remember From last year, you had President Macron, if I remember well, he was speaking. And I see again, uh, the president of the European Council. You had John Kerry. I see politician. I see people from the government getting involved because it's very important to be prepared for where technology is going to go.
And don't be surprised eventually, hopefully not, as human often do, that we found ourself in a situation where we're making fun before, before we Start recording about being in the metrics and we don't want to be there. So it's important to have this guardrails, uh, when we talk about many, many topics in technology, how do you choose the, I mean, technology is everywhere.
You know, every company is a technology company nowadays. How do you choose the main themes for, for the event? Like, Of course, AI, but I know you focus on many other things. Is there like a market research? How do you decide to highlight certain topics?
[00:14:20] François Bitouzet: Yeah, for instance, this year we have AI and also sustainability.
Because we really want to link both, uh, both questions and we really want to have a concrete approach. We are not here to tell you what will happen in, uh, in 20 years. Uh, as I was saying, like, uh, we will all be, uh, like Keanu Reeves in the matrix, et cetera. We want to see things now for people to understand and to understand the opportunities, uh, but also the risk.
Um, For your questions, we have a team here of people who are focused on content. And they spend their year traveling, going to other conferences, reading, meeting people. We have also the opportunity to have at Vivatech, as I said, Startup, tech leaders, uh, government, uh, corporate sectors, and we meet all of them.
And to be honest, it's not, uh, uh, it's not a scientific, uh, method. It's something that comes from, uh, the , uh, the, the, the context and, uh, and everything. And I think it's very important. Uh, when we think that something is interesting for people, uh, it happens, uh, usually 10 months before the, before the event.
When we've got something, we, we, we start to discuss with a lot of people outside of, uh, VivaTech. Friends and family, uh, key partners, some journalists, etc. And so we try at the end of the, um, of the year to have something, uh, concrete and, uh, and, uh, and solid. And to be honest with you, Very often, because this is tech, I mean, tech is changing all the time, and this is what is, uh, what is exciting.
We've got something in September, October, and in January we're like, Oh my god, it doesn't work anymore. People don't care about this, there is something so big coming, and so we have to do it again from, uh, from start. But it's part of the game, I mean, it's like a, it's like a media, and, uh, it's also, Uh, this is the heart of, uh, of tech.
It, uh, the pulse is, uh, is very, very, uh, important. And we are very happy to be the reflection of the, of the rhythm of, uh, of, uh, the rhythm of tech. Definitely.
[00:16:38] Marco Ciappelli: Yeah. And just to give an idea, I mean, I have all this conversation on my show, Redefining Society. It's all about technology and how it affects society.
But you have Reading here, you know, gaming and sports. Of course, that's that's important creators economy. That's relatively new, but something that it's it's a big industry. I mean, you can't not talk about that. But then one very important Internet and democracy. So how did you guys decided that to have that?
[00:17:12] François Bitouzet: I think for us it was quite obvious because here in Europe, in a few weeks, we will have a European election for the European Parliament. So it's something very, very important. And we know that at this moment, especially with ai, there are a lot of, uh, um, of, uh, fears about what will happen to democracy because we see the impact sometime of, uh, digital and new tech solution on the, on, on, on, on, um, on democracy, uh, itself.
You see that, uh, with the social media, with the fair, with deep fake, et cetera, you can make people believe things that are wrong. And it can have an impact on, uh, the people they will want, uh, as a president or a prime minister, et cetera. And for us, it was very important not to avoid this kind of question, but it puts them, uh, in the light.
And to have the best in class at a global, uh, at a global scale and to discuss, to find solutions. Uh, we will have a lot of startups with a concrete solutions. For example, we have a, uh, Japanese, um, we have a Japanese startup. They are called Citadel AI and their idea is to consider that we, we need to create a kind of guardians of AI.
Meaning that if you are a company and if you want to implement a new ai, uh, tech product, they are here to tell you, here has the rules yet that you need to follow for your, your AI to be compliant with democracy, respect, uh, data ips, uh, et cetera. And I think, um, AI and tech and democracy, it can be very, very important, very powerful.
However, at this moment. There are so many questions that we need to find answers. So it was for Europe, but also, uh, in the US you have the presidential election, and we know that tech is key now, uh, in the way democracy is, uh, implemented. And I think also that tech Has to be part of the discussion for the new president, for the new, uh, uh, people that we will, uh, uh, vote for because it's so important.
I mean, it's as important as, uh, uh, the, the, the, the, the price of the, uh, of all, uh, I mean everything. And very often it's not considered in the general, uh, debate, whereas it's key. And I think this is also why a tech, you know, it's a four day, uh, four day event. Three days are dedicated to B2B uh, attendees.
And the last day it was general public. So you can come with your family, you can be a kid, you can be a senior. You are not a geek, you are not working in in tech, but you can have access to vi tech, to everything. And I think it is what we, I was talking about, about democracy and tech. It's very important to bring people to tech, otherwise they are afraid of tech.
They don't understand, whereas tech can be such an empowerment. And so this is also part of our commitment to tech.
[00:20:27] Marco Ciappelli: Yeah, I love that because many of the conference that I, that I go to in cybersecurity or in tech, they are, they're B2B and then, and then I have to be the one that translate it for the audience, right?
