Oops We Did It Again

The GoTech Fund, which looks for and helps with the development of new technology, identified ten universities, which, according to the Fund, produce the most IT entrepreneurs. ITMO University was among the three leading universities, together with Moscow State University and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. The ten universities were selected on the basis of information about where those who participated in the Web & Tech Ready competition in 2015 studied or are currently studying.

According to GoTech Fund, 715 projects from 106 cities were included in the Web&Tech Ready-2015 competition. In their applications, participants noted 1,400 team members involved in start-up key positions such as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or Chief Technical Officer (CTO) or Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). About 15% of the team members are still studying at university and 85% have already graduated. Altogether 209 Russian and overseas universities are mentioned in the application forms.

The top three universities in the list, producing the most IT entrepreneurs were Moscow State University (5.3% of all participants), ITMO University (4.1%) and Moscow Institute of Physics & Technology (also 4.1%). Right behind them were the Ural Federal University, St Petersburg State University and Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnical University. Rounding out the top ten are the Higher School of Economics, Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Moscow Aviation Institute and Tomsk State University.

“We decided to make an annual ranking of universities’ entrepreneurial activity. To create any new technology requires a basic education, but equally important, is which universities produce students who are motivated and able to turn these technologies into finished products” – commented the head of GoTech Irina Kalashnikova.

In 2015 at the Web & Tech Ready exhibition ITMO University presented a number of projects, such as Video360Production project, Rehabot, a special device for people who have suffered a stroke, ELS Two electric scooters, FabLab who participated in the main competition. Two of the projects are graduates of ITMO University’s Future Technologies Acccelerator. Future Technologies is a means for developing entrepreneurial potential of students and graduates at ITMO University. Besides Future Technologies, there are two other ITMO accelerators SumIT and iDealMachine. ITMO University also regularly holds themed start-up weekends and organises a variety of educational activities to help develop students business capabilities.

According to the Head of Project Management and Innovation Department at ITMO University, Nina Yanykina, entrepreneurship is a potential path of personal fulfilment for each student of the University.

"The University's objective is not only to teach, and give knowledge, but also to help discover their latent talents and powers. We need to spark their interest, inspire, support and help that talent to grow and mature. This is an important function of University Acceleration Programs and other development tools for entrepreneurship," she says.