Access to clients such as Gazprom and Rosneft is on offer for Kazakh startups that join the Skolkovo ecosystem, said the executive director of the foundation’s Energy Cluster, Nikolai Grachev, at a roundtable in Almaty on Thursday.
Nikolai Grachev, second from left, at the roundtable in Almaty. Photo: sk.ru
Residency at the Skolkovo Innvoation Center is available to startups the world over through the Soft Landing program, which offers access to the Russian market plus a wealth of benefits designed to speed through commercialization of innovations.
“The synergy between Russia and Kazakhstan in the oil and gas sector is tangible,” Grachev said during the roundtable for Kazakh startups wishing to become Skolkovo participants.
Both countries are major energy exporters and have big stakes in increasing the efficiency of the technology that supports the sector.
“Russian startups are interested in helping Kazakhstan develop its oil and gas industry … and Skolkovo is facilitating this process,” Grachev said.
“That’s on one side. On the other, we invite Kazakh companies, Kazakh startups to join us and develop the Russian sector,” he added.
Other than the benefits on offer to any startup joining the Skolkovo ecosystem – tax breaks, mentor help, investment and office space – entering Russia grants access to big-name potential clients, Grachev said.
“When you hear that Gazprom or Rosneft confirm their interest in you, you’ll be surprised how easy it is to find investor,” he said.
“That’s part of our job: supporting Skolkovo participants in the dialogue with investors and businesses.”
As a concrete example, Grachev pointed to a forthcoming Rosneft Open Innovations Day at Skolkovo. That event, slated for the end of March, will see Rosneft representatives explain to Skolkovo startups what the company is lacking in the high-tech sphere and what areas of demand the residents could potentially satisfy.
“Skolkovo startups are going to give presentations to Rosneft with a view to implementing their own technology within the company,” Grachev said.
“Such events aren’t only planned with Rosneft and Gazprom, but with many more Russian oil and gas companies. In essence, it’s one of the best advantages of the Skolkovo ecosystem: An open door for cooperation with leading Russian and foreign companies.”
In the same way, companies can use Skolkovo’s contacts abroad to access those markets, Grachev stressed.
Foreign startups can find out more about joining the Skolkovo ecosystem here