Testimonials: ISS projects and alumni startups at Viva Technology

The startup studio present at Viva Technology 2024

Why come to this new edition?

From May 22 to 25, 2024, the Inria stand welcomed the Startup Studio for the eighth edition of Viva Technology at the Porte de Versailles Exhibition Center in Paris. This major innovation and technology event allows project leaders and startups from the program to present their innovations, meet potential partners and discover the latest trends in technology.

For the Studio already present during the 2023 edition, participation in Viva Technology represents a key opportunity to highlight the program and support startups in their development. The show offers valuable visibility and a favorable setting for establishing strategic contacts and collecting constructive feedback.

Several stands for ISS projects and alumni startups at Viva tech

Developing a startup is above all exploring possibilities: and how can you do this without presenting your ideas to others and testing them?

Several dozen studio leaders and alumni had the opportunity to present their innovation on the stands of:

• Inria ;
• Paris-Saclay University ;
• Franco-German Deutsches ForschungszentrumfürKünstlicheIntelligenz (DFKI) and Triathlon Transfer (transfer and technology unit of Universität des Saarlandes) ;
• Carnot network ;
• Polytechnic Institute of Paris ;
• Several regions of France.

They benefited from increased visibility, were able to establish strategic contacts and expose their project to a diverse audience.

Testimonials from Viva Technology participants

We have collected testimonies from four of them, in order to share with you their experiences and impressions of this event, and who knows, make you want to come next year!

• Abilous, a current project, led by Vanina Berger and Alexis Fruhinsholz, an educational software designed as a real “educational Swiss army knife” enriched by AI ;
• CellEmax, ongoing project led by Marielle Péré, a biotech startup specializing in the identification of therapeutic targets in oncology ;
• Skyld, a company created more than a year ago, led by Marie Paindavoine, a startup which aims to protect embedded AI algorithms against reverse engineering ;
• Virtual Society (Cats and Foxes), led by Nicolas Gauville, a multiplayer sandbox game developed with neuro-atypical people in mind.

Their motivation and expectations

“We were really very curious to participate in Vivatech for the first time and discover the show itself, the latest innovations, technological trends, network with people in our field and attend cutting-edge conferences with high-level speakers.”

“Gain visibility in one of the largest European trade shows. Maintain and expand the network.”

“I wanted to give visibility to my project, do technological monitoring and meet potential partners.”

“Present VirtualSociety to the general public (Saturday day), and meet a few people (partners with whom we have worked but never met physically, such as Hope Valley AI whose demonstrator we developed in virtual reality, professional contacts from investment funds, etc.).”

Lived experiences and interactions

Your overall experience?

“We really enjoyed the experience, it’s very enriching and motivating to be bathed in so many innovations, creators and to have such easy access to so many interesting conferences and people.”

“Excellent on the Franco-German stand and in the various requested or impromptu meetings. The Inria stand was a little further back and, in my opinion, the startups and startup projects were not sufficiently identified as such.”

“Very good, with three very busy days.I am a little too specialized for the general public but many enthusiastic students came.”

“The show was interesting but very intense. Stand space was sometimes limited, which could make communication difficult. The booth setup was great, and it was very cool to have a water fountain and storage space.”

Your highlights?

“We were there on Friday to attend conferences, meet specific people and see different stands, but what stood out the most for us was the day we were at the stand, we had many unexpected interactions and very varied encounters. It was very interesting to be able to talk about your project and get constructive feedback through our different interactions.”

“Participation in the Europe Deeptech Meetup, a BPI event alongside Vivatech, which allowed 50 deeptech startups to meet investors.”

“My pitch on the BPI stage and meetings with potential partners.”

Good feedback from visitors and other participants?

“Since we are targeting the general public with our educational software, we were there on Saturday and really enjoyed meeting the families and were pleased to receive their enthusiasm and encouragement. This allows us to have an external opinion on our project under development and it boosts motivation.”

“Lots of very positive feedback from the people who stopped at the stand.”

Opportunities and impacts

Partners or investors?

“We are very happy to have met potential partners, there are meetings that we do not anticipate in this type of show and which are very beneficial for the project in the long term. Regarding financing, we met a specialist in European grants, but we had not planned other investor meetings because we are not at that stage, we only returned to Inria Startup Studio since 2 months.”

“Several large groups and several investors.”

“Yes, I had several meetings with potential partners and VCs following Vivatech, to see in the long term.»

“Yes, let’s see if there are fruitful contacts in the future.”

Will Viva Technology impact your project / startup?

“We found it very useful to participate in Viva Technology, with all the rich and varied meetings, the cutting-edge conferences and the numerous stands to discover from various countries (whether startups or large groups). Certain discussions also allow us to glimpse other avenues of development, this opens up horizons.”

“Yes, very positively.”

“Yes, but on our side less than other fairs more dedicated to our field (video games and mental health). Perhaps Saturday was also less conducive to professional exchanges.”

What support from ISS?

“Inria Startup Studio gives us a lot of support with its various training courses and its financial support but above all our local personal coach Stéphanie Morales, who puts us in contact with her network, the entire local ecosystem. We also have a regular video meeting with our national coach Sophie Pellat-Velluire who shares her experience with us. ISS gave us the chance to participate in Viva Technology and allowed us to be present on their stand, and with a dedicated team providing us with all their support before and during the event.”

“By providing a location and associated passes for the event.”

“Inria allowed me to be on two stands (Carnot and Inria network) and communicated massively about my presence at the show.”

“Inria Startup Studio allowed us to participate in the event (financing the pass, the journey and the hotel), and managed the installation and signage of the stand. It was great !”

Advice and future for next Viva technology

Any advice for other projects or startups considering participating?

“You have to take the time to plan everything well in advance because it goes by much faster than you initially imagine, especially on the day you have the stand. We ended up not having time to see all the stands or people we wanted, so we hope to return for a longer period next time.”

“Prepare well for the visit in advance by identifying the people present to approach.”

“A busy day, well prepared in advance if you want to visit other stands, bring a physical object that will make an impression to make yourself known, publish well on LinkedIn in advance and post-event that you will be present, specifying the day and the stand.”

“Get in shape :D”

The next challenges or steps for your project or startup?

“Having joined Inria Startup Studio two months ago, we are planning meetings to refine our project, training, research for financing and a lot of development and content to produce in order to finalize our software before the creation of the startup in a year .”

“Accelerate business development.”

“Take the opportunity to have met potential partners to sign a first deal.”

“Currently, the creation of the startup once BFT-Lab spent.”

The final word(s)

“What was most surprising at Vivatech was discovering cutting-edge innovations (lots of startups around AI), and it was fun to see the robots, electric cars and the autonomous helicopter! It was a unique experience and one to repeat with pleasure.”

“Three days were a bit too much for me but otherwise the atmosphere on the Inria stand was great.”

“Fun, tiring, intense.”