PRESS RELEASE
September 5, 2013
For Immediate Release
Russian Innovation Week Conference to boost business cooperation between Russia and the U.S.
Government representatives, business leaders, VCs and entrepreneurs gather to discuss innovation and technology
MENLO PARK, Calif. — Russian Innovation Week is back; and this year it’s gone bi-coastal, highlighting some of the top innovative companies in the world and gathering the industry’s key VIPs from Russia and the U.S. The second annual Russian Innovation Week Conference will bring together Russian and American government representatives, business leaders, venture capitalists and entrepreneurs in the technology sector to explore investment opportunities and build strategic partnerships, on September 17th in Boston and on September 19-20th in California’s Silicon Valley.
FEATURING VIP SPEAKERS
Keynote speakers and government representatives from the United States include Ambassador of the United States of America to the Russian Federation Michael A. McFaul; U.S. State Department Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs Lorraine Hariton; Deputy Assistant Secretary for Europe and Eurasia at the U.S. Department of Commerce Matthew Murray; Director, Office of Russia, Ukraine & Eurasia of the International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce Matthew Edwards; Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Greg Bialecki; former U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Beyrle; Deputy Innovation Officer of the City of San Francisco Shannon Spanhake and Co-founder of Coursera & Computer Science Faculty Member of Stanford University Andrew Ng, among others.
High-level speakers from Russia include State Secretary – Deputy Minister, Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Oleg Fomichev; Deputy Minister, Ministry of Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation Mark Shmulevich; Republic of Tatarstan President Rustam Minnikhanov; Krasnoyarsk Krai Governor Lev Kuznetsov; Acting Head of the Department of the Department of Science, Industry, Policy and Entrepreneurship for the Moscow City Government Alexey Komissarov; CEO of Investment and Venture Fund, Republic of Tatarstan, Russian Federation Aynur Aydeldinov;
Skolkovo President Viktor Vekselberg; RVC CEO Igor Agamirzian; RUSNANO Chairman of the Executive Board Anatoly Chubais; RUSNANO USA President & CEO Dmitry Akhanov; RVC-USA CEO Axel Tillmann and Skoltech President Edward Crawley.
To download the updated agenda, visit www.riw-usa.com/agenda.
The RIW Conference aims to demonstrate the potential of the Russian innovation sector, and to assist Russian investors and venture funds reach out to American partners while Russian technology companies gain access to sources of funding and international sales channels.
PROMOTING THE NEXT TRAILBLAZERS
Russian Innovation Week is much more than a conference – it is a networking event that brings startups into the spotlight to pitch their stories, and facilitates the creation of new alliances between companies through pre-arranged B2B meetings.
“Modern economy in high-tech sectors is, before all else, a presence on the international market. As every startup develops it should set itself ambitious targets about entering these markets,” said Igor Agamirzian, CEO of RVC. “RIW is a unique opportunity thanks to
its great practical value for Russian startups, whether they are seeking foreign partners and investors or looking for access to international sale channels.”
Seventy-four startup companies in the IT, cleantech and biotech industries – winners of the RIW Startup Track Competition – will join the Startup Track presentation sessions to pitch their innovative ideas at the conferences. To see a list of the winners who will be presenting, visit: http://www.riw-usa.com/winners.
FOSTERING INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
Beyond Startup Pitches, the agenda will focus on topics about innovation, technology and venture capital investments that are significant for Russia, including legal support of intellectual property rights, development of innovation infrastructure, and prospects of cooperation in areas such as energetics, biotech, IT, robotics and telecoms.
“Nowadays everyone understands that international cooperation in innovation is a key factor in global economic growth. Experience shows that our international partners need Russia’s innovative technologies. At the same time, it’s vital for Russia to work closely with the international innovation community – both to develop and commercialize technologies, and to build a bridge between Russian hi-tech products and global markets,” said Viktor Vekselberg, President of the Skolkovo Foundation.
EXPLORING INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Alongside the main conference program, the Russian Innovation Week Conference will also feature separate events for angel investors and representatives of Russian corporations. These sessions are devoted to the experiences of American partners in diverse areas such as the preparation and completion of transactions, the introduction and commercialization of innovative technologies, and co-investing in technology projects.
