The meeting was chaired by the Deputy Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Daria Kiryanova. Members of the organizing committee discussed the status of preparations for the Russian Venture Forum, which will take place on April 25 and 26 in Kazan.

Reports were presented by Damir Galiev, Director of the Investment and Venture Fund of the Republic of Tatarstan; Igor Gladkikh, Representative of the Russian Venture Investment Association (RAVI) (Executive Director of the Russian Foundation for Scientific and Technological Development, St. Petersburg); Artyom Safin, Director of the Association for the Promotion of Digital Development; and Oleg Protopopov, Deputy General Director for Development and Interaction with Residents of SEZ Innopolis. The President of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, Rifkat Minnikhanov, also took part in the meeting.

The Russian Venture Forum is the main event of the Russian venture industry. The event has been held in Kazan since 2005. Over the entire history of the forum, more than 2,400 companies and 700 startups have participated in the business program and exhibition. Registration for the forum is open until April 19 on the RVF website.

The main theme of this year's forum will be "Technological Entrepreneurship: A Space of Higher Competencies." RVF 2024 will feature more than 20 events, thematically divided into main blocks:

Ecosystem: This covers the environment and tools for accelerating the generation of technology companies. The most important part of this block will be the University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform, infrastructure for development and financing of early stages and developments, including companies investing in small businesses and endowment funds.

Venture Investments and Technological Entrepreneurship: This covers the current state of the venture investment market, structuring deals in the Russian jurisdiction, syndication, the state of the early-stage private investor sector (business angels), and the development of relevant networks and communities.

Markets: This covers promising niches for investment and the development of technological business, both in terms of industry and geography, considering the reorientation towards friendly countries' markets.

"This year, there are twice as many business program events as last year. The venture market cannot exist without technological entrepreneurship. It is a driver of economic development – and that is the main theme of RVF 2024," said Rifkat Minnikhanov.

The congress part will include a plenary session with the participation of the Minister of Science and Higher Education of Russia, Valery Falkov, and the Rais of the Republic of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnikhanov. Heads of development institutions, partners of venture fund management companies, and corporate representatives will also participate.

In addition to the plenary session, more than 40 events are planned, thematically divided into the main blocks: ecosystem, venture investments, technological entrepreneurship, markets.

The exhibition will feature both startups and representatives of innovation infrastructure: universities, technoparks, industrial parks, special economic zones, IT parks. "We strive to become one of the main platforms in Russia for communication between startups and investors. This year, the composition of more than 200 Forum speakers and experts will include representatives of federal executive authorities, innovation infrastructure facilities, partners and managers of venture funds, top managers of corporations, as well as technology companies and developers. On the eve of the BRICS summit, a large delegation of foreign guests from China will visit the forum," noted Damir Galiev.

50 technology startups from all over Russia will present their solutions and compete for investments of up to 50 million rubles. This year, a record number of applications was received from startups – 474. This is 50% more than last year.

The 15 finalists of the acceleration program will undergo an intensive eight-week program. Experts and mentors will work out a roadmap with the startups and prepare them for attracting the next round of investment. More than 60% of the startups that applied to the accelerator have a finished product and have already made their first sales. The share of startups scaling their business in the Russian and foreign markets is 21%.

On April 24, a "day zero" of the forum will be held at the site of the special economic zone "Innopolis." The event will include an invest-brunch, a panel discussion, and the 25th Expert Council for the selection of startups for the SEZ Innopolis. "We attract high-tech companies and develop the venture community to implement innovative projects that contribute to import substitution. The Russian Venture Forum is an effective platform, successfully proven for achieving these goals. 244 people, 32 startups, 86 speakers and experts, 32 venture funds, 25 representatives of AIRR, and 18 development institutions will take part in the RVF 'day zero.' At the Expert Council for selecting startups for the SEZ Innopolis, 11 projects will be considered, which, based on the results of the commission's voting, may be implemented in the special economic zone," said Oleg Protopopov.

In addition, on the eve of the BRICS Universities Startup Summit, which will take place on October 25-26, 2024, in Innopolis and Kazan, an educational and interactive intensive "Venture Games" will start within the RVF. Universities will demonstrate successful practices for involving undergraduate and postgraduate students in technological entrepreneurship. "One of the expected results of RVF 2024 will be a list of programs, compiled jointly with the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, recommended for implementation in other higher education institutions," noted Igor Gladkikh.

"On April 25, after the close of the exhibition, a virtual tour of the exhibition will be filmed. The finished 3D tour will be published in all information sources in the first half of May. Thanks to this initiative, everyone interested will have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the solutions of the exhibition participants throughout 2024," emphasized Artyom Safin.