Russian start-ups to promote their services to American investors at the Russian Innovation Week conference

Print 22 September 2013
Viktor Voronkov, Skolkovo

The conference, which is being held for the second time, is being attended by representatives of executive bodies from the Russian Federation and the United States, the CEOs of major international companies, venture firm investors and technological entrepreneurs.

Russian development institutes are organizing the conference: The Russian venture company ROSNANO and the Skolkovo Foundation. Russian Innovation Week is taking place under the aegis of the working group on innovation, under the bilateral Russian-American presidential commission.

The main purpose of the event is to demonstrate the potential of Russia's innovation industry, help Russian investors and venture firms to form ties with American partners, and help Russian technological companies to gain access to sources of capital funding and international sales channels. Following presentations to American investors, the most interesting Russian start-ups will be able to stake their claims for investment from American venture firms or private investors.

The Russian delegation will consist of: Oleg Fomichev, secretary of state and deputy Minister for Economic Development of the RF; Mark Shmulevich, deputy Minister for Telecoms and Mass Communication; Rustam Minikhanov, President of the Republic of Tatarstan; Lev Kuznetsov, Governor of the Krasnodar Region; and Aleksei Komissarov, director of the Department of Science, Industrial Policy and Entrepreneurialism for the city of Moscow.

Among the keynote speakers at the conference will be: Michael Macfoyle, the US ambassador to Russia; Lorraine Harriton, a special representative of the US State Department for Commercial and Business Issues; and Matthew Edwards, the Deputy Director of the Department for Europe and Eurasia at the Ministry of Trade, to name but a few.

Among those from the development institutes who will be speaking at the conference are: Igor Aramirzyan, the CEO of RVK, Viktor Vekselberg, the President of the Skolkovo Foundation; and Anatole Chubais, the chairman of the board of OAO ROSNANO.

On the agenda at Russian Innovation Week will be the discussion of important issues for Russia's innovative technologies industry and for investors, such as intellectual property rights, the development of innovative infrastructure and the prospects for cooperation in the fields of energy, biotechnology, IT and telecommunications.

"The modern economy, in hi-tech sectors, is first and foremost about having a presence in the international markets. And all start-ups, as they go through the process of development, must set themselves extremely ambitious goals when it comes to breaking into these markets," RVK's CEO Igor Aramirzyan tells us. "The unique thing about RIW is that it is of immense practical value to Russian start-ups, both in terms of attracting foreign partners and investors, and in terms of gaining access to international sales channels."

"Everyone is aware these days that international cooperation in the field of innovation is one of the key factors for global economic development. Experience has shown that among our international partners there is a need for Russia's innovative technologies. For our part, it is absolutely vital for Russia to engage in close cooperation with the international innovative community - both in terms of picking up experience developing and making commercial use of technologies, and in order to create a bridge between Russian products and global markets," says Viktor Vekselberg, the President of the Skolkovo Foundation.

In addition to the main program, special events will take place during Russian Innovation Week for business-angels, investors and representatives of Russian corporations. The discussions taking place at the conference will focus on the experiences of our American partners in the field of preparing and carrying out deals, introducing and making commercial use of innovative technologies, and joint investment in technological projects.

"One of ROSNANO's most important tasks is the transfer of technology," notes Dmitry Akhanov, the director for interaction with companies in the USA and Canada. "We can see that American and Russian companies still have a strong interest in mutually beneficial partnerships in the field of advanced technology. RIW is going to provide delegates with an ideal forum for open communication, and that is what lies at the heart of the trust required in order to develop an innovative business."

This year, Russian Innovation Week's partners are Almaz Capital, Churchill Club, GMIC, East-West Digital News, Licensing Executives Society (LES) Silicon Valley Chapter, MassChallenge, the Russian Association of Venture Investment (RAVI), NP "RUSSOFT", Startup Monthly, Torrey Pines Investment and the American-Russian Business Council.

Further details about Russian Innovation Week can be found on the website www.riw-usa.com

 

The Skolkovo foundation

The Skolkovo foundation for the development and commercialization of new technologies is a non-commercial organization set up at the initiative of the head of state in September 2010. The foundation's aim is to mobilize Russia's resources in the field of contemporary applied research, and create a favourable environment in which scientific development can be carried out in the five top-priority areas of technological development: energy and energy efficiency, aerospace, biomedicine, and nuclear and computer technologies.

The project involves the creation of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), research institutions, a business hub, a centre for the transfer of technologies and commercialization, representative offices of foreign companies and R&D centres, residential premises and social infrastructure, and subsequent spreading of an effective system of operation to other innovative regions in Russia. The activity of the Skolkovo innovation centre is regulated by a special law which stipulates financial conditions for its residents.

OAO ROSNANO was founded in March 2011 after the restructuring of the state corporation "Russian Corporation of Nanotechnology". OAO ROSNANO is involved in the implementation of state policy with regard to developing the nanotechnologies industry, and is a co-investor in nano-technology projects with significant economic or social potential. Main areas of activity: optical and nano-electronics, car manufacturing and metals processing, solar energy, medicine and biotechnology, energy-saving solutions and nano-structural materials. 100% of the shares in OAO ROSNANO are owned by the state. The chairman of the board of OAO ROSNANO is Anatole Chubais.

The tasks of the state corporation "Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies", with regard to setting up nano-technological infrastructure and implementing educational programs, are carried out by the Foundation for infrastructural and educational programs, also established as a result of the restructuring of the state corporation.

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