“One of the most significant tasks for RUSNANO is the transfer of innovative technology to Russia,” said Dmitry Akhanov, President & CEO, RUSNANO USA. “We can see that there is great interest in mutually beneficial cooperation between Russian and American companies on high-tech projects. RIW is the perfect platform for open communication between participants, forming the underlying trust necessary to develop innovative businesses.”
BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS
The RIW Conference is presented by the Russian Innovation Center, comprised of three Russian development institutions – RUSNANO, RVC and the Skolkovo Foundation – and supported by the Russian-American Bilateral Presidential Commission’s working group on innovation.
This year’s conference is supported by Partners Almaz Capital, Churchill Club, GMIC, Licensing Executives Society (LES) Silicon Valley Chapter, MassChallenge, Russian Venture Capital Association (RVCA), Russoft, Startup Monthly, SVForum, Torrey Pines Investment, US-Russia Business Council and Women Entrepreneurs in Science and Technology (WEST).
Media Partners include East-West Digital News and Venture Beat. For more information, visit www.riw-usa.com/partners.
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Press inquiries: For inquiries relating to the event or media attendance to the conferences, please contact:
Elisabeth Morris-Maragoula
euronique+communications
+1.916.500.8772
elisabeth@euronique-communications.com
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To find out more about the events at Russian Innovation Week, visit www.riw-usa.com.
RIW is an invite-only event. To inquire about registration, visit: riw-usa.com/registration.
Join the conversation:
Join “Russian Innovation Week” on Facebook and YouTube, and follow us on Twitter: @RIW_USA
About the organizers:
About RUSNANO
RUSNANO is a $10 billion state-backed investment fund headquartered in Moscow, Russia. With a primary focus on late-stage venture capital and private equity deals in nanotechnology, the company invests in life sciences, microelectronics, cleantech, energy efficiency and advanced materials. Founded in 2007, RUSNANO has invested in more than 100 high-tech companies from Russia, the U.S., U.K., Israel, France, Germany, China and other countries across the world. RUSNANO’s interests in the U.S. and Canada are represented by RUSNANO USA which oversees the firm’s cooperation with American and Canadian companies and implements due diligence of potential portfolio companies. RUSNANO USA also facilitates the marketing of Russian nanotechnology products in the global market. For more information, visit http://en.rusnano.com.
About RVC
RVC is a government fund of venture capital funds, a development institute of the Russian Federation and one of Russia’s key tools in building its own national innovation system. RVC’s capital base is more than 30 billion rubles, which is 100 percent owned by the Federal Agency for the Management of State Property. RVC has established 13 funds reaching a total value of 26.4 billion rubles. RVC’s stake in these funds is more than 16 billion rubles. RVC has invested a total of 12.1 billion rubles in 139 innovation companies. For more information, visit www.rusventure.ru/en/.
About the Skolkovo Foundation The Skolkovo Scientific Center for the Development and Commercialization of New Technologies was established on the initiative of the Russian President in September 2010. Its purpose is to mobilize resources for contemporary applied research in Russia and to create an enabling environment for the implementation of scientific development in five key areas of technology: energy and energy efficiency, space, biomedicine, nuclear technology and computer technology. The project involves the creation of the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), research institutions, business incubators, a center for technology transfer and commercialization, representative offices of international companies and R&D centers, as well as residential and social infrastructure. It aims to create a model for the effective development of other innovation centers elsewhere in Russia. The Skolkovo Innovation Center is governed by special legislation that offers special economic conditions for residents and employees. For more information, visit www.sk.ru.
Company inquires:
For more information about the organizers, RUSNANO, RVC and the Skolkovo Foundation, please contact:
RUSNANO RVC Skolkovo Foundation
Sergey Filippov Yulia Davydova Roman Sherbakov
Head of Media Relations PR Service Director, Press Office
+7 (495) 988 5388, ext. 1933 +7 (495) 777 0104, ext. 355 +7 (495) 967 0148, ext. 2260
press@rusnano.com pr@rusventure.ru RS@sk.ru