De Vinci Festival 2025: When art meet science and entrepreneurship

On Thursday April 3, at the Pôle Léonard de Vinci, a new edition of the De Vinci Festival brought together students, teachers, researchers, entrepreneurs and alumni around the same ambition: to celebrate innovation and creativity.

Sponsored by the Institute for Future Technologies, this cross-disciplinary event showcased innovative human-centered projects combining art, science and technology, driven by both Pôle talents and entrepreneurs from around the world.

A combination of talent, knowledge and vision for the future

The day began with an inspiring panel: “Human Technology: The Entrepreneurial Journey”, moderated by Teddy Lerclerq and Thomas Raynal (Hive Robotics), alongside Éléonore Cossery (Avanade). They all shared their experiences and challenges in developing human-centered technologies, offering their audience a concrete look at entrepreneurial innovation.

Next up was the Pitch Challenge, a highlight of the festival: students with innovative projects presented their ideas to a panel of alumni  expert including Vasco Potier (IIM 2020), Lobna Lahmar (ESILV 2012), Maëva Tordo and Elina Cohen-Peirano. A challenging exercise, rich in bold proposals and constructive feedback!

The afternoon featured a series of talks, starting with a collaborative talk by Hiroshi Ishii (MIT Media Lab) and Xiao Xiao (IFT), who explored the boundary between scientific research and artistic expression, highlighting the role of imagination in innovation.

A second highlight ensued, with a round-table discussion led by Jens Hauser, Solimán López, Nicolas Maigret and Maria Smigielsk, who engaged in an in-depth reflection on art and science as complementary languages for interrogating reality.

Immersion, ambition and transformation

The late afternoon was devoted to the De Vinci Immersive Lab awards ceremony, which recognized the best virtual and augmented reality projects, highlighting the students' creativity and technical mastery.

Then, Nir Hindi, founder of The Artian, delivered a powerful keynote on art as a lever for entrepreneurial transformation, inviting us to rethink innovation from a more sensitive, cross-disciplinary angle. This moment paved the way for the official launch of the student crowdfunding projects, introduced by Perry Chen, founder of Kickstarter, who came to encourage the new generation of creative entrepreneurs.

A festive evening to close the event

The day ended with music and networking, with a cocktail concert hosted by Bianca Cheng Costanzo, a moment for informal discussions, where attendees were able to continue bonding and imagining tomorrow's opportunities together.

This remarkable edition highlighted the innovative potential that arises from the convergence of disciplines that are a priori far apart. We look forward to seeing you next year as we continue to explore the boundaries between art, science and entrepreneurship, and help shape the world of tomorrow!