Gulnara Bikkulova. How Do Startups Evolve
Less drive and emotions, more experience and science
Five years ago startuper was kind of a universal soldier. Mostly, it was one person who did all work in own company: fr om the formation of the product to the accounting department. During a short period of Russian innovative market made a long way. It became clear that a startup is a young innovative company, but not fashion, status or lifestyle. And in this young company should be people with different functionality: the founders of the business, marketing and technical experts, sellers (no one can call them "startupers").
When this market was in its genesis, startups have become a fashionable thing, mostly young guys of a new millennium, students and graduates were engaged in them. For most them, the startup was the first working experience, so most of the projects of those years collapsed. A very small part of the entrepreneurs were able to grow their projects and turn them into a business. In addition, five years ago a lot of investors came to the market, such inexperienced, as startups were. They were attracted by the aura of innovations, they began creating seed funds or investing as business-angels. A lot of things happened emotionally, it was a part of a certain lifestyle. Young people who have not created a single business, received investments as a heaven’s gift, they bought expensive cars, had a fashionable lifestyle. That caused lots of disappointments, and the concept of "startup" became discredited. Now the age of technological entrepreneurs has changed, on average they are 35-40 years. Entrepreneurs of the new wave have already done a certain career path, they gained experience, and decided consciously to try themselves in business.
Regions Are Turning Into Suppliers of Innovations
The wave of startups reached the regions and Moscow began to lose leadership positions. Since the idea of small innovative businesses started moving to the regions, people who have high technology developments and ideas of their commercialization appears. Because of this the image of a modern Russian startuper became more and more resembling the image of his colleague, who works in more developed markets, such as the United States’ one.
The people of the scientific and technological community got an alternative to research and an ability to understand that it is possible in Russia to earn money wisely. In front of them there are examples of how it to turn their science-intensive development into business. Such examples are always contagious. And because of the development of regional infrastructure entrepreneurs began to understand wh ere to look for support in the beginning.
A Life Outside The IT-Sector Is Detected
A new image of the industry is formed. Now startups are created in the classical way of developed innovative markets. They are established in universities, technology parks, incubators. Around such centers form a regional infrastructure of supporting innovation. Most of startups, that we now see in the GenerationS, are not connected with the Internet. Mostly they are about high technology business: chemistry, physics, medicine. In these kinds of science Russian scientists are strong traditionally. For example, who would have thought that in Russia there are hundreds of startups in the medicine and biotechnology, or there are hundreds of teams, developing new directions in the energy and power generation sector.
The Marked Turned Into A Huge Cooperative
As it seems to us, GenerationS became one of the catalysts of developing of the startup-market. Basically, it happened due to the fact that we were able to realize the affiliate working model and attracted regional teams to the accelerator through a network of representatives in the regions, employees of universities, incubators, technology parks, technology platforms. We use the channels that can be understood by scientists, and we invite them to try themselves as technological entrepreneurs. This way this year we have collected 2566 entries from all over the country. As a result of expertise 141 startups received invitations to the accelerators on seven industrial directions.
The community is growing every year, the number of graduates and partners increases the number of graduates. We see how statistics change from year to year. The buzz-effect works. This year I was excited with stories of entrepreneurs who told us that the regional administration did not notice their business, but when officials knew that the team goes to the GenerationS’ half-finale, they called with congratulations and offered help. Acceleration programs appear in the regions, some of them are run by our graduates. And a couple of years ago, in many areas such things did not exist.
Generative Models Are The Future
Russia follows the path of other ecosystems. I believe in generative models, and I think that in the future they will affect on the image of technology entrepreneurs. For example, the Kauffman Foundation study showed that in the US the number of young entrepreneurs decreased. This is due to the fact that representatives of Generation Y when they finish universities have to pay for educational loans. They go to startups only after work in the hiring and paid all their debts. They start a startup career near 30 years.
I think that Russian startups will also get older. In some way crisis leads to it. The wave of reductions from large corporations led to the emergence of a new wave of technology entrepreneurs. When they leave the company to start own business, they bring their experience, communication, business skills. They have a better chance to succeed than younger people. Moreover, for people over 40 startup is like a breath of fresh air, an opportunity to survive the drive, speed, emotions of new business, a chance to create something, to find a new interest in life.
