More than 125 countries were represented at Viva Technology 2018.
Taking its position as the ‘global engagement for startups and leaders’, more than 125 countries were represented at Viva Technology 2018.
The French tech conference saw over 100,000 attendees interact with content from over 300 speakers, and over 1800 startups and innovations all gather in Paris over the weekend for the third edition of Viva Tech in Paris over the weekend.
Speakers at the three-day summit, included Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, as well as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
For its 3rd edition, Viva Technology dedicated a hub to African tech & innovation, with over 50 African startups present. Some of the brightest minds from across the continent were given opportunities to share their progress, visions and startup ideas. But, the focus on African innovation did not end there. French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the French government through its French Development Agency would launch a R900-million investment programme for African startups, which marked as a highlight for evening.
For South Africa, two local start-ups emerged victors at the summit. Johannesburg-based artificial intelligence company Vizibiliti Insight walked away with a cash prize worth R72 000 for coming first place in the Verizon Challenge.
Another startup which represented was The Sun Exchange, a solar and blockchain startup that sells users solar cells, and helps buyers earn cryptocurrency by leasing the equipment to schools and businesses, won the AFD Energy Blockchain challenge.
Other highlights of the summit included an assortment of new tech ranging from a flying water car made by French company Seabubbles, Airbus’PopUp flying taxi, to a bevy of domestic robots, including one made by Partnering Robotics that cleans the air and reports on air quality by roving around the building.
IBM also showcased how it is using the blockchain to build trust, track provenance and maintain privacy in an interactive coffee bean supply chain.
Facebook CEO, Mark Zuckerberg unpacked community oriented governance, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and how Facebook aims to fight bad content.
In one of the most anticipated talks at the conference, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company is hiring 20 000 people, as well as investing in artificial intelligence (AI) to “proactively” deal with bad content.
Here are some of the highlights below.
By Neo Sesinye
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