NSC 2025 Rules 

1. Organizer and purpose 

This Challenge is organized by Viva Technology as part of its various student support actions. The objective of this Challenge is to promote entrepreneurship among students by allowing them to test and boost their project by connecting with professionals and trying their hand at the pitch contest exercise. 

MSL France, a simplified joint stock company with capital of 182,400 euros, having its registered office at 30-34 rue du Chemin Vert, 75011 Paris, registered in the Paris Trade and Companies Register under number 347 895 096 R.C.S. Paris, acting as manager of the partnership formed between MSL France and Les Echos Solutions, a company having its registered office at 10, boulevard de Grenelle 75015 PARIS registered in the Paris Trade and Companies Register under number 408 165 157, (hereinafter “Viva Technology”) is organizing between 01/13/25 and 03/10/25 a Challenge entitled “Next Startupper Challenge” (hereinafter the “Challenge”). 

The purpose of these rules (hereinafter the “Rules”) is to define the conditions and rules for participation in the Challenge. 

Participation in the Challenge implies full and unconditional acceptance of the Rules. If you do not agree with the terms of the Rules, you should not register or participate in the Challenge. 

1. Conditions for participation in the Challenge 

The Challenge is open only to students enrolled in a higher education institution and able to provide proof of this with a valid student card / certificate of education (hereinafter “the Candidate”). Only one participation in the Challenge will be allowed per Candidate. 

The application must be written in English and there is no requirement regarding the country of residence or nationality of the Candidate. The Candidate must have an innovative entrepreneurial project, with a technological orientation having a positive impact on society, i.e. taking into account social and/or environmental criteria (hereinafter the “Project”). A Project corresponds to a single Candidate; several Candidates cannot apply for the same Project. 

Any student entrepreneur can participate in the Challenge provided that they provide all the information necessary for the jury to correctly evaluate the application (see selection criteria) and that they have a startup project or have created a startup less than 3 (three) years ago. Candidates who do not wish to provide the personal data, marked as mandatory, necessary for the management of the Challenge will not be able to participate. 

To participate in the Challenge, the Candidate must: 

• Create an account on the Agorize platform, hosting the Challenge 

• Accept the Agorize General Terms of Use and Privacy Policy, 

• Register for the Challenge 

Accept these Rules. Registration and participation in the Challenge is completely free, and without obligation to purchase. However, the cost of the internet connection required to register for the Challenge as well as the equipment required for the connection remain the responsibility of the Candidates. 

1. Registration and participation in the Challenge 

The Candidate must: 

• Connect to the Agorize platform between January 13, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. CET and March 10, 2025 at 11:55 p.m. CET; 

• Register their Project by following the instructions; 

• Download and fill in the required information; 

• Download a presentation deck of the Project in the required format; 

• Upload any other relevant document that can enrich the project while respecting the formats accepted by the platform. 

Key dates: 

• January 13, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. CET: Applications open 

• March 10, 2025 at 11:55 p.m. CET: Applications close 

• March 28, 2025: Official announcement of the 6 finalists 

• June 11, 2025: Finalists' pitch session on the pitch studio stage 

• June 12, 2025: Awards ceremony on Stage one 

To participate in the Challenge, a complete registration must have been registered on the Agorize platform before March 10, 2025 at 11:55 p.m. CET. 

Candidates who have not provided proof of their complete contact details and identities or who have provided them inaccurately or falsely will be disqualified. The information provided by the Candidate as part of his/her registration for the Challenge is his/her responsibility and any error, anomaly, inconsistency, intentional or not, concerning the information communicated by the Candidate may result in his/her disqualification. 

Viva Technology reserves the right to carry out all necessary verifications concerning the identity, postal and/or electronic address, and student status of the Candidates. 

The deletion of a Candidate's user account on the Agorize platform will be considered as an abandonment of the latter's participation in the Challenge. In this case, the Candidate, even if he is able to provide proof that this deletion is not his fault, will not be able to re-enter the Challenge, nor will he be able to obtain any compensation from Viva Technology. 

1. Challenge process 

Challenge stages. The Challenge is composed of several selection phases: 

• The selection stage: from March 10 to 24, 2025 

 

At the end of this stage, 6 projects will be selected. Viva Technology reserves the right to reduce the number of selected projects if it considers that the files do not correspond to the prerequisite criteria. 

 

• The second stage is the final: The final ceremony will take place during the Viva Technology Paris event, which will be held from June 11 to 14, 2025 physically in Paris (the Event). 

 

The 6 finalists will be invited to pitch their Project in front of the jury members, composed of players in the tech sector, and the public present on June 11, 2025 at Viva Technology, Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, 75015 Paris. The exact time will be communicated later to the selected finalists. 

Selection criteria. Applications will be judged according to the selection criteria set out below. The Challenge does not depend in any way, even partially, on chance and luck and therefore cannot be analyzed or compared to a lottery. 

