The #Kupislona reputation award ceremony was held on the 90th floor of the Federation Tower in Moscow to celebrate the most promising startups in the material based sector. The award was organized by the Fund for Infrastructure and Educational Programs of the RUSNANO Group, National Tech Initiative, Russian Venture Company, Innovation Promotion Fund, and Interindustry Nanotech Union.
The host of the ceremony, Denis Kovalevich who is also the Director General of the TechnoSpark Group of Companies, explained the meaning behind this new award the following way: ‘It is a professional award that sums up the results of partnership between those who have been investing in the company, those who may be doing so in the future, and the company itself. The reputation of the former gives the future investors a guarantee that new investors will not be misguided or messed around. Companies that receive the #Kupislona award sign up to open the door to new investors. They cease to be a closed book to them, and shift from the Let’s-talk-if-you-get-interested kind of mode to the We-are-transparent-and-open-to-professional-investment mode.’
Each of the largest Russian institutions for development awarded the most successful startups that they invested in or supported.
The award from ANO Platform for National Tech Initiative handed by its Executive Director Andrei Siling went to Topaz Research Center of the InEnergy Group. The company produces compact electrochemical generators of high energy capacity based on the Topaz high-temperature tube fuel cells.
OKB ATM Cargo Drones received the award from the Innovation Promotion Fund. The company designs three kinds of transportation means of the future: a cargo drone, flying motorcycle, and taxi drone. When handing the award hashtag figurine, Sergey Polyakov, Head of the Fund, claimed that this team was the first in the world to certify their quadcopter motorcycle and is currently working on the design of a taxi drone.
Alexander Povalko, Director General of the Russian Venture Company, commended the success of Axion — Rare and Noble Metals JSC. It produces selective ion-exchange materials AXIONIT that facilitate recovery of rare, rare-earth and noble metals from solutions of complex composition (for instance, sewage water or liquid radioactive wastes) with high yield — up to 90-95 %. ‘The company has been expanding twofold each year, and operates in the global market with the turnover of $1.2 bln a year. It is extremely attractive for the next round of investments,’ says Alexander Povalko.
The Fund for Infrastructure and Educational Programs chose to applaud the project carried out by Ronavi Robotics of the TechnoSpark Group of Companies. It is the first Russian developer and producer of robots for automation of warehouse logistics. Development of robotic warehouses is one of apparent global trends that are gaining their momentum. In 2019, the company is going to make and deliver the first production batch of Ronavi H robots with a lifting capacity of up to 1500 kg. From 2020 and on, Ronavi customers will be enjoying the full line of robots with lifting capacities of 30 to 1500 kg.
The award was handed by the Fund CEO Anatoly Chubais. The head of RUSNANO pointed out that he liked ‘not only the engineering and design concept, but the cool, modern, industrial look’ of products by Ronavi Robotics as well. ‘Innovation is a product of love between the investor and the innovator. The real innovative product can only result from the connection between those who devised it and those who decided to invest their hard-earned money in the project. We hope that today we will see numerous “love connections” like that in this hall,’ added Anatoly Chubais.
After the award ceremony, there was an investment session where venture capitalists could see 90 startups developed by the nano center network that operates under the aegis of the Fund for Infrastructure and Educational Programs.
