The 3rd Russian Venture Forum
The 8th Russian Venture Fair
October 10 - 12, 2007
Saint-Petersburg
Russia
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The Russian Venture Forum is a meeting point for investment professionals. As Russia’s premier annual event for the participants of venture capital and private equity market, it brings together leading local and international investors and innovative high-tech business leaders.
Annually the Forum brings together about 700 delegates – managers of major investment institutions, representatives of venture capital and private equity funds, banks, consulting firms, business-angels, owners and managers of innovative high-tech small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), journalists, politicians, and other key participants of this business’ segment of Russia, Europe, United States and other countries.
The membership of active participants of the Russian Venture Forum testifies its high importance and reputation. Every autumn the venture business leaders from Russia and abroad, key experts of private equity funds, bankers, managers of major Russian financial corporations and industrial companies, heads of regions of Russia, ministries and departments concerned, come to Saint Petersburg. The list of the Forum and the Fair participants usually included: Jeff Milanette (Innovative Partners Inc, USA), Harry Fitzgibbons (The Russian Technology Fund), Barbara James (African Venture Capital Association), Maaret Heiskari (Sitra), David Giebink (U.S. Civilian Research & Development Foundation), Volker Neuschuetz (German Investment and Development Bank), Lawrence Wright (Cole Management Inc.), Akram Chowdry (Hi-Tech Venture Capital Fund, LLP), Jon Edwards (London Stock Exchange), Joerg Kreisel (JKIC, Germany), Anna Trifonova (RTS), Gennady Margolit (Moskow Interbank Currency Exchange), Vladimir Burenkov (GOTEK-Invest), Dmitry Kulish (Intel Capital), Mikhail Shkrumelyak (International Bridge Investments), Anton Danilov-Danilyan (Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry), and many other representatives of leading local and international private equity and venture capital organizations.
Development of private equity investments industry in Russia, fundraising in Russia and abroad, state-private partnership, searching of promising companies and triggering deals in high-tech area, exit strategies, risks’ optimization, international co-operation in high-tech sphere – these are some of the primary topics to be discussed at the Forum.
Program of the Forum will include a wide spectrum of different actions focused on analysis of the experience accumulated by venture capitalists in Russia and abroad, perspectives of development of native venture capital and private equity industry, and transition of Russian economy to innovative path of development.
The primary topics to be discussed at the Forum include:
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Investment environment: the opportunities for private equity and venture capital investments
Taxation and legal issues, having strong effect on the industry’s development; forming a legislative base for regulation of investment transactions; eligible structural/legal forms of venture capital funds; mechanisms of projects financing.
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State-private partnership
Initiatives of the government authority; experience of the state-business interactions; prospects of co-operation; policy of private equity incentivation; view of experts on the recent economical and political events in Russia and their impact on investors.
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Investment sources for MidCap and SmallCap companies
Existing sources of financing for SmallCap and MidCap companies; comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of different sources of financing for SMEs.
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Search of promising companies and initiation of transactions in technological sphere
Analysis of the most effective strategies of deals structuring; instruments and methods used by investors for valuing potential profitability of transactions; approaches to business evaluation, and venture investors’ requirements; analysis of practical cases of life cycles of private equity investments from the initial stage of decision making to the exit phase.
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Exit strategies: optimization of risks
Available methods of exit from investee companies; discussion of different exit strategies including the most successful practical examples; IPO opportunities.
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International co-operation in high-tech sphere
Forming of infrastructure of small and medium entrepreneurship support; analysis of current situation, dynamics and prospects of development; prospects of Russian-Finnish and Russian-American partnership.
The Russian Venture Fair traditionally takes place within the framework of the Russian Venture Forum. The Fair represents a unique opportunity for SMEs, interested in attracting investments for their businesses development, to attract attention of wide circle of investors and to get into contact with probable business partners.
On average, only one third of 250 proposals received by the Organizing Committee from companies gets a positive decision of a Commission of Experts, composed of leading managers of Russian companies, representatives of investment institutions and venture funds. The experts when evaluating promises of attracting private equity and venture capital investments into a company are guided by the criteria commonly used by managers of venture investment funds and companies for evaluation of availability of business projects.
The diagrams:
There are couching series for the managers and owners of companies teaching how to present effectively their businesses, elucidating basic rules of taking investment decisions and habits of work with venture investors.
The projects presented at the Fair can successfully compete both at the Russian and the World markets of new technologies, and some of them don’t have analogs in the World.
The Judges Team works at the Fair, traditionally consisting of the managers of leading private equity and venture capital funds, the representatives of major banks, other investment institutions of Russia and the West, and consulting firms. The Team will select best companies in 10 nominations, which will be rewarded with memorable diplomas and prizes.
Summarizing the results of the previous fairs we can see that 13% of participated companies (markedly higher than similar figure for the foreign events) have raised funds for their business development to the total amount of $ 70 mln.
Organizers:
Location:
The "Manege" Central Exhibition Hall, 1 Isaakievskaya Sq., Saint Petersburg, Russia. |
Forum-Fair 2007 
