Today, June 3, 2013, at Skolkovo Technopark (TPS) was a fact-finding visit from the delegation of the technological entrepreneurship community of the Republic of Korea.
The delegation of South Korean businessmen consisted of the top managers of technology companies, whose shares are traded on KOSDAQ, the Korean equivalent NASDAQ. Today's visit of businessmen had the feel of a familiarization visit. It is a continuation of constructive, dynamic cooperation with the Republic of Korea, the key milestones which can be considered, in particular: a visit by the Minister of Strategy and Finance of the Republic of Korea; the establishment of partnerships with the Asian Science Parks Association and directly with the Korean technology park Gvandzhou; and, of course, the signing of the agreement on the opening of the R&D center of Samsung Electronics in the Skolkovo innovation center.
Today's visit allowed the Korean businessmen to hear the answers to many of their questions regarding the operation of the Skolkovo Fund as a whole, as well as its major divisions. Points of mutual business interest were outlined, and the Korean technology businesses met with a number of residents of the Fund and determined the possible prospects of cooperation with Technopark.
Oleg Syutin, vice president of foreign economic activity of the "Skolkovo" Fund, chaired the meeting, and the first speaker was Armand Ghoukassian, founder and CEO of Vizerra. The presentation by his team, which created a 3D technology platform for city planning, has become a traditional part of the program for meeting guests of the technology park. The presentation by Vizerra is not only a demonstration of the technological capabilities of Skolkovo residents, but also, perhaps, the most convenient way to introduce the future of the innovation city, showing a modern 3D display that clearly presents the innovation city to those who wish to familiarize themselves with the project.
Oleg Syutin told the Korean guests about the key principles and mechanisms of the functioning of Skolkovo as one of the major Russian development institutes, about the clusters of the Fund and their foresights, grant policies and the establishment of the University "Skoltech." After him, the floor was taken by Olesya Naletova, an analyst of the investment service of the Fund, who explained to the Korean guests at what stages of the development of a startup the Fund operates. Naletova also clarified some aspects of the grant policy of of the Fund and its work with accredited venture capitalists and the investment community.
Anna Nikina, the head for the development of business partnerships of TPS, acted as a translator and co-host. Questions were few. One of them was a question about the principles on which the Fund is building its relations with the Samsung corporation, the leader of the South Korea's high-tech economy.
After the Q & A portion, which continued on the sidelines, the development director of Skolkovo Technopark, Maxim Kiselev, held a small tour of the Technopark for Korean visitors, during which he introduced the guests to more residents, in particular, the companies Sputniks and AngioScan.