France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine brings 36 startups to VivaTech 2026, pitching a “soft landing” into Germany

France’s Nouvelle-Aquitaine region is arriving at Viva Technology 2026 with a clear message for investors and partners: its startups aren’t just looking for visibility in Paris—they’re looking for a runway abroad.

For its ninth appearance at VivaTech, the region has assembled 36 teams on a 106-square-meter pavilion (about 1,140 square feet) at stand H32. The delegation is 80% new this year, with 28 startups and eight student-entrepreneur projects selected from Pépite hubs—chosen from 73 applications.

The region is also using the show to push a practical export playbook. On June 18, organizers held a networking session tied to the regional Sirena Start-up program, designed to open foreign markets for young companies, with a particular focus this year on “softlanding” into Germany—the country being highlighted at this year’s VivaTech.

Health tech and AI anchor the region’s VivaTech lineup

Seven of the companies on the pavilion are pitching health or wellness products. Yunohit, based in Bègles, is working to modernize access to France’s shared medical record using AI. SkinMed, in Saint-Sulpice-de-Roumagnac, is developing a tele-dermatology software suite. Hope Valley, from La Rochelle, is focused on simulating rare events for medical research.

Neurathletics—built on five years of R&D at France’s CNRS research agency in Pessac—is presenting a neurofeedback tool for elite athletes. AF Genese, based in Saumos, was developed in partnership with Inserm, France’s national medical research institute. ADN Secours (Gujan-Mestras) and Cellule rouge (Poitiers) round out the group ^[1].

Starfish Biosciences will represent Nouvelle-Aquitaine in VivaTech’s “Battle of the Regions,” a pitch contest that pits 10 French startups against each other. The event highlights how French regions compete to win attention from international investors—something Nouvelle-Aquitaine is approaching with a long-term presence strategy rather than one-off appearances.

That continuity also shows up at CES in Las Vegas. In January 2026, a regional delegation of 17 companies—13 startups and four more established firms—traveled under the “Team NAqui” banner led by the Regional Council alongside CCI International Nouvelle-Aquitaine, French Tech Bordeaux, Business France, and Team France Export ^[5]. The selection was organized around four themes: “sovereign and high-performing” industry, health, smart city and well-being, and sustainable mobility.

SkinMed and Hope Valley AI appeared at both CES and VivaTech, a sign that the region is keeping a consistent profile from one global showcase to the next ^[4].

Source : Sud Ouest, Sud Ouest

Sirena Start-up’s Germany “softlanding” pitch—and how it differs from national programs

Sirena Start-up is being positioned as a regional alternative to export-support programs run by national players such as Business France (France’s trade and investment agency) or the national French Tech network. The difference, according to the region’s framing, is a more local, targeted approach built around “softlanding”—creating country-by-country pathways, with Germany the priority this year.

The idea is to avoid sending a startup into an unfamiliar market alone. Instead, Sirena aims to prepare the landing in advance, including qualified contacts.

The article also draws a contrast with other French regions. Île-de-France—the Paris region—has a far higher concentration of major tech companies and investment funds, which naturally attracts the most heavily capitalized startups. Nouvelle-Aquitaine is playing a different hand: leaning on a dense support ecosystem, including the Actena alliance and its 29 technology transfer centers, and returning repeatedly to major global trade shows rather than trying to compete on the size of investment checks.

Christian Houël, chairman of the executive board of ADI Nouvelle-Aquitaine (the region’s development and innovation agency), described that ambition in an opinion piece published in February 2026, saying the agency intends to pursue “a decidedly ambitious strategy combining innovation, sustainability and cooperation” ^[3]. The numbers behind VivaTech reinforce the competitive filter: 73 applications for 36 slots, and an 80% turnover rate designed to rotate which companies get international exposure.

Ce qui fait la force et les limites du modèle néo-aquitain

Softlanding vers l'Allemagne

Le programme Sirena Start-up construit des passerelles d'installation ciblées pays par pays, avec un focus Allemagne à Viva Tech 2026, en amont de toute prospection.

Réseau d'accompagnement dense

ADI-NA, Actena et ses 29 centres de transfert, French Tech et CCI International couvrent ensemble la préparation, la sélection et la présence sur les salons mondiaux.

Maillage Bordeaux-Toulouse

L'axe Nouvelle-Aquitaine-Occitanie constitue une masse critique rare en France, avec des profils complémentaires entre numérique-santé et aéronautique-spatial.

Souveraineté comme critère

Tech for Future 2026 intègre un prix spécial Souveraineté en finale nationale, reflétant une priorité affichée par les acteurs publics régionaux et les jurys professionnels.

Concurrence mondiale au CES

Avec 4 500 exposants dans Eureka Park et 140 000 visiteurs, la délégation régionale joue sa visibilité face à des écosystèmes bien mieux dotés en capitaux.

Bordeaux-Toulouse ties and a regional pipeline feeding global showcases

The international push is also being built on local deal flow. In February 2026, the Tech for Future competition brought together 24 startups from Nouvelle-Aquitaine and neighboring Occitanie in Bordeaux as part of a national roadshow organized by La Tribune. Six winners were named—one per category: Data and AI, Environment and Energy, Impact, Industry, Health, and “Start” for early-stage projects ^[2].

Those six teams will join 30 finalists from across France for a national prize in Paris, including a special “Sovereignty” category.

The article points to the Bordeaux-Toulouse corridor as a structural advantage in France’s southwest: Bordeaux is anchored in digital and health, while Toulouse is known for aerospace and space. Together, the Nouvelle-Aquitaine–Occitanie axis forms a rare critical mass outside Île-de-France.

CES preparation offers a concrete example of how the region is trying to professionalize its approach. The 17-company delegation completed four half-day sessions organized by CCI International Nouvelle-Aquitaine, covering strategic goal-setting, building a schedule of qualified on-site meetings, and intensive short-pitch training. The goal was to compete for attention in Eureka Park, the CES zone that hosts 4,500 exhibitors and draws at least 140,000 visitors.

Against that kind of global competition, the region’s bet is that collective preparation can deliver visibility that company size alone can’t buy.