On April 3rd experts and mentors held a meeting with young entrepreneurs and creators of innovative projects in Tomsk at the Russian StartUp Tour road show.
The Russian StartUp Tour was attended by over 200 people - students of leading universities in the Tomsk region, residents of Tomsk business incubators, start-up teams and representatives of influential scientific schools. Tomsk entrepreneurs presented 12 projects to the experts, and the start-up teams received an invitation to participate in national events by the organizers and partners of the Russian StartUp Tour.
The meeting of experts at the road show with entrepreneurs from the Tomsk region was symbolic in many ways. Tomsk was the "middle" of the project, the eighth city on the map of the Russian StartUp Tour. The road show with representatives of development institutions started on March 18th in Naberezhnye Chelny, after which the Russian StartUp Tour team traveled to Ufa, Tyumen, Omsk, Samara, Vladivostok, Krasnoyarsk. It is also noteworthy that the host venue, which hosted the presentation and discussions for the business program of the Russian StartUp Tour, was the Friendship intercollegiate student business incubator. Opened in 2004 at the Tomsk State University of Control Systems and Radio Electronics (TUSUR), the Friendship business incubator was the first interuniversity platform in Russia that created conditions for the development and commercialization of innovative projects by students and young scientists. Today Friendship has 40 residents, including Tomsk companies successfully doing business in the field of information technology, telecommunications, instrumentation and robotics. A maximally comfortable environment for work has been created for Friendship residents, including services for the protection of intellectual property, legal services, accounting and marketing support. There is also an incubation program for startups in which young entrepreneurs get the opportunity to use infrastructure, business consulting and assistance in the "packaging" and advancement of their projects.
The effectiveness of efforts to form an "innovation boost" for young scientists and entrepreneurs in the Tomsk region is evident not only in its position as a leader in the creation of real and functioning mechanisms to support innovation, but also through regional programs to stimulate innovative entrepreneurship and infrastructure to ensure the most favorable conditions for research and market entrance. In their presentations, the development institution experts repeatedly noted the Tomsk region as a major "supplier" of interesting innovations worthy of presentation at national and international forums and contests. Among Skolkovo residents, the Tomsk Region is represented by 20 companies and is among the top five regions, along with Moscow and the Moscow region, St. Petersburg, the Novosibirsk Region and the Republic of Tatarstan.
However, according to Alexei Knyazev, deputy governor of the Tomsk region in research and education center and innovation policy, the region is aiming for more conclusive results. Addressing the participants and experts of the Russian StartUp Tour, Knyazev said that there is still an imbalance between the number of projects that have been completed at the level of ideas or the first prototype and those developments brought to implementation in the Tomsk region: "If we have thousands of ideas and developments, then for projects that are actually commercialized, there are dozens. We very much hope that the negotiations today with experts will be lead not by us, the authorities, but by the innovators themselves. We can say that things are great as much as we want. But these are the words of the authorities. It is another thing when it is said by the people who make the innovations."
Mark Shmulevich, deputy minister of communications and mass media of the Russian Federation, told participants that entrepreneurship in technology today is one of the shortest paths to self-realization and urged them not to be afraid of failure: "Think about whether you should try to spend a few years to realize an idea. There are several reasons: First, it is possible, and second, it is often not as difficult as it seems, although it is necessary to overcome obstacles everywhere. Third, maybe you will become a success story that will inspire others."
After the first part of the business program, in which development institutions offered young entrepreneurs a wide range of support, from education to promotion and attracting funding for startups, the participants divided according to interests. Some took an active part in coaching sessions where there were presentations and discussions of innovation projects in Tomsk. Others preferred to have a conversation with partners and project organizers, for which the site had work zones for individual and group counseling. Some of the participants went to work on a strategic session for the development of competencies in start-up teams and the formation of a business community in the region.
In parallel there was a meeting with Marek Dziki, executive director of the biological and medical technology cluster at the Skolkovo Foundation. In the hall of the administration of the Tomsk region there was a meeting on the implementation of a standard of modern engineering education (CDIOR) in higher education institutions in the region. Denis Gusev, head of the Young Professionals strategic initiatives agency, expert on the Russian StartUp Tour and moderator of the strategy session of the business program, noted that two Tomsk universities - TPU and TUSUR - have already introduced new standards of engineering education. A group project-based learning program has been successfully implemented in TUSUR already for several years. Students working in such programs already have 2-3 successful projects behind them by the time they get a diploma, and they are ready to work in the real economy.
The coaching session was a major part of the business program for many in the Russian StartUp Tour in Tomsk. Young authors of projects presented and defended their projects, also receiving invaluable advice from experts. According to the results coaching session, 12 projects received honors. But the real "bomb" was a project called Bombsquare, presented by Roman Malakhov, director of the Tomsk company. "Our project does not solve any problems, it creates them!" began Malakhov in his presentation for Bombsquare mobile games. Then he quickly divulged the essence of the project, which, in fact, only solves one problem - youth entertainment. However, without exception, all of the experts gave the project an "excellent" rating and invited the creators of the project to the StartUp Village International Innovation Festival, which will take place in the Skolkovo innovation city in May 2013.
Vyacheslav Demchenko, curator of the Umnik project of the Siberian Federal District said that the project is not only interesting, but was also clearly presented. Demchenko also applauded the 3D-pen project. "They are living things that you can hold in your hands and use. True, there are a number of issues related to certification, because the end product is intended for children. However, this question is solvable,” Demchenko said. “I was also interested in the presentations of the ‘Showcase for the display of goods’ and ‘player-translator,’ but they are in serious need of improvement,” he added.
In evaluations of other project by experts, opinions differed. Michael Kharuzin lauded the "Diagnosticum Connective Tissue Disease" project and the "New Generation Cleaning Products" project. He said that the projects were very interesting and if they are based on original scientific ideas, the projects really are interesting. But to all who presented high-tech projects, Michael advised careful examination of the market for existing analogues and similar projects that are close to realization. Kharuzin also noted that there were many interesting IT-projects in Tomsk, but many still need work.
Alexander Pankov, director of investment management at VTB Capital, gave his own evaluation of the Tomsk stage of the Russian StartUp Tour:
"Participation in the Russian StartUp Tour is important and interesting to me, because it allows you to understand how much development there is in terms of innovative projects in the regions. It is important to see where and what innovative designs are born and develop, and how young people view the idea of starting a business. In Tomsk there are interesting ideas. It would be nice if the developers do not abandon them. The main thing is to go for your goals. You should not overestimate your abilities, but if it’s all figured out and you are sure you can implement a project, you have to go through with it to the end. And already you’ll have investors ready to prop you up along the way. So everybody who came and participated in Russian StartUp Tour sessions has a chance to get major venture capital funds, particularly from our own funds.
Projects by Tomsk entrepreneurs presented at coaching sessions that received praise by the experts: