A Tech Storm at Viva Technology 2025 in Paris

At Viva Technology, Europe’s largest tech event held in Paris, a true technology storm swept through the city. Over 165,000 visitors attended the four-day event (our estimate during the event was 70,000 ☺). It stood out not only for its scale but also for the rich content, networking opportunities, and forward-looking tech vision it offered.

At Viva Technology, Europe’s largest tech event held in Paris, a true technology storm swept through the city. Over 165,000 visitors attended the four-day event (our estimate during the event was 70,000 ☺). It stood out not only for its scale but also for the rich content, networking opportunities, and forward-looking tech vision it offered.

We attended the event alongside Boğaziçi Ventures CEO Barış Özistek. Every corner hosted a panel, every hall had a new launch, and every evening was packed with side events. AI was everywhere—with the number of AI-related participants up by 40% compared to last year. From panels to demo zones, from robot showcases to investor pitches, everything revolved around AI. Especially NVIDIA and France-based Mistral AI emerged not only as stars of the event but also as key representatives of Europe’s tech vision.

Paris’s Tech Vision and Global Competition

When we think of European tech hubs, Paris is among the key cities—though not yet the first. However, it is clear that France is working hard to change this perception. During VivaTech, the city itself seemed to breathe technology: billboards, ads, and street events all carried the theme. The event was not just an expo, but also a statement of France’s determination to compete in the global tech race.

The presence of French President Emmanuel Macron as a keynote speaker was a clear signal of this vision. Macron personally announced the partnership between Mistral AI and NVIDIA. On the main stage, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang emphasized that we should not think of NVIDIA as solely U.S.-focused—its global vision very much includes Europe.

Turkey’s Strong Presence and Boğaziçi Ventures’ Role

For us at Boğaziçi Ventures, participating in VivaTech this year was a point of pride. We were not just attendees but active participants, engaging directly with major global tech players. We had the opportunity to meet industry giants such as NVIDIA, Meta, Tesla, LVMH, and Alibaba Group, as well as rising stars like Mistral AI and Hugging Face. In fact, we established direct contact with 29 major tech companies and investors, demonstrating the event’s value for collaboration.

Turkey was also represented strongly with the Turcorn100 and Invest in Türkiye pavilions, led by the Ministry of Industry and Technology. This presence was critical for strengthening our country’s position on the global tech stage. We held face-to-face meetings with many stakeholders from the entrepreneurial and investment ecosystem.

Our portfolio companies were also part of this transformation:

• Artiwise, which provides AI-powered customer insight solutions to industries like automotive, finance, aviation, retail, and telecom, participated at the BNP Paribas booth through their collaboration. This demonstrated the global scale Artiwise has reached.
• Kavaken, represented at the TotalEnergies booth, showcased its AI-based energy asset management solutions that are crucial for large energy companies pursuing net-zero goals.

Both examples highlight how our portfolio companies are creating impact on the global stage not just with their technological depth but also with strategic partnerships with leading global corporations.

NVIDIA GTC in Europe for the First Time: A New Era Begins

Another highlight of this year was that NVIDIA GTC was held in Europe for the very first time, as part of VivaTech. At Boğaziçi Ventures, we were delighted to participate as members of the NVIDIA VC Alliance and to engage directly with NVIDIA’s Inception startups.

Jensen Huang’s keynote truly reshaped how we think about the future of tech and investment for the next decade. One of his most striking statements was:

“The new currency of this era is your GPU capacity.”

In other words:

• Local GPU capacity in data centers = AI sovereignty
• Local language models trained on domestic datasets
• Control over data and data security

Huang introduced the concept of “Sovereign AI”, emphasizing that having sovereign AI systems ensures not only technological leadership but also geopolitical advantage.

He also noted that quantum computing has reached an inflection point, with the potential to solve complex problems in the near future. This statement generated huge excitement among investors and led to a 25% surge in the stock prices of publicly listed quantum companies on the same day.

However, despite its global ambition, VivaTech had some limitations. Language barriers were an issue, with some panels held only in French and event staff lacking strong English skills, limiting accessibility for international participants. Additionally, the event’s spread-out layout and the massive crowd somewhat reduced overall efficiency.

Conclusion: On the Verge of a Technological Renaissance

VivaTech 2025 was not only about emerging tech trends but also about the geopolitical strategies built around AI. France’s Mistral AI initiative, Turkey’s domestic LLM startups, and NVIDIA’s rhetoric around GPU sovereignty all signaled that the coming era will not only redefine technology but also reshape global power dynamics, sovereignty, and economic leadership.

At Boğaziçi Ventures, we are determined to remain an active player in this transformation through our BV Growth II AI-focused early-stage fund and our AI Summit events. This year we will host the third edition of our AI Summit, attended by a selective audience of C-level executives, technology leaders, founders, and data experts. Invitations will be announced very soon—stay tuned!

For over a decade, we have worked with dedication to contribute to and create value in Turkey’s tech startup ecosystem. With our deep expertise and strong network, we support entrepreneurs in building globally competitive businesses. At Boğaziçi Ventures, we believe in harnessing the power of technology across multiple verticals to deliver sustainable and intelligent solutions.

We invite entrepreneurs to apply for investment meetings with Boğaziçi Ventures via [email protected]. Take this opportunity to scale your startup and join  our global business network today!