Lebanon's startup ecosystem just unveiled the team that will represent the country at VivaTech 2026 in Paris from June 17 to 20. The reveal, branded "Bold Minds, Boundless Innovation," landed alongside a group portrait of the founders and ecosystem partners traveling to Porte de Versailles for the show's 10th anniversary edition.
The coalition behind the cohort
The delegation is being coordinated by the same group of Lebanese ecosystem builders that has anchored the country's pavilion in recent years. Berytech, the Beirut Digital District, Endeavor Lebanon, Smart ESA, the Talal and Madiha Zein AUB Innovation Park, French Tech Beirut, CCI France Liban, the Chambre de Commerce Franco-Libanaise, ACIE, USEK, and MITAI all appear on the cohort visual that accompanied the announcement.
For reference, the 2025 Lebanese pavilion sent 21 startups to Paris spanning AI, fintech, healthtech, edtech, blockchain, and clean technologies. The 2026 cohort is reported to bring a comparable mix, with the full startup list expected closer to the show.
A bigger floor for the 10th edition
VivaTech 2026 is the show's anniversary edition, and organizers have scaled it accordingly. Public-facing materials cite more than 15,000 startups across the venue and more than 180,000 attendees, with programming structured around four themes: AI and productivity, cybersecurity and defense, greentech and energy, and deeptech.
For founders from Beirut, Paris in June remains one of the few weeks a year when European corporates, sovereign funds, and African tech buyers are all in the same building. That access, more than booth visibility on its own, is what the organizing partners are selling to participating startups.
Lebanon is not alone in heading to Paris
The Lebanese delegation's return lines up with a broader regional push. Tunisia has selected a nine-startup national pavilion, Switzerland has confirmed its swisstech pavilion, and Choose Paris Region is again fielding a large local delegation, alongside the French regional groupings that traditionally fill the floor.
The next public milestone for the Lebanese cohort is the pre-departure window in the weeks before the show, when delegation members typically share their booth IDs, demo schedules, and partner meeting slots through Berytech and BDD channels.
