In Irkutsk on September 20 and 21, the 13th Russian and 3rd Baikal venture fairs will be held together for the first time, bringing together more than 130 investors from seven countries and over 50 innovative companies. Participants will see project exhibits from various industries, a plenary session on Russias place in the global technology chain, and venues for ecoinnovation, IT, and support for youth developments. Organizers say the fair will be an important platform for direct talks and attracting venture capital to innovative business.

Today, members of the organizing committee of the fair spoke about this at a press conference — Deputy Mayor, Chairman of the Committee on Economics of the Administration of the City of Irkutsk Alexey Almukhamedov, Head of the Department for Financial Support and Infrastructure Projects of the Ministry of Information Technologies, Innovative Development and Communications of the Government of the Irkutsk Region Yevgeny Semenov, Vice-Rector of N.I. IrGTU for Innovation Activities Mikhail Kornyakov, and head of the software developers’ community “GeekFest” Anton Chernousov.
Registration for participants in the XIII Russian Venture Fair and the III Baikal Venture Fair will continue until September 14. But it is already known that representatives of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Government of the Russian Federation, the Government of the Irkutsk Region, and top executives of major investment venture institutions will take part in it. In total, more than 130 investors will come to Irkutsk. Representatives from 7 foreign countries have confirmed their participation in the event.
The XIII Russian Venture Fair and the III Baikal Venture Fair, which will take place in Irkutsk on September 20-21, are being organized in close cooperation with RAVI, the Government of the Irkutsk Region, the administration of the city of Irkutsk, the Academy of Sciences, and IrGTU.
Alexey Almukhamedov noted: “On September 20 and 21, the XIII Russian Venture Fair will come as a guest to the III Baikal Venture Fair. Such an event is being organized for the first time and is being held with the support of the Russian Association of Venture Investment (RAVI) and the administration of the city of Irkutsk. Holding events of this level indicates the emergence of genuine interest in Irkutsk in the development of innovative entrepreneurship, and a shift from discussions to real action.”
According to Yevgeny Semenov, the main event of the Fair will be an exhibition of innovative enterprises from Irkutsk and the Irkutsk Region, as well as from other Russian cities. Representatives of mechanical engineering, information, biopharm and nano-technologies, the chemical industry, and construction will showcase their innovations. In total, more than 50 enterprises.
“The special feature of the Venture Fair is that its main exhibit is not so much goods or products as innovative business. Business that is interested in development and, therefore, in attracting venture capital,” he noted.
As a result of the two previous Fairs, five enterprises attracted investor funds, and five are in negotiations. The Fairs can be considered to have resulted in the launch in Irkutsk of an experiment to test electronic textbooks, as well as investment in the development of infrastructure supporting innovative business in our city.
The program includes an extensive business agenda. Its central event will be the plenary session “Russia’s Place in the Global Technological Chain.” As Alexey Almukhamedov noted, one of the Fair’s central venues will be devoted to eco-innovations related to energy and resource conservation, water consumption, etc. The role of municipalities in supporting innovative business will also be discussed. Several venues will be organized for representatives of the IT business.
According to Anton Chernousov, the Fair will provide a unique platform for negotiations.
“Despite the fact that the global market today is quite open, attracting funds remains a problem for representatives of the IT business. Direct contacts play a major role. We are glad to come together and take part in the Fair’s main events,” he said.
The Fair is scheduled to host a round table, “Accelerators – the Missing Factor in the Accelerated Formation of a Deal Flow,” where participants will become acquainted with the infrastructure supporting innovative business — private business accelerators.
The Venture Fair will give young people an opportunity to present their business ideas. With the support of N.I. IrGTU, an exhibition of youth innovation projects will be held as part of the Fair, as well as the “U.M.N.I.K.” conference.
Based on materials from the press service of the administration of the city of Irkutsk