A meeting of the organizing committee for the preparation and holding of the 20th Russian Venture Forum (RVF), which will take place in Kazan from April 8 to 10, 2026, was held at the Government House of the Republic of Tatarstan. The meeting was chaired by Valery Falkov, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, and Alexey Pesoshin, Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan.

Representatives of the forum's organizing committee, including the President of the Tatarstan Academy of Sciences, Rifkat Minnikhanov, participated in the meeting.

The Forum is held with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation. The organizers are the Investment and Venture Fund of the Republic of Tatarstan (IVF RT), the Russian Venture Investment Association (RAVI), the Association for the Promotion of Digital Development, and the Innovative Technopark "Idea."

Opening the meeting, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Chairman of the Forum Organizing Committee Valery Falkov emphasized: "For the further development of the ecosystem and the exchange of best practices, the holding of the Russian Venture Forum in 2026 is of paramount importance. I am confident that the forum will serve as a platform for uniting participants in the innovation ecosystem, attracting investments, and discussing promising directions for the development of technological entrepreneurship, including the University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform." The Minister also urged all participants to be actively involved and engage in constructive dialogue, noting that through joint efforts, a successful ecosystem for technology startups can be created.

Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan Alexey Pesoshin, in turn, noted the increased role of the Forum in light of national tasks: "As part of the implementation of the national goal for the development of technological leadership until 2036, defined by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin, the Russian Venture Forum acquires special significance. It is becoming not just a platform for exchanging experience, but a key element of the national innovation ecosystem." The Prime Minister of the Republic of Tatarstan added that favorable conditions for startups have been created in the republic, and the continued active support of technological entrepreneurship is of great importance both for regional development and for strengthening Russia's technological leadership as a whole.

Damir Galiev, Director of IVF RT, presented a report on the concept and plans for the anniversary forum. He noted that the 20th Russian Venture Forum will become a key platform for shaping the country's technological leadership agenda. In 2026, the Forum will be held under the slogan "Technological Leadership – Investing in the Future" and promises to be record-breaking in scale and representation.

It is planned that the upcoming Forum will increase such key indicators as:

2000+ applications from startups.

6000+ participants

260+ speakers and experts.

150+ startups at the exhibition, 30 of them international.

150+ investors at pitch sessions.

New Concept and Thematic Blocks

The business program of RVF 2026 will be structured around four key blocks:

Technological Leadership: Stimulating growth through innovation, technology transfer, and synergy between science and business.

Investment Infrastructure: Transformation of the venture landscape, deal structuring, mature stages, and pre-IPO.

Ecosystem: Tools for generating technology companies, including the University Technological Entrepreneurship Platform.

Markets: Promising niches for investment, considering the reorientation towards friendly countries' markets.

A central element of the Forum will be extensive work with startups. The plan is to attract partner accelerators. The exhibition area will also be expanded, highlighting project development stages (seed, early, growth), and 3 pitch zones and a networking space will be created.

Special attention will be paid to new forum formats that facilitate effective networking:

Investor catalog and brief for preliminary acquaintance with startups.

Platforms for managing meetings between investors and founders.

Round tables in the format of podcast recordings with an audience.

Strengthening international and scientific participation

In 2026, a significant increase in the number of foreign participants is planned. The participation of the scientific and university community will also be expanded: holding motivational lectures at universities, publishing articles, organizing a "day zero" at universities, and active participation of student startup projects in the exhibition.

The ceremonial plenary session "Technological Leadership – Investing in the Future" will open the forum on April 9. The program includes welcoming speeches, expert discussions on global trends, success stories, and a headliner's speech.

During the three-day forum, there will be a public vote for the best startups of the exhibition, as well as an awards ceremony for the winners of the republican competition "Innovation of the Year."

Participant registration is already available on the official Forum website at the link: https://russianventureforum.ru/