Notification to Participants. When choosing the 6 finalists, the Candidate will be notified by email, telephone, or any other means, at the sole discretion of Viva Technology, of the results of the selection. Viva Technology will be free to change the dates on which the results are communicated in the event that the number of projects to be examined makes this change necessary. The new dates will then be communicated to the Candidates. The ranking decided by the jury will be announced on the day of the Final and will designate the Grand Winner. 

  

1. The selection stage 

As part of this selection stage taking place from March 10 to 24, 2025, 6 Projects will be selected by Viva Technology according to the following criteria: 

• The innovation of the solution 

•  The maturity of the product or service 

• The scalability of the solution 

• The CSR impact 

  

The Candidates of the 6 selected Projects will participate in the final which will take place on June 11, 2025 at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles. 

1. Final ceremony 

The Candidates selected to participate in the Final will be contacted directly by Viva Technology. In the absence of confirmation of participation before June 24 from them when Viva Technology contacts them (email and/or telephone), the latter reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to disqualify the Candidate concerned and to select the next Candidate in the ranking to participate in the final. This disqualification will not give rise to any compensation from Viva Technology. 

This final phase will take the form of an official ceremony that will take place during the Viva Technology Event, as mentioned above. The 6 finalist Candidates will have to pitch their Project in front of the members of the jury, made up of experts in tech. 

The pitch, in English, will last 3 minutes and will be followed by 4 minutes of questions and answers by the members of the jury. No support will be accepted (slideshow, presentation, etc.). 

The details of the pitch format will be sent to the finalists before the ceremony. 

The Jury will be responsible for determining the Grand Winner according to the following objective criteria: 

• The innovation of the project 

• The maturity of the project 

• The scalability of the project 

• The CSR impact of the project 

 The winning Project will be announced the day after the pitch session, during the final ceremony. 

By participating in the Challenge, the Candidate must ensure that he or she is present at the ceremony on June 12, 2025. If the Candidate cannot attend the ceremony for unforeseen reasons or any other type of reason, he or she must inform VivaTech as soon as possible, and no later than May 12, 2025, he or she will then be disqualified from the Final and the next Candidate in the ranking will be selected for the Final. 

  

1. REWARDS 

  

The rewards refer to the prizes awarded to the winners of each stage defined below: 

The 6 finalists: 

• Pass Speakers (VIP Pass, 4-day access to the event and the Viva Lounge) and startup pass (Pass with 4-day access to the event) for team members (limited to 4 passes) 

• Visibility at Viva Technology 2025, including participation in a pitch session in the Pitch Studio 

• Networking with the jury members in the VivaLounge 

The Winner: 

• A check for €5,000 

• 1 Startup corner at VivaTech 2026 (Value 3500 € Excl VAT)  

• Mentoring by FrenchFounders over a maximum period of 1 year (a set of 3 targeted introductions to C-level members of the FrenchFounders network). 

  

The following are not included and remain the responsibility of each Candidate: 

• Personal expenses of the Candidate and his team 

• Transportation and accommodation of the Candidate and his team team, in particular to attend the finalists' ceremony. 

• Insurance 

• And more generally, all expenses incurred by the Candidate related to his/her participation in the Challenge. 

 The rewards will be awarded to the Grand Winner at the end of the Challenge on June 12, 2025. 

The presence of the finalist Candidates is mandatory at the award ceremony. In the event of absence, a finalist Candidate will not be able to claim his/her reward. Furthermore, Viva Technology reserves the right to replace the rewards with lots of similar characteristics and of equivalent or greater value if circumstances require it, without this giving rise to any right to compensation. 

  

1. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY 

7.1 Intellectual property of Viva Technology 

These Rules do not grant the Candidate any property rights over the company names, logos, models, brands, advertising materials, or any other intellectual property rights held by Viva Technology. 

The Candidate acknowledges that it is prohibited, in all countries, except with the prior written consent of Viva Technology, to use for any reason whatsoever (including for commercial reference or for its own advertising), the intellectual property rights of Viva Technology and, in particular, its company name, its brands, logos, models, visual codes, advertising materials. Any use may only be made according to the terms and in the form expressly accepted, in advance in writing by Viva Technology and must not in any case be derogatory. 

7.2 Intellectual property on the Candidate's content 

The Candidate remains the owner of the intellectual property rights attached to his Project, in particular the pitch desk, the presentation video of the Project or any other element communicated by the Candidate as part of his participation in the Challenge (hereinafter the "Content"). 

The Candidate authorizes Viva Technology to use its Content from the moment it registers for the Challenge and for one (1) year from the end of the Event. This right of use includes the right to reproduce, have reproduced, represent or have represented said Content on all communication media, including printed media, as well as via all means of communication (video, audio, digital, etc.) in order to select the finalists and ensure the media coverage of the Challenge and/or the Event throughout the world. 