Uh, the fact that they can come there is still very much a connection with it. The World Trade Fair where people could go and experience and get excited. But also no, because knowledge is power is out to interact and not have the fear of, you know, they're powerful technology. But the scary part is when you, you think is, I don't know, the volcano, the God volcano that you don't understand how it was.
And then you have fear of it and you think is something that is not. So. I love the fact that people are coming there. Is there anything that you want to highlight that is different from last year? So, or maybe the year before. Anything that is new in this system of how the event runs?
[00:21:30] François Bitouzet: I think that this year we will try to have an even more important focus on the business side.
You know, for the startup, it's very difficult at this moment to find investors. Money is very difficult to find. And so at VivaTech, we really want to be a business platform. I mean, we have the startups, they come with their innovation, amazing innovation. We have the corporate sectors, they have the money, they can be clients.
We have also the, the, The public sector and, you know, they're very important also in the development and the economical development of the, of the startups. And we really want the startup when they leave Vitech to say, okay guys, we have made up to, uh, 25% of, uh, our annual leads because it's part of the, of the promise of, and the commitment of, uh, of Viva Tech.
And we will try to do that, uh, with very Viva tech style, uh, ways. Just I give you an example. This is something I'm very, uh, I hope it will be, uh, it will be a success. We will privatize a street in Paris. It's called Rue Montorgueil. It's a very Parisian street like Emilie in Paris, if you want. There are a lot of bars everywhere.
And so we have, uh, uh, investors and we have corporate sectors. They, they, they pay to have a bar. And if you are a startup, you come and they, they, and they offer you a drink, a beer. And so we will have 3000, uh, founders, uh, uh, CEOs of startup working in the street, going from bar to bar, drinking beer, discussing business.
I hope they won't be drunk, uh, too fast, but you see what I mean? It's about, it's about business. So this is tech and it's about Viva. It's about a celebration. So let's try to make business because at the end of the day. This is what people need when you are in tech and especially if you are a startup, but let's try to do it in a, in a fun way because I mean, uh, it's, it's part of the DNA of tech and digital.
[00:23:38] Marco Ciappelli: Yeah. And I want to end this with this connection, like the community, on the website, you list that there is 2, 800 exhibitors. There is the four stage with all the speakers, but then there is one title to say, find your tribe. And I really like I kind of see how you're really trying to connect people at the human level in a very European way, right?
It's not just about the money or just about the technology, but it's about connecting with the people and maybe decide, Hey, let's build something together. Let's invest together because Again, we connect. We do this a lot in France and Spain and Italy. You know, we're just like that. And I love the fact that you're bringing this to the forefront.
So I hope that people will not be. A little bit too drunk to then make the right decision, but they're sure to loosen up a little.
[00:24:36] François Bitouzet: You know, when the, when, when the team, they told me, okay, we will do that in the street, Montorgueil. And they told me it has to be on the first evening of VivaTech. And I was like, Oh my God.
Like, are
[00:24:50] Marco Ciappelli: you sure it's a good idea?
[00:24:52] François Bitouzet: Stupid me. And I said yes, of course, of course, I said yes.
[00:24:55] Marco Ciappelli: Yeah, sure, why
[00:24:56] François Bitouzet: not? But what you say, uh, I think it's very important. Because we are living in a world, uh, more and more, uh, focused on efficiency, zero risk. I mean, people don't want to take risk, uh, anymore, et cetera.
So let's make, uh, a little space to surprise. To chance, to luck. And I think this is the important thing with events. An event, of course, it's about sessions, it's about pavilions, it's about features, etc. But at the end of the day, it's about people in the same place, at the same moment, and things that Never happen usually, will happen.
I give you one example. Last year, Bernard Arnault, so, uh, uh, maybe the wealthiest man on earth, the boss of LVMH, he was visiting VivaTech from start up to start up, and I remember a young founder from Korea he jumped on him, so the bodyguard was like, oh my god, but at the end, they discussed together and, uh, And, uh, the day after, uh, the guy of innovation from LVMH called the startup and said, we would like to discuss with you.
I can tell you it happens at Vivatech. I'm not telling you that it doesn't happen anywhere else in the world, but
[00:26:19] Marco Ciappelli: I
[00:26:20] François Bitouzet: tell you it happens at Vivatech.
[00:26:23] Marco Ciappelli: I love it. I love it. Well, Francois, I am so excited for you to get this going. I know everything is ready to go. They're just sitting there waiting for the door to open.
So everything is going to be perfect. And I'm very happy that you found the time again to come back on the show on ITSP Magazine and give us an overview of what is going to happen there. We're a big fan of Viva Tech and all you do for Viva Tech. Technology and society. So again, thank you very much. Good luck.
Viva Tech will take place again in Paris, if you haven't figured it out, May 22nd to the 25th. So it's about to happen and, uh, thank you again for stopping by.
[00:27:09] François Bitouzet: Thank you. Thank you for your time. Thank you for your kindness and thank you for sharing this love for tech and digital. And so we will try to be at the level of expectations that you have.
[00:27:21] Marco Ciappelli: All right. I'm sure. I'm sure. Take care, everybody. Stay tuned. There'll be more stories here on, uh, on location with me and Sean when he's here with me, but I always have great guests. So I hope you enjoy the show. Thank you, everybody.