Europe must take opportunity to ‘dream bigger’ if its to seize its innovation moment

Our geopolitical reality is changing. As the conversation between our editor-in-chief, Alyson Shontell, and President Donald Trump shows, a shift away from globalization and toward economic nationalism is well underway in the United States. Since he resumed power in 2025, Shontell writes, “the president has been an evangelist for a healthy mix of new revenue streams generated by global tariffs and strategic equity investments.” From squeezing global trade partners to investing in struggling American businesses (such as Intel), President Trump’s protectionism is sending ripples across the rest of the world. Some of Trump’s policies have been stymied—notably, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the legal rationale underpinning many of Trump’s trade levies was unconstitutional—but the overall impact is world-changing. While political leaders debate tariffs and trade balances, Europe’s business leaders are confronting other major challenges: staying competitive in the AI age, scaling innovation, and building technological sovereignty to reduce reliance on American hyperscalers and Chinese challengers. Innovation has become strategic, making this summer the perfect time for one of Europe’s biggest technology conferences. This year, VivaTech is celebrating its 10th anniversary. The Paris-based event is a place for the leaders of Europe’s most exciting businesses to meet, share wisdom, source investment, and stay ahead of the curve. More important, perhaps, it is an opportunity for the continent to “voir plus grand” or “dream bigger,” in the words of Maurice Lévy, who spoke with Kamal Ahmed about the vision and history of the conference. Not only will VivaTech be a hive of the brightest minds in European business this year, it will also be where Fortune launches the second edition of our list of Europe’s Most Innovative Companies. “Whatever the signals from Washington, in the defining innovation race of this century, Europe is determined to compete on its own terms