Cursor Oy, Kotka-Hamina Regional Development Company (Finland), has opened a new Finnish-Russian Startup Connect Business Club.
The goal of the Business Club is to create an information and communication platform for business angels, representatives of venture capital funds, and business owners interested in investing in startups and technology projects in Russia, Finland, and the EU. Startup Connect Business Club organizes for its participants an exchange of experience and best practices in the field of venture investment, training events, regular meetings, consultations, business contacts, as well as access to a funnel of startups from Russia and the EU planning to expand to international markets.
The participants of the Business Club will have access to a knowledge base on innovative infrastructure in Finland, investment opportunities, as well as the opportunity to receive professional deal support through an affiliate network of proven service companies.
Startup Connect Business Club is organized as part of the South-East Finland-Russia CBC 2014-2020 Programme funded by the European Union, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Finland. The Programme is executed by the following consortium: Cursor – Kotka-Hamina Regional Development Company (FIN) (Lead partner), ITMO University (RUS), XAMK – South-East Finland University of Applied Sciences (FIN), St. Petersburg Foundation for Small and Medium-sized Enterprise Development (RUS).
– The priority of the Startup Connect Business Club will be an individual approach and personal communication of its participants, – says Sergey Troshkov, coordinator of cross-border cooperation projects, member of the Board of Startup Connect Business Club. – At the first stage, the main activities will be concentrated in Finland, where we are familiar with the infrastructure for business development, the specifics of venture investments, we understand the principles of state support for startups and innovative businesses. At the same time, one of the tasks of our work will be the formation of a «two-way street» – we plan to help Finnish companies and investors find partners for implementing projects in Russia.
Now the Business Club is creating a schedule of events and activities for the second half of 2020.
– After the resumption of international business activity, many entrepreneurs who are experiencing a crisis or transformation of their business will seek new breakthrough solutions and niches for investment and development. Expanding the geography of activities for many will be a matter of survival. Digitalization, artificial intelligence, green technologies will become the “new reality” for almost any company. These niches will be the focus of our Business Club, ”notes Sergey Troshkov.
In 2020, entry and participation in the Startup Connect Business Club is free. You can apply for participation in the Business Club on the Startup Connect website http://startupconnect.info.
The operator of the club is GoTech Innovation.
Additional information:
Cursor Oy – Kotka-Hamina, South-East Finland Region Development Agency. Cursor is owned by five municipalities in the region (Kotka, Hamina, Pyhtää, Miehikkälä and Virolahti). The shareholders also include large industrial enterprises and financial organizations in the region. The priorities of the agency are to support small and medium enterprises, including startups, the development of tourism, and the attraction of investments. The total staff is 50 people. The company’s turnover in 2019 was about 7,8 million euros.
GoTech Innovation has been providing services to corporations on the selection of technological projects and working with them since 2009. Key competencies: startups and technology scouting, acceleration and tracking of innovative projects, creation and implementation of corporate programs and events for working with turnkey startups. For the last 10 years Go Tech has been conducting the largest in Russia and Eastern Europe independent competition of technological projects and forum GoTech Arena. There are more than 6500 startups in our pipeline and in our portfolio, there are joint startup programs with partners in Russia, Belarus, Finland, the Baltic States, France, Austria and Latin America.
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