On February 10 and 11, 2027, Cannes will host a new edition of the World AI Cannes Festival (WAICF), a major event dedicated to artificial intelligence. This year, the festival is part of Informa Connect's AI Summit Series, a global network of AI-focused gatherings.
In this context, the Department of Alpes-Maritimes and the House of Artificial Intelligence are offering local young companies a unique opportunity to unveil their innovations. Selected businesses will receive a free exhibition space within the « Alpes-Maritimes, Terre d’IA » pavilion for the duration of the festival.
Thirty startups from the Alpes-Maritimes region will be chosen by a committee of experts from the local innovation ecosystem. This jury includes representatives from SICTIAM, Institut EuropIA, the Communauté d’Agglomération Sophia Antipolis, the Fondation Sophia Antipolis, the CCI Nice Côte d’Azur, Université Côte d’Azur, Inria, French Tech Côte d’Azur, iCAIR, the CNRS, and Cluster IA.
To be eligible, startups must be based and registered in the Alpes-Maritimes, possess a valid Kbis, and develop an innovation incorporating artificial intelligence technologies. The company should be in its early stages or be a young enterprise, with a solution at a maturity level ranging from proof of concept (POC) or minimum viable product (MVP) to a commercially available product with concrete customer use cases.
Applications are open until October 16, 2026.
