20th RVF in Kazan: record interest from startups and expectations of over 1 billion rubles in investments

      The Russian Venture Forum will take place in Kazan and Innopolis from April 8 to 10

      The main venture congress of the country

      The Russian Venture Forum (RVF) will be held from April 8 to 10 in Kazan and Innopolis. The theme of the anniversary forum will be technological leadership. Let us remind you that venture investments are when an investor invests in a business at early stages of development. Usually, these are high-tech and innovative projects. Venture business is quite risky because there are no guarantees that a startup will succeed. But in case of success, the investor will multiply their profit many times over. Typically, startups attract funding through venture funds or private investors. The authorities also benefit from developing venture investments at the regional and national levels, as this helps to develop high-tech sectors of the economy and strengthens technological sovereignty. The RVF is a platform where all parties interested in the development of venture investments gather: startups, venture funds, private investors, and representatives of federal and regional authorities. "Over twenty years – from 2005 to 2025 – the Russian Venture Forum has turned into the main venture congress of the country. The numbers speak for themselves: more than 30,000 participants, over 6,000 applications from startups to participate in the exhibition, 176 startups showcased at the exhibition. The total revenue of participants exceeds 49 billion rubles, confirmed investments at the venue exceed 2 billion rubles," said the President of the Academy of Sciences of Tatarstan, Rifkat Minnikhanov.

      Fursenko and Falkov are expected at the RVF

      The first day of the RVF, referred to as the "zero day," will take place in Innopolis and at the Kazan State Institute of Culture on April 8. The events are aimed at allowing forum participants to meet and communicate in an informal setting. This will help build trust between startups and investors. The business program will start on April 9 at the "Kazan Expo" venue. On this day, a plenary session will be held, titled "Technological Leadership – Investments in the Future." Among the participants are Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Andrey Fursenko, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation Valery Falkov, First Deputy Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation Maxim Kolesnikov, and the President of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov. The organizers hope that participants will be inspired by the speech of the CEO of RTSIM, Ayrat Mukhametzyanov, a developer of digital simulators from Tatarstan. Vice President and Director for Digital Business Development at Rostelecom Dmitry Reidaman will talk about the use of artificial intelligence (AI) that can be implemented in investment processes. On Youth Day of the RVF, April 10, the first module of the program "100 Leaders – Tatarstan of the Future" will take place. Its participants are young people aged 18 to 25 who are starting to run businesses in various fields. The program will allow participants to master the basics of AI application, develop public speaking skills, and project defenses will take place on June 20.

      A record number of projects applied for the startup exhibition, with 150 selected

      The startup exhibition is an integral part of the RVF, for which 150 startups were selected, while the organizers received over 1,300 applications – a record number. There will be 210 pitch sessions at the venue, where startups will present their projects to potential investors. "The exhibition consists of two floors, where more than 110 stands will be placed," explained the director of the Association for the Promotion of Digital Development of the Republic of Tatarstan, Artem Safin. Startups will be represented in areas such as AI, agrotechnologies, medicine, education, robotics, industry, energy, finance, chemistry, and e-commerce. The President of the Academy of Sciences of Tatarstan, Rifkat Minnikhanov, recommended that heads of republican enterprises and companies visit the exhibition to see for themselves what modern solutions are being offered and to implement them in the future. "Shamil Khamitovich (Gafarov, head of the Cabinet of Ministers of Tatarstan – note by T-i) set the task: representatives of the Cabinet must visit the exhibition and then report on which projects were interesting. If several heads of enterprises and organizations also came, I think the effect of the exhibition would be much greater," believes Minnikhanov. On the occasion of the anniversary, the organizers invited "stars" from among the participants of previous RVFs who have achieved significant results at the federal level.

      Foreign startups will participate in the RVF exhibition

      The director of the Investment and Venture Fund of Tatarstan (IVF RT), Damir Galiyev, reported that the program includes international sessions dedicated to attracting venture capital in global markets and developing international cooperation. Participants from the CIS countries, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa will come to Kazan. Foreign investors are expected. "There will be foreign projects related to chemistry, projects related to the implementation of IT in industrial technologies. There is one African educational project that implements Russian educational programs on its platform and will become a kind of distributor of Russian educational programs on the African continent," Galiyev said. He added that the situation in the Middle East complicated logistics, so some participants from Islamic countries will not be able to attend the forum. However, as Galiyev assured, interaction with them will continue.

      The expected effect of holding the forum

      What effect do the organizers expect from the 20th RVF, Galiyev clarified to Tatar-inform. He noted that they will evaluate the results based on three criteria: how many projects investors will consider, how many projects will gather investment commitments (soft commitment, that is, a verbal agreement for the investor's participation in the project), and how much money will ultimately be invested in the exhibition participants. "There is a term soft commitment. If translated literally, it means a kind of 'soft obligation.' Last year, such commitments amounted to 900 million rubles as a result of the forum after all publications, sessions, and selections. Typically, they are fulfilled with varying conversion rates. It could be a third, it could be half, measured over the course of a year. This year we plan to gather more than 1 billion rubles," Galiyev explained. The organizers reminded that today is the last day for registration for the RVF as a participant, and tomorrow the forum program will begin in Innopolis and Kazan.

      Photo: © Vladimir Vasilyev / "Tatar-inform"