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USP and Fapesp highlight São Paulo startups' innovation at major tech fair in France
This marked the first time both institutions took part in the event, which attracted over 180,000 visitors from 171 countries and featured the participation of 14,000 startups
VivaTech fair received more than 180,000 visitors – Photo: Adriana Cruz
USP and the Research Support Foundation of the State of São Paulo (Fapesp) successfully concluded their international mission to promote the innovation and startup ecosystem at VivaTech, one of Europe’s leading technology events, held from June 11 to 14 in Paris.
This was the first time that the two institutions participated in the event, which received more than 180,000 visitors from 171 different nationalities, with the participation of 14,000 startups On the opening day, French President Emmanuel Macron visited the fair and emphasized the importance of artificial intelligence for Europe during his speech.
In a stand of 100 square meters, professors, researchers and representatives of 19 startups from USP and Fapesp had the opportunity to present to visitors disruptive technologies in the areas of health, agriculture, sustainability, climate, energy, environment, mobility and artificial intelligence, in addition to expanding strategic connections, increasing the international visibility of their research and products and attracting new investors.
Startup representatives were able to make presentations about their research and innovations – Photos: Adriana Cruz
On the first day of the fair, June 11, two special sessions were held. The first, titled Strategies of the State of São Paulo for a Global Technology Hub, featured the participation of Vahan Agopyan, secretary of science, technology and innovation of the state (SCTI); Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior, USP’s president; and Carlos Américo Pacheco, Fapesp’s executive director.
“International visibility is essential for the research carried out in the State of São Paulo. We produce a great deal of high-quality science that, unfortunately, often does not receive the recognition it deserves. Today, science is globalized, and internationalization enables our researchers to engage with new and diverse perspectives, a key factor in raising the quality of our work. This process makes our researchers, students, and inventors more competitive and more confident to compete on the global stage,” said Agopyan.
The CEO of Fapesp, Carlos Américo Pacheco, highlighted the importance of the support of the Foundation and USP by offering researchers and startups from São Paulo the opportunity to participate in VivaTech, expanding strategic connections, increasing the international visibility of their innovations and attracting investors.
Pacheco also spoke about the relevance of the research developed in the State of São Paulo. “If São Paulo were a country, it would be the one with the largest scientific production among all the countries of Latin America. In addition, we have more than 10,000 innovation companies in the state,” he said.
Carlos Gilberto Carlotti Junior emphasized the importance of having its own stand at VivaTech, with the demonstration of innovations under development and already produced by the University, as well as examples of cutting-edge research in several areas.
“University of São Paulo has always innovated, but in recent years, we have accentuated these activities. We want to be closer to the population, either through public policies, or in the production of solutions for cities and in several other points. For this to happen, we need to disclose our activities, our startups and our spin-offs. The participation in VivaTech aims to show our innovations, establish contacts and partnerships, in addition to bringing us closer to the major funders”, he said.
Later, USP professors who coordinate research centers at the university led the session Science and Innovation for a Sustainable Future, which addressed key global challenges. Topics included climate change, presented by Paulo Artaxo from the Institute of Physics (IF); artificial intelligence, by Fábio Cozman from the School of Engineering (EP); energy transition, by Julio Meneghini, also from EP; sustainable fuels, by Carlos Labate from the “Luiz de Queiroz” College of Agriculture (ESALQ); electronic systems, by Marcelo Zuffo from EP; and optics and health sciences, by Vanderlei Bagnato from the São Carlos Institute of Physics (IFSC).
To Jornal da USP, Bagnato highlighted the importance of “presenting what knowledge has allowed us to transform into technology available to society and, for University of São Paulo as a whole, it is important to expose ourselves to a worldwide list of people interested in our development, in what we generate from scientific knowledge and technology proposals. What we bring to VivaTech is our biophotonics project, which is the use of technologies involving light for the control of antibiotic-resistant infections”.
For Marcelo Zuffo, coordinator of the USP Innovation Center (InovaUSP), the University’s participation in this type of event “is essential to increasing the visibility of the research conducted in São Paulo. VivaTech is part of a global circuit of events held in the United States, Europe, and Asia, and it stands as one of the world’s largest showcases of cutting-edge technology with societal impact. Presenting USP’s projects in areas such as energy transition, environmental preservation, climate change, cancer treatment, tissue 3D printing, and xenotransplantation demonstrates that the research developed at the University, including through its startups, is on par with the world’s leading innovation hubs. Our stand was incredibly active, and I hope USP’s presence at internationally visible events like this continues to grow”.
Strategic connections
The third day of the fair, June 13, was awards day at VivaTech. Nine startups supported by the University of São Paulo and Fapesp took part in the competitive pitch From São Paulo to the World: Scientific Innovation Ventures for Global Impact.
