In Ukraine, for many years there has been talk about the need for innovation. The right laws and programs were taken, technology transfer centers and business incubators were created, trainings and round tables are carried out, competitions of innovative ideas are organized.
There are already some success, but the real innovation breakthrough has not occurred. And it's not that we do not have the talented and educated professionals. On the contrary, Ukraine has perhaps the world's talented youth. The reason is that domestic universities still are not training the youth to work with ideas and earn money.
Let's take for example the term "startup". It seems to be entrenched in our lives, but few can explain its meaning.
Startup - is not a business, it is working with the idea, finding a business model for innovative ideas, which in the future can become a business. A startap activity - this is an environment in which the inventors have ideal conditions for the realization of their projects. Startap path differs from the standard career. Prior to the completion of training at the University the Startupers can already develop several projects and receive investments.
Recently, an event occured in our University, which in the near future will be able to provide the breakthrough, which we dream - the first in Ukraine innovation ecosystem Sikorsky Challenge.
This is supported by the NTUU"KPI" and the Scientific Park "Kyiv Polytechnic" environment in which the technology transfer is going on, technological ideas are grown, startups - small innovative technology enterprises are developed and run. It is the environment in which there is a full range of technology - from the search for new business ideas to attract investment and the creation of start-up companies.
Structural IE Sikorsky Challenge is as follows:
- Startup School Sikorsky Challenge;
- Festival of innovative projects "Sikorsky Challenge";
- Business Incubator "Sikorsky Challenge";
- Innovation and technological environment "Sikorsky Lab";
- Centre for Intellectual Property;
- Venture Fund Sikorsky Challenge and other funds.
Project managers IE Sikorsky Challenge are the Rector of NTUU"KPI" NAS of Ukraine academician Michael Zgurovsky; author of the program, the head of the International Business Incubator "Be Next IT" (Israel) Igor Peer; co-author of the program, the director of the Institute of Postgraduate Education NTUU "Kiev Politechnic Institute" candidate of technical sciences Inna Malyukova.
The main purpose of the IE "Sikorsky Challenge" is to launch and support a large number of successful startups. A basic tasks - attraction and selection of creative and ambitious young people; training of the selected participants to innovative entrepreneurship, aid in the drafting of business ideas; looking for investors / business angels (so called investors who are investing even when the risks are high enough) to invest in long-term projects (the first and second round of investment); presentation the best start-up projects in the competition of innovative business projects Festival "Sikorsky Challenge"; support of participants at all stages of the project - from opening to launch a start-up companies. Therefore, to work in it to more authors of innovative technological ideas - scientists, inventors, graduate students; highly qualified trainers, mentors, experts with practical experience; funds, investors, business angels, both Ukrainian and foreign are attracted.
Startup School Sikorsky Challenge is Initial and possibly most important step in the innovation eco-system. It was established on the basis of NTUU"KPI" in 2013. This school gives young and ambitious professionals the knowledge and skills to help the inventor under the guidance of a mentor overcome path from the wording of the first start-up to a presentation before investors. For four months, participants of the first graduation under the guidance of professional coaches learned innovative startup activity, teamwork, develop their own ideas and business projects, gained experience in presentations and pitches. The first graduation of Startup School was held on May 23 this year.
Preparation of this group carried out under the program "Startup in mobile applications." The program is designed for a younger audience and aims to create a successful start-up companies in the field of mobile applications using technologies WEB 3.0. Participants in the first group were 22 winners of contest (from 64 applicants). During the three months of training future innovative entrepreneurs have gained knowledge and skills in application programming platform Android; formed 18 business ideas and chose the 7 best of them; and then rallying around these ideas, created 7 teams and finished ideas to the level of applications for mobile devices; 7 have developed business models; had tested ideas on potential customers; developed business plans and presentations.
Two projects of the first group Startup School were presented to investment fund managers "AVentures". These projects are "TechnoEyes" - a system based on mobile applications for the development of routes, to help people with vision problems to navigate in space, and "MYOG" - a device designed to detect movements of hand and forearm, which can be used for interaction with mobile devices. Now Fund "AVentures" is considering the possibility of further funding.
After graduating from Startup School, the participants remain in the environment of the innovation ecosystem Sikorsky Challenge and each next step get professional help in finding investors / business angels and prototyping of business products.
Ahead of the first group of graduates from Startup School - the participation in the Festival of innovative projects "Sikorsky Challenge" and the opening of a start-up company in the Business Incubator "Sikorsky Challenge".
Pre-register to the second admission in Startup School, please visit http: //www.sikorskychallenge.com/startup. For more information call 36-112-46.
T. Kresan, Marketing IPE NTUU "KPI"
Т. Кресан, відділ маркетингу ІПО НТУУ "КПІ"