1. Liability 

Viva technology cannot be held responsible for a communication problem, network connection, computer or faulty connection. Viva Technology is not responsible for any malfunction of the Agorize platform as well as any delay, loss, damage to a Challenge registration or a registration that is misdirected, incomplete, illegible, undeliverable or destroyed due to system errors, a faulty, incomplete computer or other telecommunications transmission malfunctions, hardware or software failures of any kind, lost or unavailable network connections, technical malfunction(s). 

Under no circumstances will Viva Technology be held responsible for any loss of data or deterioration of this data. Viva Technology cannot be held responsible if the data relating to a Candidate's registration does not reach it for whatever reason. 

Viva Technology cannot be held responsible if, for a reason beyond its control (including computer fraud, virus, fire, flood, strike, force majeure, pandemic such as COVID-19 or any other reason) this Challenge should be shortened, modified, postponed or cancelled. Indeed, Viva Technology reserves the right to shorten, modify or cancel this challenge if circumstances require it, without compensation for any damage to the Candidates or reimbursement of the expenses incurred by them. Any modification of these rules will be subject to prior information of the Candidates in writing at least 15 days before its application. Candidates who do not wish to accept the modified Rules must withdraw their application from the Challenge. Any maintenance of an application will be considered as acceptance of the new Rules by the Candidate. 

Any false declaration or data automatically results in the disqualification of the Candidate. Proven fraud or attempted cheating by a Candidate may be sanctioned by Viva Technology without notice.  

1. IMAGE RIGHTS 

The Candidate is informed and accepts that his/her image may be captured during the photographs and/or films that Viva Technology will take during the awards ceremony. The Candidate graciously authorizes Viva Technology to reproduce and represent his/her image on all printed, video, audio or digital media on the occasion of the broadcast by Viva Technology of any photo, podcast or film of a documentary or promotional nature related to the Challenge or the Event for any current or future edition. These broadcasts are authorized for any media worldwide for a period of 3 (three) years. 

1. COLLECTION OF PERSONAL DATA 

9.1 PRINCIPLE 

Participation in the Challenge requires the communication of personal data relating in particular to the identity of the Candidates (in particular names, postal and correspondence addresses, telephone numbers, photos, CVs, and all information marked as mandatory in the participation form). Personal data will be processed in accordance with French Data Protection Act No. 78-12, as amended. 

The Candidate retains the right, at any time:  

• to object to the collection of personal data 

• to access, consult or rectify the personal data collected as part of the Challenge by accessing his/her personal space on www.agorize.com; 

• to delete any personal data collected as part of the Challenge by sending a request to startups@vivatechnology.com 

Unless otherwise indicated, if the Candidate refuses to provide or requests the deletion of personal data, this may result in the cancellation of his/her application to the Challenge. 

Data relating to unsuccessful Candidates will be deleted two years after the 2024 Event. Data relating to Selected Candidates will be kept for 3 (three) years from the registration for the Challenge between Viva Technology and the Candidate. 

9.2 PURPOSE AND RECIPIENTS 

The personal data of the Candidates are processed by Viva Technology and the members of the jury to: 

• Verify that the Application is eligible for the Challenge to which the Candidate has applied and complies with the Challenge Rules; and 

• Communicate with the Candidate as part of his/her participation in the Challenge 

• Select the Projects 

• Award the rewards 

Candidates are informed that their data is communicated to Agorize, a subcontractor of Viva Technology, for the purposes of collecting this data as part of the Challenge. 

To obtain more information regarding their rights and Viva Technology's personal data protection policy, Candidates can visit the website [https://vivatechnology.com/data-privacy]. 

1. APPLICABLE LAW AND DISPUTE RESOLUTION 

The Challenge Rules are subject to French law. 

In the event of a dispute, the Candidate must first contact the organizer by email startups@vivatechnology.com or by post to the following address: Viva Technology – 30-34 rue du Chemin Vert – 75011 Paris, FRANCE. 

In the event of failure of the request for a complaint to the organizer or in the absence of a response within two months, the Candidate may submit the dispute relating to the Challenge to a mediator who will attempt, in complete independence and impartiality, to bring the parties together with a view to reaching an amicable solution. 

To submit his request for mediation, the Candidate has the right to use the mediation service offered by SOCIETE MEDIATION PROFESSIONNELLE free of charge. This mediation system can be reached electronically at the address https://www.mediateur-consommation-smp.fr/ or by post at the address Médiation Service - 24, rue Albert de Mun - 33000 Bordeaux ». 

The parties remain free to accept or refuse recourse to mediation and, in the event of recourse to mediation, to accept or refuse the solution proposed by the mediator. 

In the absence of an amicable agreement, any dispute or difficulty arising from the interpretation or execution of these terms and conditions will be subject to the jurisdiction of the Paris courts. 

1. CONTACT DETAILS 

Any correspondence with Agorize concerning the operation of the platform and the collection of data must be sent directly via the messaging service on your application space.