- Jun 5, 2018
Updated: Feb 15, 2021
May 24-26
Smartzer joined tech leaders and other startups for Viva Technology Paris. This was our second year attending the globally recognised event, as last July we attended as finalists for the LVMH Innovation Award. This year we were excited to focus on networking with corporates and other startups as well as attending some ground-breaking presentations.
Viva Technology (also known as VivaTech) is a global rendezvous for startups and leaders to meet and celebrate innovation. Key tech and corporates met May 24-26 to discuss today’s technology and tomorrow’s possibilities. Key insight was given into how future tech will transform business and society. How does the event accomplish this? VivaTech breaks down barriers between grassroots innovators and leaders by putting startups and established companies in the same room to brainstorm on open innovation in an effort to problem solve.
VivaTech 2018 marked the event’s third year and received media coverage around the globe as the place to be for anyone in tech. The event attracted over 100,000 attendees and over 9,000 startups. Hundreds of enterprises joined, including 22 companies from the LVMH group. Attendees came from 125 different countries to witness the innovations and inventions, as well as attend the much-anticipated inspirational discussions from tech leaders.
Over the three-day event Smartzer attended a variety of interesting presentations given by global players in innovation. There were over 300 speeches that focused on the impact of innovation on the economy and society. Facebook founder, Chairman and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was greeted like a rockstar at the event and was interviewed by Publicis Groupe chairman Maurice Levy. The enlightening interview touched on some of the hot-button issues currently swirling around Zuckerberg including the Cambridge Analytica scandal, his recent appearance at the European Parliament and the E.U.’s General Data Protection Regulation.
Other interesting presentations included Google CEO Eric Schmidt who discussed AI and how he believes Tesla Founder, “Elon Musk is exactly wrong” when it comes to his views on AI and believes that “AI is fundamentally good for humanity.” Another positive note, French President Emmanuel Macron discussed “Tech for Good”, or how technology can be a positive force for society.
One section of VivaTech 2018 not to miss was the LVMH Luxury Lab, which Smartzer participated in last year. It was excellent to see the technologies that LVMH shortlisted for this year’s Innovation Award as well as see some of the innovative tech being displayed there. Most interestingly, Veuve Clicquot offered a virtual tour of the historic headquarters in Riems and Sephora unveiled its new app which is partnered with Google Home smart speakers. The app allows customers to book an appointment at Sephora stores, listen to podcasts on beauty news and test their knowledge by taking a beauty quiz. It is a perfect example of how tech can make people’s lives easier in the retail space and pair instore and digital experiences.
Smartzer was able to meet, network and brainstorm with leaders from luxury sector and we are looking forward to next year’s VivaTech.
You can read more about VivaTech 2018 at the links below:
- May 3, 2018
Updated: Feb 4, 2021
Penningtons “Every Story…” campaign launched today and features summery looks perfect for the season—all clickable and shoppable thanks to Smartzer’s technology. The video is a triumph in terms of usability. Seamlessly shoppable, each click results in a popup of the item’s quick view, where users can select their preferred size and colours, all from the video. No pesky new tabs needed!
This is our second project with Pennington’s and their delightful video content is perfect for Smartzer’s interactive technology. We cannot wait to debut more videos with quick view popups.
- May 1, 2018
Updated: Feb 18, 2021
The Tory Burch Foundation, founded by fashion and lifestyle entrepreneur Tory Burch hosted its first Embrace Ambition Summit in New York. The aim of the summit is to confront stereotypes and create new norms. Smartzer founder, Karoline Gross, was happy to support the cause which invited strong women and men from across industries.
The summit is part of Burch’s “Embrace Ambition” initiative, which she launched in 2017 to erase the negative connotations associated with “ambition” a term often used to categorize people—mostly women—as difficult or demanding.
Presented by Bank of America, the summit featured conversations with leaders, artists and politicians as well as storytelling and performances. Tory Burch moderated the conversations with an impressive list of participants from different industries and generations.
One of the most interesting discussions was with Yara Shahidi, the 18-year-old actress and model who founded eighteenx18, a creative platform to engage the young generation to speak their truth, get active and vote as well. Their conversation was an eye-opening discussion on “Embracing Ambition” and touched on the challenges and rewards associated with the idea.
Author, Laurie Fabiano, discussed bias and how we can fight it personally, while Dr. Valerie Purdie Greenway, touched on the science behind stereotypes and bias. Both conversations were very helpful in learning how to combat prejudice organizationally and personally.
Founder Karoline Gross gained valuable insight into how to be ambitious in a smart way as well as combat stereotypes and bias. The Tory Burch Foundation has already garnered a strong response and it was so nice to be included in the first summit and we as a company plan to #embraceambition.
Read more about The Embrace Ambition Summit: