Bpifrance, France’s state-backed public investment bank, has selected six startups from French territories in the Indian Ocean to attend VivaTech 2026 in Paris, a move aimed at boosting the visibility of entrepreneurs far from mainland France’s usual tech hubs.
The announcement was made June 26, with Bpifrance naming La Réunion and Mayotte among the origins of the chosen teams, alongside startups from the wider Indian Ocean arc. The selection reflects a scouting effort by Bpifrance in regions that often sit outside the “Hexagon’s” tech spotlight—“Hexagon” being a common shorthand for mainland France.
Overseas territories positioned as a source of innovation
In the Indian Ocean, digital ecosystems are still taking shape, driven by local constraints that can turn into competitive advantages: rethinking connectivity, modernizing agriculture, and building out remote health services.
Those specific needs, the article argues, are helping produce startups capable of targeting markets that larger mainland players may overlook.
Bpifrance’s role spans early-stage support through to introductions with major corporate and public-sector buyers. Sending founders to VivaTech fits that strategy—offering a national, and potentially international, showcase for companies built in geographically remote but still French territories.
VivaTech as a visibility boost for France’s overseas “French Tech”
For the six teams, VivaTech is described as a practical chance to meet investors, industrial partners, and media outlets unlikely to travel to Saint-Denis, the capital of La Réunion. The Paris event remains one of the few gatherings where the concentration of tech decision-makers can justify the trip.
Bpifrance did not disclose the names of the six selected startups or their sectors in the information available. What is clear, the article says, is that their presence in Paris reflects Bpifrance’s stated intent not to confine “French Tech” to mainland metropolitan centers.
