Tech for Future 2024: a review of the major Tech & Innovation event
Table of contents
On Thursday 28 March, the final day of Tech for Future was held at the Grand Rex, a major competition and annual event for the tech ecosystem, in which BeTomorrow was involved as a partner and selection panel.
The BeTomorrow teams took part in the various selection stages organised throughout France. The meeting on 28 March represents the culmination of more than 3 months of rigorous selection to identify the nuggets of tomorrow.
Who are the big winners? What did we learn from the major conferences at this event? Find out in this article!
Do you have heard of the Tech for Future competition?
Organised for the past 12 years by La Tribune, the leading media outlet on the economy and innovation, this competition rewards the best start-ups in 6 categories: Data & AI (Artificial Intelligence), Environment & Energy, Industry, Health, Smart Tech, Start. Following a national tour lasting several weeks (8 cities in France and 4 sessions in French overseas territories), 51 startups were selected by the juries, including BeTomorrow experts, from hundreds of applications. The top 10 winners (one in each category) were revealed at the final ceremony on the stage of the Grand Rex in Paris.
A key meeting point for start-ups and major digital players
Alexandre Ribeiro, CEO of BeTomorrow, spoke alongside Frédéric Mazzella (BlaBlaCar, Captain Cause, France Digitale) and Flavia Roland (France Digitale) before the launch of the day.
“This competition is a perfect reflection of BeTomorrow's identity.”
he said, highlighting the agency's 20-year mission to accelerate collaboration between major groups and start-ups, by capitalising on synergies and drawing on the strengths of each player. Alexandre Ribeiro has written an article on this subject for La Tribune: "Startups and major corporations: the degree of emergence as the key to collaboration!"
The theme of the 2024 edition: "Has the time come for a European tech industry?
Tech for Future brought together the best French and European tech speakers for passionate and committed debates, to explore the issues, challenges and opportunities of digital technology, particularly around artificial intelligence. The high-profile panel included European Commissioner Thierry Breton, entrepreneur and digital expert Gilles Babinet, Béatrice Kosowski, President of IBM France, and Sylvie Jehanno, CEO of Dalkia, to name but a few. The round tables were moderated by journalists from La Tribune.
AI, disinformation, ethics, sovereignty... What can we learn from these 12 round tables?
If we had to pick just one theme, it would be artificial intelligence, which was omnipresent in the discussions. From cognitive warfare to digital sovereignty, from ethics to the transformation of the labour market and ecology, the implications of AI are vast and complex.
The rise of technologies, particularly generative artificial intelligence, is radically transforming our world, influencing both cognitive warfare and disinformation. This new technological era presents us with an unprecedented challenge: to reclaim our role in this complex dynamic. At the "How technology is turning us into soldiers" round table, Asma Mhalla, a specialist in tech and political issues, highlighted the urgent need to re-politicise the technology issue, so that citizens can recognise their crucial role as producers of data and players in the information society.
European sovereignty is becoming a major issue in the face of the domination of the digital giants. Discussions on "digital rearmament for Europe" have highlighted the need to develop a strategy for European strategic autonomy, based on regulation, innovation and the promotion of open research in AI. This rearmament is essential to protect citizens while promoting competitiveness and the implementation of innovative ideas.
The fears of potentially out-of-control AI and the debates on ethics and governance in this field were explored during the "Will AI save humanity or cause the end of the world?" round table. Giada Pistilli, a philosopher specialising in the ethical issues surrounding AI, disentangled the immediate risks from the catastrophic scenarios, underlining the importance of putting people back at the centre of the technological debate in order to anticipate and manage the real risks.
The integration of AI into businesses is discussed as the major challenge of 2024, requiring an adaptation of skills and business models. The experts highlighted the need for a national and European AI strategy to maintain competitiveness and address the issues of data sovereignty and IT security.
The protection of personal data and digital sovereignty are at the heart of European concerns, as highlighted in the interview with Austrian activist Max Schrems. Legal activism against transatlantic data transfers highlights the need for effective regulation and rigorous enforcement of existing laws to protect citizens' rights.
Discussions on European digital sovereignty have also focused on the need to rebalance technological dependencies to preserve Europe's autonomy. The importance of cybersecurity, investment in AI, the training of talent, and an economic model adapted to Europe's digital sector was highlighted.
Europe is striving to unify its digital space and protect its data through new regulations, such as the DSA (Digital Service Act) and the DMA (Digital Markets Act). These efforts aim to establish clear rules for all economic players and support innovation and growth for European businesses in a harmonised digital internal market.
The financing of start-ups and the role of the stock market in the hypergrowth and long-term survival of innovative companies were examined during the round table "Financing: is the stock market still the horizon for start-ups?". Despite a difficult financial context, the need to strengthen European financial centres and to finance companies with European capital was highlighted.
Discussions also explored the energy transition and how artificial intelligence is helping to combat climate change, highlighting France's leadership in green technologies and strategies to reduce the energy consumption of AI algorithms.
Discussions on the subject of "Generative AI and disinformation: how can we save our democracies?" strongly emphasised the need to adapt our digital tools and societal approaches to counter these threats and preserve democratic integrity.
Finally, adapting skills to the era of generative AI raises questions about ethics and equality in a sector undergoing rapid change. The discussions revealed the urgent need to prepare society to take full advantage of the benefits of AI, while ensuring that these technologies are used ethically and responsibly.
Who are the 10 winning startups at Tech for Future 2024?
The final ceremony highlighted passionate and innovative entrepreneurs who have all set themselves the task of resolving environmental, economic and social issues. Alexandre Ribeiro presented the Smart Tech prize to the Bordeaux-based start-up Libu, a light that improves the lives of workers with staggered working hours. The two founders, Manon Libu and Tinou Seguin, were included in the latest Forbes "30 under 30 Europe" ranking of brilliant young entrepreneurs (Manufacturing & Industry category).
Other winners by category:
✔ Industry Award: Sintermat creates durable and solid materials for industry thanks to powder metallurgy
✔ Data & AI Prize: HawAI.tech creates tomorrow's artificial intelligence chips in France
✔ Environment & Energy Prize: Algama creates eggs from microalgae to better feed the planet
✔ Health Prize: ACS Biotech hopes to put an end to osteoarthritis for good
✔ Start Prize: Oligofeed saves the lives of bees thanks to a patented micronutrient
✔ Impact Prize: Koraï restores damaged coral in the ocean
✔ International Award: Foil and Co brings the foil industry back to France and exports it around the world
✔ Coup de coeur prize: Quanteec, the ecological revolution in video streaming
✔ Overseas award: Myditec, the reference tool for farmers in tropical zones
A final word
Thank you La Tribune for bringing together all the players in the tech ecosystem around this competition, which rewarded promising companies, as well as through its round tables and business meetings.
“Being a partner of Tech for Future underlines our ongoing commitment to supporting start-ups and major groups in their ambitions to innovate and transform their industries. It's also an opportunity to explore potential collaborations with other decision-makers and innovators, with the aim of co-creating digital solutions that anticipate future needs and address ethical, environmental and societal concerns.”
Tech for Future was also a great opportunity to exchange ideas and find synergies with the event's other partners: BNP Paribas, BPIFrance, Business France, Dalkia, Deloitte, La French Tech, INPI, France Digitale and Orange.
BeTomorrow will be closely following the progress of these new bright entrepreneurs and is already preparing for the 2025 edition of Tech for Future!
Thank you for reading this article.
