Andrei Fursenko opens the 4th Kazan Venture Fair
April 24, 2009, it will be the ceremonial opening of the 4th Kazan Venture Fair (at Korston HOTEL & MALL KAZAN). The beginning of the ceremonial opening is at 10.15. on April 24, 2009. The beginning of the participants’ registration at 9.00. on April 24, 2009.
Venture Fair is an event, which is of interest both for specialists in the sector of technological innovations and the professionals of the private equity and venture investment market. It is a kind of communicative platform, where management of small and middle capitalization innovative companies presents their business to the potential investors.
The Fair combines all the interested parties:
· enterprises of innovative technological sphere,
· Russian and foreign private investors,
· venture and private equity funds,
· bank and other investment institutions,
· technological mediators.
On the same day and at the same place, they have opportunity not only to establish direct business contacts but also exchange experience and discuss the latest development trends in this sector with the colleagues and representatives of government bodies of the federal and regional levels.
History of Venture Fairs’ organization in the Republic of Tatarstan dates back to 2005. It was the Year of Kazan 1000th anniversary celebration, when the 1st Regional Venture Fair was held in Kazan on June 10. It was organized by the Russian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association and Innovative Technopark “Idea”. Support in preparation and organization of the Fair was provided by: Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan, Ministry of Science and Education of the Russian Federation, and Plenipotentiary Representative Office of President of the Russian Federation in Volga Federal District.
Among participants of the Fair were mentioned: Minister of Science and Education of the Russian Federation – Andrei Fursenko, Plenipotentiary Representative Office of President of the Russian Federation in Volga Federal District – Sergei Kirienko, Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan - Rustam Minnikhanov, and many others. The First Fair demonstrated high level of interest by venture investors to perspective development products of Tatarstan scientists, and the decision to conduct events of a kind every two years was made.
The 2nd Regional Venture Fair was conducted on July 11, 2007. President of the Republic of Tatarstan – Mintimer Shaimiev, Minister of Science and Education of the Russian Federation – Andrei Fursenko, Prime-Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan – Rustam Minnikhanov and Managing Director of Russian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (RVCA) – Albina Nikkonen particicpated in the opening ceremony. Participants of the Fair became: Representatives of Russian and Foreign Venture Funds, strategic and private investors, representatives of large corporations, specialists of investment companies and banks from the United Kingdom, USA, Austria, Vietnam, Belgium, Germany, Egypt, Italy, Kazakhstan, and Switzerland.
One of the results of the Fair was signing of Memorandum of Understanding between Government of the Republic of Tatarstan and Russian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association, aimed at venture financing system development and innovation business support. To highlight the importance of development in the fields of science and technology in the Republic of Tatarstan, Mintimer Shaimiev emphasized that Tatarstan had been among the first regions in Russia to start exploration and development of science-intensive technologies. Another positive moment of the Fair was taking the decision about granting it the status of the annual event.
In 2008, the Fair was held under logo “The 3rd Kazan Venture Fair” on July 3-4. It was organized by State Non-Commercial Organization “Investment and Venture Fund of the Republic of Tatarstan”, Innovative Technopark “Idea,” and Russian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association; the Event was also supported by Cabinet of Ministers of the Republic of Tatarstan and Federal Agency for Science and Innovations with participation of the World Bank.
The RESULTS of the 3rd Kazan Venture Fair
In 2008, 120 companies from 14 cities of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Tatarstan took part in the candidate selection. They represented such perspective industries, as the following:
- Oil. Gas. Chemical industry;
- Machinery construction. Instrument-making. Energetics;
- IT. Television. Advertising;
- Agriculture. Veterinary. Biotechnology;
- Medicine. Pharmacology;
- Building. Design.
The 4th Kazan Venture Fair
Over 100 companies filed the applications for participation in the 4th Kazan Venture Fair; among them, there were selected 40 companies for participation.
Companies that are interested in the attraction of private equity investments for their business development, are welcome to participate in the 4th Kazan Venture Fair, such as: companies that develop products/services with high additional value; companies with high growth rate; companies that are able to sustain IRR, not less than 30% per annum.
Competent Expert Commission to identify the winners in different nominations among companies-exhibitors of the Fair that will be rewarded with valuable prizes and diplomas.
Within the framework of the 4th Kazan Venture Fair, it is planned the participation of federal and regional structures’ representatives, involved in forming the state policy on attracting the investment to the sphere of science intensive business. It is also planned the participation of Russian and international financial organizations, intuitional investors, and representatives of business communities, interested in placing the investment and building the business in Russia, establishing the contacts and business relations with business partners from Tatarstan.
Following the results of the 4th Kazan Venture Fair, Memorandum of Understanding will be signed with the aim of consecutive establishing mutually beneficial relations between U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation CRDF and IVF RT will conduct the joint activity on support of establishing the small and medium-sized technological enterprises, creating relations between entrepreneurial and investment communities of the USA and Tatarstan, strengthening scientific and technical cooperation between the US and Russia, as well.
Cooperation with CRDF will be able to help IVF RT in selecting the most actual high technologies in the market, being able to compete in the international market; it also will give IVF RT the opportunity to use the facilities of CRDF in expertise of the projects and open access to the laboratories, which work in these directions on more modern equipment, so reducing the time of implementation. Moreover, cooperation with CRDF will help in establishing the contacts with the US investors and then in attracting the investment in Tatarstan.
Appearance of opportunities for our developers to communicate will directly allow overcoming the initial barriers in establishing the joint innovative start-up companies, and further their integration into the world system of technologies commercialization, and the mastering the state-of-the-art technologies for protection of intellectual property results.
It should be mentioned that the participants of the 4th Kazan Venture Fair will get the opportunity to take part in the seminar on entrepreneurship development in the sphere of technologies under the auspices of the CRDF Partnership Development Program.
IVF RT regularly expands the circle of partners conducting a number of the events aimed at increasing the innovative potential of the economy. One of them is holding the 2nd Russian Technological Tour, which is organized by EET. It is a non-commercial organization, main objective of which is holding country and branch business tours for representatives of leading European venture funds and large technological companies. In each such tour, no more than 60-70 delegates-investors take part, for which consideration there are submitted up to 25 best high-technological companies of the country or branch. Limited number of the participants gives the opportunity for fruitful business communication, first of all, between investors and entrepreneurs.