SHAKA Returns to Biarritz: Don’t Miss Europe’s Hottest New Tech Festival (4th Edition!)

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2025-08-15 10:45:50

SHAKA is back in Biarritz: the 4th edition of France’s coolest New Tech Festival

Biarritz just became the epicenter of Europe’s tech revolution—again. The SHAKA New Tech Festival storms back for its 4th edition, blending disruptive innovation with beachside swagger. Here’s why it’s the only event that matters this season.

Where Crypto Meets Coastal Cool

Forget stuffy conference halls. SHAKA’s founders built this as an anti-Davos—where DeFi panels happen barefoot and AI debates come with sunset cocktails. The 2025 lineup? Still under wraps, but insiders whisper Web3 heavyweights and quantum computing rebels are packing their surfboards.

Why TradFi Execs Are Secretly Crashing

Hedge fund managers might mock ‘NFT vibes’—then expense their tickets as ‘blockchain research.’ Meanwhile, real builders are here to ship. Last year’s collabs birthed three unicorns; this time, the hackathon prize pool could buy a small island (or at least a Bored Ape).

The Takeaway

SHAKA proves tech culture doesn’t need sterile labs—just saltwater, big ideas, and zero patience for bullshit. Miss it, and you’ll spend Q3 explaining FOMO to your investors.

A bold and inspiring program

With talks, workshops, panels, and immersive experiences, the 2025 lineup is packed and refreshingly offbeat.

Expect standout themes like:

“Make a short film with AI”
Crypto trading challenge: “Earn the most money in 1 hour, live”
Prompt battle: “Generate the most stunning image in 7 minutes”

These sessions will feature leading voices and organizations, including Rachel Delacour, Paul Midy, Francis Lelong, Hervé Bloch, Albin Serviant, Nicolas Guyon, Florent Albero, Gilbert Reveillon, Anouk Garnier, Julien Lopez, and Maider Arosteguy, Mayor of Biarritz, along with Crypto.com, the CES Web3 & AI Village, Allianz, Polkadot, Avalanche, and Crédit Agricole.

The festival opens with a free ceremony on August 25 at 5:00 PM at Le Connecteur. After last year’s world premiere, the organizers are going even bigger this time:

A live show, a prompt battle, the iconic SHAKA t-shirts, and a first taste of the festival’s unique vibe.

SHAKA’s second key moment is the Startup Line-Up, a pitch competition for high-impact startups, guided by Julia Lemeunier (ex-Google, Entrepreneurs.com).

Four projects will be selected to pitch live before a panel of experts, with one ultimate prize: a spot to pitch on stage at CES Las Vegas 2026.

SHAKA offers three days of meaningful connections for decision-makers and attendees across ecosystems.

How? Through shared moments like running, yoga, padel, surfing, contests, and giveaways.

On the evening of August 27, SHAKA wraps with a beach party and DJ set, following a popular afterwork and an afternoon of beachside talks, where surf and padel meet innovation.

All of this is available with one all-inclusive pass: food, drinks, activities, and surprises included.

Meet the team behind SHAKA

SHAKA was created by brothers Damien and Franck Dupont, joined by Benjamin Maunier and Christophe Molinari. Damien builds meaningful user experiences across startups and large corporations, with a passion for empowering builders and creating community. Franck, an engineer and developer, believes learning is best when it’s fun—that’s why he leads the SHAKA Festival. Benjamin discovered crypto through events and hosted talks with Ledger. A crypto specialist since 2020, he’s been curating SHAKA’s content since day one. Christophe, a tech and real estate event expert, is also a facilitator of the CES Las Vegas Web3 & Fintech Tokenization Village.

“Shaka isn’t our job or a business. We’re not doing this to make money; we do it to create an experience. Our challenge? Delivering a truly unforgettable moment of connection for our participants.” Damien Dupont