Experts select start-up projects to participate in the next stage of the SPbU Start-up — 2025 contest
The members of the Expert Council, which included leading University experts in various fields, investors, business representatives and government authorities, have analysed the questionnaires of the contestants and selected 28 of the most promising projects to participate in the next stage.
Among the selected start-up projects are an artificial intelligence-based space debris recognition system, an ethical AI assistant for students, a universal tool for detecting anomalies in network traffic, a smart greenhouse, and a remote data collection system. Students will also work on creating an alkali and alkaline earth binding agents based on low-basic technogenic raw materials, searching for a genomic approach to produce high-quality beef, and other projects.
The full list is available on the website of the contest.
Reviewing the questionnaires, the representatives of the Expert Council assessed the novelty, originality and creativity of the ideas, the prospects for commercialisation, and the availability of a scientific and technical basis, a business model and a development plan for the project. Aleksandr Sergeev, Director of the Business Incubator at St Petersburg University, shared that he was most interested in projects in the fields of geological and marine research, and the creation of technologies for processing minerals. According to the expert, this year young entrepreneurs have proposed a wide variety of ideas, from applications to improve the quality of healthcare services to IT developments. In total, during the selection process, the Expert Council reviewed 116 applications. The most popular thematic areas of the competition this year were artificial intelligence, digital technologies, as well as medicine, and healthcare technologies.
The Expert Council of the SPbU Start-up — 2025 contest includes Elena Mishutina, Executive Director of the Endowment Fund "Development of St Petersburg University"; Anastasia Yarmosh, Acting Senior Vice-Rector for Strategic Development and Partnership of St Petersburg University; Professor Sergey Aplonov, Director of the Arctic Research Centre at St Petersburg University; and Aleksandr Sergeev, Director of the Business Incubator at St Petersburg University. Among those involved are Nikolai Konstantinov, Special Representative of the Governor of St Petersburg; Igor Redega, Director of the autonomous non-commercial organisation for international university cooperation ‘Ritsa’; Arsenii Tyncherov, Head of the Department for Work with Government Authorities and Public Organisations, Senior Vice President of VTB Bank; and Artem Fetisov, Founder and Head of the Digital Solutions IT company, Consultant at the Entrepreneurship Development and Support Centre.
The Expert Council includes Nikolai Konstantinov, Special Representative of the Governor of St Petersburg. He noted that he has been interested in the topic of student entrepreneurship for many years. "I believe that this is, firstly, the stimulus to progress itself, and secondly, the best possible training," Nikolai Konstantinov emphasised.
A person who has not wasted their years of study, but has endeavoured in the implementation of a project, worked in a team, and seen the results, leaves the university as a ready-made entrepreneur. This is a special class of society, necessary for both the country and, of course, the city.
Nikolai Konstantinov, Special Representative of the Governor of St Petersburg
The SPbU Start-up — 2025 contest is aimed at the large-scale involvement of talented youth in the fields of scientific research, development, and technological entrepreneurship, and, thanks to this, at solving the most important tasks of modern society. In this regard, as Igor Redega, Director of the autonomous non-commercial organisation for international university cooperation "Ritsa" noted, the Expert Council examines projects from the perspective of technological challenges and tasks set by the government, paying attention not only to the potential for creating innovations but also to their implementation in the economy.
As a result of the meeting, the experts prepared individual recommendations for the teams in order to develop their projects into full-fledged start-ups. Experts from prominent Russian state corporations such as Roscosmos will be involved in reviewing some of the developments. Individual projects with a particular social orientation have been redirected for consideration to the relevant University structures to assess the prospects for their implementation at St Petersburg University.
Young entrepreneurs who continue to work on start-up projects within the framework of the competition will receive qualified tutor support to prepare for the pitch session prior to the start of the next stage on 16 February 2025. In addition, following the results of the semi-finals, for the first time in the history of the competition, an accelerator will be organised for the contestants based at the Business Incubator of St Petersburg University, where they will be able to finalise their projects and consult with a personal mentor.