At VivaTech 2025 in Paris, five prestigious startup competitions took center stage, honoring visionary founders and groundbreaking technologies. TechCrunch proudly partnered on the Innovation of the Year award, which recognized the most disruptive, creative, and promising startup of the year. The five finalists were each awarded a coveted spot in TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield 200—a global launchpad for the next generation of unicorns.
This year VivaTech saw:
- 180,000 attendees
- 171 nationalities
- 14,000 startups
- 4,000 partners
- 3,600 investors
Innovation of the Year – Chipiron
TechCrunch’s spotlight award went to Chipiron, a French startup reinventing MRI with a scalable, cost-efficient platform poised to reshape global healthcare. As part of their prize, Chipiron earned a booth at TechCrunch Disrupt, GPU credits from NVIDIA, and access to top VCs.
Tech for Change Award – Alveolix
Recognizing real-world impact, Alveolix won for advancing microphysiological systems that improve health outcomes and scientific research.
AfricaTech Awards – Reme-D
Honoring African innovation, Reme-D was named Grand Winner for delivering accessible digital health solutions to underserved populations.
Next Startupper Challenge – Greeny Solutions
Celebrating fearless founders, Greeny Solutions earned top honors for their sustainable approach to urban agriculture, with Artemisia receiving an honorable mention.
Female Founder Challenge – Verley
Championing gender equity in tech, Verley’s co-founder Hélène Briand took home the top prize for her AI-powered product taxonomy platform. TechCrunch was thrilled to amplify the voices of these groundbreaking women founders.
All winners received:
- A Startup Corner at VivaTech 2026
- NVIDIA GPU credits + a Deep Learning Institute workshop
- Massive visibility, curated VC intros, and
- An invitation to join TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 at Disrupt in San Francisco in October 2025.
From healthtech and AI to sustainability and fintech, TechCrunch and VivaTech joined forces to spotlight the most visionary startups shaping our future. This partnership brought together two powerhouses in innovation—VivaTech, Europe’s premier tech event, and TechCrunch, the global authority on startup ecosystems—to elevate breakthrough ideas on a world stage. Together, they created a high-impact platform where game-changing founders gained not only exposure, but real opportunity: access to global investors, startup accelerators, and the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200. It wasn’t just a celebration of innovation—it was a launchpad for what’s next.
