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27 June 2014
Alexander Turkot: “You Cannot Stop; the Moment You Stop, You Fall”
Alexander Turkot, founder and Chairman of Maxfield Capital Fund, started his career in IT from implementing a computerized control system at the Khiva Carpet Factory, and continued it at IBM. Alexander has managed projects in the US, Japan, Israel, South Africa, the United Kingdom, France and Switzerland. Turkot was known as the Managing Director of Skolkovo’s IT Cluster until summer 2012, and some six months after that, he announced that he’d start a venture capital fund of his own. Today, Alexander Turkot is answering a few brief questions which are very important for the GenerationS nationwide contest.
“What is your life philosophy?”
“Always be ready for new things. You cannot stop: once you stop, you fall.”
“Where do you find startup entrepreneurs and how?”
“Everywhere: at contests, development institutions, business incubators, from friends, business partners (Angellist, Kickstarter, CrunchBase). There is no one single recipe, and there’s no system for it.
“What kind of startups are in demand now?”
“For me personally, I am looking for startups that are built around a special technology and have global ambitions, just like I always have. This means the kind of startups that are likely to make an impact and leave a dent on the Universe.”
“How can a startupper find you?”
“My contacts are all over. You can find them on the Maxfieldcapital.com, the fund’s website, on LinkedIn and Facebook. I always reply to my emails.”
“What advice do you have for beginners?”
“Decide what exactly you are selling to the world: who besides you needs what you’re making.”
“What do the words ‘a successful entrepreneur’ mean to you?”
“A successful entrepreneur is someone who has been able to convince his colleagues, the competition, and the market that his idea was right.”
“What is your personal ‘provocation statement’ for startups?”
“I do not believe in copycat projects and I choose to have nothing to do with retail. I believe these need a different set of competencies from mine, a different mindset.”
A version of this Q&A set was originally published on Firrma.ru
“Always be ready for new things. You cannot stop: once you stop, you fall.”
“Where do you find startup entrepreneurs and how?”
“Everywhere: at contests, development institutions, business incubators, from friends, business partners (Angellist, Kickstarter, CrunchBase). There is no one single recipe, and there’s no system for it.
“What kind of startups are in demand now?”
“For me personally, I am looking for startups that are built around a special technology and have global ambitions, just like I always have. This means the kind of startups that are likely to make an impact and leave a dent on the Universe.”
“How can a startupper find you?”
“My contacts are all over. You can find them on the Maxfieldcapital.com, the fund’s website, on LinkedIn and Facebook. I always reply to my emails.”
“What advice do you have for beginners?”
“Decide what exactly you are selling to the world: who besides you needs what you’re making.”
“What do the words ‘a successful entrepreneur’ mean to you?”
“A successful entrepreneur is someone who has been able to convince his colleagues, the competition, and the market that his idea was right.”
“What is your personal ‘provocation statement’ for startups?”
“I do not believe in copycat projects and I choose to have nothing to do with retail. I believe these need a different set of competencies from mine, a different mindset.”
A version of this Q&A set was originally published on Firrma.ru