During the competition, each startup delivered a two-minute pitch presenting their business idea to a judging panel that included USP’s president, the CEO of Fapesp, the São Paulo state secretary for science, technology and innovation, and VivaTech representatives Myriam Rouverand and Olivia Hervy.
The highest-rated startups were awarded prizes in three categories. The startup IOZ Biotech, represented by Carolini Kaid, won the São Paulo Women in Tech Award category, for having female leadership and relevant performance of women, promoting gender equity and diversity in innovation. The startup Tissue Labs, represented by Camila Moniz, was the winner in the Global Impact Award category for the recognition as a startup with the greatest potential for international impact, with solutions with global scale and the ability to attract foreign partnerships. In the Brazil’s Competitive Edge Award category, aimed at the company that best represents Brazil’s competitive advantages, the winner was the startup Carbonic, represented by Maitê Gothe.
“It was a great experience to be able to share this Brazilian technology with the people here. Many investors, many interested customers, and many students as well. We received the Global Awards award, because we have good scalability in the international territory, with great potential. For us, it was very important to be at the fair promoting, showing and also teaching a little about this new aspect. We had a lot of students interested. A lot of people even wanting to work at the company, because it is a very beautiful purpose”, said the representative of the startup Tissue Labs, Camila Moniz.
According to Emílio Nelli Silva, a professor at the School of Engineering (EP), “this event was quite different from the ones I usually attend, which are academic events where we present scientific results to fellow researchers. At VivaTech, the dynamic is different: we showcase the startups and technologies developed at the University of São Paulo to a broader audience, investors, curious individuals, and people interested in understanding the relevance and impact of our work.”
The professor from the School of Engineering, who also serves as vice director of the Greenhouse Gas Research and Innovation Center (RCGI) at USP, represented the startup Treetronics, which took part in the pitch with an innovative tree pruning consultancy service based on digital scanning and computer modeling.
Turning science into innovation
June 14, the last day of the fair, was open to the general public and one of the most sought-after spaces by visitors to the stand was the multisensory experience, which simulates the Amazon forest, with visual, sound and olfactory stimuli.
The initiative is from the Digital Lab laboratory, linked to RCGI, and has the partnership of the Brazilian cosmetics and perfume company Natura, which developed the sound to promote well-being and the fragrance used in the experience.
The project originated at USP’s Institute of Physics (IF), under the coordination of professor Caetano Miranda, who is also director of knowledge dissemination at the Greenhouse Gas Research and Innovation Center (RCGI). It led to the creation of the startup Multiscale Solutions, which develops computational tools for the simulation and optimization of materials at the atomic and molecular scale. The company also took part in the fair, showcasing its high-impact scientific innovation.
The stand was also visited by the deputy governor of São Paulo, Felício Ramuth, who was accompanied by four mayors of cities in the interior of the state: Roberto Cacciari, from Urupês; Odair de Moura e Silva, from Barretos; Junior Filippo, from Guaratinguetá; and Anderson Ferreira, from São José dos Campos.
“I had the opportunity to watch the pitch of our scientists, transforming science into innovation and we have opportunities not only for business, but for development, job creation, income for our state and, consequently, for our country. This makes us very optimistic about the future of our State and what our State can continue to represent. After all, what we saw here were companies, some already at the most advanced stage and others at the initial stage, creating their solutions”, said deputy governor.
The institutional participation of USP and Fapesp at VivaTech – from the design of the stand to the curation of technologies and programming of activities – was organized by RCGI. “The participation was exceptional. A number of startups were present and presented their work very effectively, which had a strong impact for the University, the State of São Paulo, and for Brazil,” said RCGI director Júlio Meneghini.
English version: Nexus Traduções, edited by Denis Pacheco
Política de uso
A reprodução de matérias e fotografias é livre mediante a citação do Jornal da USP e do autor. No caso dos arquivos de áudio, deverão constar dos créditos a Rádio USP e, em sendo explicitados, os autores. Para uso de arquivos de vídeo, esses créditos deverão mencionar a TV USP e, caso estejam explicitados, os autores. Fotos devem ser creditadas como USP Imagens e o nome do fotógrafo.
A reprodução de matérias e fotografias é livre mediante a citação do Jornal da USP e do autor. No caso dos arquivos de áudio, deverão constar dos créditos a Rádio USP e, em sendo explicitados, os autores. Para uso de arquivos de vídeo, esses créditos deverão mencionar a TV USP e, caso estejam explicitados, os autores. Fotos devem ser creditadas como USP Imagens e o nome do fotógrafo.