GROWTH EXPERIENCE week

GROWTH EXPERIENCE week, a unique international event dedicated to mentoring in entrepreneurship and youth entrepreneurship was held from the 1st till the 5th of December in Moscow and Rostov-on-Don.

IBLF Russia, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce of the Russian Federation and the Russian Ministry of Economic Development acted as co-organises, and the events in Rostov-on-Don were supported by the Government of Rostov Region, SvoeDelo Journal and the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs (Rosmolodezh).

Seven significant events took place during the week, including press conference at the Chamber of Industry and Commerce and two Forums, dozens of meetings and exchanges of ideas, visits to young entrepreneurs’ business sites. The week proved that mentoring can and must play an important role in development of small business as a whole and of youth entrepreneurship, in particular, and that Russian companies have gained valuable relevant experience that can be successfully implemented in Russian regions.

It started on the morning of the 1st of December with the press conference dedicated to the opening of the week of international events GROWTH EXPERIENCE.

Vladimir Strashko, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Natalia Larionova, Head of the Department of Small and Medium Business of the Ministry of Economic Development, Anna Palagina, Director of the Department of Business and Services at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Boris Tkachenko, Head of IBLF Russia, Hansraj Koppada, mentor with over 15-year experience in startups support (India) took part at the press conference.

The participants told about Russian and international experience in mentoring in entrepreneurship and focused on key issues and challenges facing mentoring in Russia, highlighted the role of various organisations in development of small and medium enterprises, including mentoring as an effective non-financial instrument of small business support. The participants of the press conference answered journalists’ questions.

Business discussion “Perfect Mentor for Budding Entrepreneur: International and Russian Practice” was held the same evening at API. It was a special session organized by IBLF Russia and the Club of Moscow Mentoring Support Programme for the Mentors Association of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO.

The speakers were Boris Tkachenko, Mikhail Khomich, Head of the Mentors Association of the Moscow School of Management SKOLKOVO and Hansraj Koppada, mentor from India as a special guest.

The pinnacle event of the week, International Forum Mentoring in Entrepreneurship took place on the 2nd of December at the premises of the Ministry of Economic Development.

The speakers at the Forum were:
Natalia Larionova, Head of the Department of Small and Medium Business of the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation,
Anna Palagina, Director, Department of Business and Services, Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation,
Boris Tkachenko, Head of IBLF Russia, Youth Business Russia (YBR) Programme Manager,
Amir Asor, founder of innovation youth enterprise (Israel),
Hansraj Koppada, chief mentor of BYST programme (India),
Roy Spit, Commercial Director, Qredits Microfinanciering (Netherlands),
Bat-Orshikh Erdenebat, Executive Director, Development Solutions NGO (Mongolia),
Ana Gessaghi, Coordinator for Mentoring, Fundacion Impulsar (Argentina),
Nancy Nemes, Mentor, Startup Direct,
Maarten Rooneij, COO, Youth Business International (YBI),
Konstantin Fokin, General Director, Moscow Innovation Development Centre,
Victor Sedov, President and Member of the Board of Directors, Center for Entrepreneurship, Member of the Youth Business Russia Advisory Council,
Irina Gorelova, Member of the Management Board of Voronezh Regional Non-Governmental Organization “Association of Entrepreneurs”, YBR Coordinator in Voronezh Region,
Svetlana Bazhenova, Director, Far-East Centre for Development of Social Initiatives and Partnerships NGO, YBR Coordinator in Primorsky Krai,
Elena Pilipenko, Vice-President, The Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Novosibirsk, YRB Coordinator in Novosibirsk Region Yuri Segal, entrepreneur, mentor, Voronezh Region,
Evgeny Tyrnov, startup, Voronezh Region,
Stanislav Kislov, entrepreneur, mentor, Kaluga Region,
Vladimir Lychagin, startup, Kaluga Region,
Alexey Brodetsky, Head of the Department for Industry, Entrepreneurship and Trade, Voronezh Region,
Svetlana Sokolova, Director of the Department for Investments and Entrepreneurship, Rostov Region,
Aljona Sokova, Venture Fund, Promsvyazbank

The participants talked about development trends of mentoring in Russia and compared Russian experience with foreign best practices. Mentoring is an acknowledged and effective non-financial instrument of small business support and it shall be widely promoted in Russia through both governmental and non-commercial organisations.

As the part of the Forum agenda, the winners of the “Mentoring in Entrepreneurship” prize were awarded, thus appraising the achievements of the best experts in mentoring and of the organisations that are actively promoting mentoring in the Regions.

Furthermore the awards were handed to Stanislav Kislov as the best mentor of the Youth Business Russia (YBR) programme as well as his mentee Vladimir Lychagin as the YBR best startup in 2013.

On the 3rd of December, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Club of Moscow Mentoring Support Programme took back the baton, and organised, together with IBLF Russia, the round table “International Practices of Mentoring in Entrepreneurship: the Role of the Chambers of Commerce and Industry” at the premises of the World Trade Centre.

How to facilitate youth entrepreneurship development? It is a mentor, successful and wise business professional, who can accelerate evolvement of an ambitious and dynamic entrepreneur starting own business. And yet, how to build up relationship between two ambitious and energetic generators of ideas? How to create continuity while respecting business interests? How to balance generation gap and turn the difference in business approaches into growth factor? – these were the issues, among many others, discussed by the participants at the meeting of the Club of Moscow Mentoring Support Programme “Effective Mentoring in Entrepreneurship: Key Success Factors”.

The speakers were: Anna Palagina, Director, Department of Business and Services, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nikolay Bulatov, Head of Moscow Mentoring Support Programme, Boris Tkachenko, Head of IBLF Russia, Youth Business Russia Programme Manager, Victor Glushkov, Deputy Head for Development, IBLF Russia, Amir Asor, Founder and CEO, Young Engineers (Israel), Nancy Nemes, Mentor, Startup Direct, Ana Gessaghi, National Coordinator for Mentoring, Fundacion Impulsar (Argentina), Roy Spit, Commercial Director, Qredits (Netherlands), Bat-Orshikh Erdenebat, Executive Director, Development Solutions NGO (Mongolia), Elena Pilipenko, Vice-President, The Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Novosibirsk, YRB Coordinator in Novosibirsk Region , Yuri Segal, entrepreneur, mentor, Voronezh Region, Irina Gorelova, Member of the Management Board of Voronezh Regional Non-Governmental Organization “Association of Entrepreneurs”, YBR Coordinator in Voronezh Region.

On the 4th of December, the focus of the week moved to the South of Russia: International Forum of Youth Entrepreneurship Leaders Svoe Delo took place in Rostov-on-Don.

The Forum included the plenary meeting “Development of youth entrepreneurship: international and Russian experience”, moderated by Mikhail Koltunov (the coordinator of the youth entrepreneurship programmes “You are an entrepreneur” and “Youth Business Russia” in Rostov region) and the panel discussion “The role of mentoring and training in youth entrepreneurship development”, moderated by Boris Tkachenko, both with participation of international experts, Vasily Vysokov (Dr. sc. Economics, Professor, Chairman of the Board of CENTER-INVEST Commercial Bank) and Irina Gorelova (Youth Business Russia Coordinator in Voronezh Region, Member of the Management Board of Voronezh Regional Non-Governmental Organization “Association of Entrepreneurs”).

The key topics of the agenda included youth entrepreneurship and effective supportive measures. The exhibition of existing youth enterprises was open in the lobby during the whole day of the Forum work and the Forum participants could meet young business leaders from the South of Russia and to ask questions.

Finally, Boris Tkachenko and Irina Gorelova carried out the seminar on mentoring in entrepreneurship.