Release one: We are an open incubator

The first residents selection campaign is entering the home stretch. While we are recruiting applications from start-up projects (until September 20th), we still have time to check once again whether we have placed the emphasis on the selection of projects and on positioning the capabilities of the incubator itself. We will tell you what advantages the organizers emit; and you tell me what they see from the outside.





As is known , the business incubator of the Academy of National Economy is an open structure that helps not only students and graduates of the Academy, but also those who have studied or are studying in other universities. And it's great! The incubators existing in Moscow do not provide such an opportunity for inter-university cooperation.



There are no restrictions on the background of the startup or industry participants. The main thing is that the project was innovative and had good market prospects. It is important for us to understand that work is already underway on it: the backbone of the team has been formed, there is a vision of its future; great if prototype is created.



In the autumn, the incubator will take on several such projects. They will be presented with a set of free features . Including: fully equipped workplaces in the ANE (metro station “South-Western”, Academy Campus), PC or laptop, Internet access, IP-telephony, general office equipment. Coworking, you say? Yes, but completely free. Year you can work in the environment of the same startups developing their projects.

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Actually, openness at the reception of external applications does not end there. If the project does not pass the selection, but he remains interested in the incubator, such a startup will be able to get most of the opportunities available to residents (with the exception, perhaps, of a free office and foreign travel). That is, his team will be able to attend specialized events and educational programs on a par with residents, receive advice and assistance in the “packaging” of the project.



Let us say separately about the educational process in the incubator: it will include not only communication with Russian experts, but also overseas internships (the Academy has a good resource in this regard, and it is foolish not to use it). To invite teachers in general disciplines, when students have already started building their business, is not the best option. The rate is made on applied training courses.



What projects can get from participating in the selection itself?

One of our trump cards is the jury. Now there are agreements with dozens of specialists (employees of the Academy of National Economy, independent experts and businessmen). Who exactly will enter the jury, we will know later, when it becomes clear which project pool is selected for the experts. In our opinion, this will give startups a unique opportunity to communicate with those experts whose assessment they need most.



The jury will get acquainted in advance with the developments of each of the projects that have passed the preliminary selection. We will individually advise startups on issues that need improvement. These materials will be provided to the expert commission, so that by the qualifying event the jury will understand what this or that project is doing.



Pre-screened projects will need to prepare a short video presentation for the final event. We chose this format, because we want to reduce the time for the presentation of the project, and leave more time to answer the experts' questions.



The selection of projects by experts will be open. We will invite everyone to the qualifying event, and for those who cannot come, we will organize a live broadcast on the site.



UPD: The Academy of National Economy is one of the largest managerial universities in Russia. The Academy is a multi-level research and educational complex. It implements a model of continuing education, within which programs of higher and additional professional education are carried out. More than half of the graduates of the MBA and eMBA programs in Russia received a degree in the Academy of National Economy.