Transnovatsia, a Russian IT developer based in Kazan, the innovation-friendly capital of Tatarstan, some 800 km east of Moscow, has begun its Latin American expansion. The start-up has received a $40,000 grant from Startup Chile’s accelerator program and is putting together a pilot project in Santiago, reported the Skolkovo Foundation and Russian tech blog Firrma.
“The Latin American market appears very interesting to us with its profuse populations and lively road traffic. We can find applications for our solutions here,” Transnovatsia co-founder Ruslan Naumov was quoted as saying.
In addition to financial support, Startup Chile will help the Russian company get its project off the Chilean ground.
Launched in 2012, Transnovatsia has developed a cloud-based technology to analyze transport logistics flows and improve passenger and freight transportation.
Argentina and Cuba also open to Russian startups
Launched in 2010, the Startup Chile program aims to attract seed-stage companies with the potential to expand and successfully develop in the Latin American and wider global markets.
Among the other Russian startups having received support from Startup Chile recently are Smart Progress, an online community where people help each other achieve their goals, Real Speaker, which has developed an audio speech recognition technology, and TalkToChef, a service that will set up a live video chat with a chef to answer your cooking questions. TalkToChef, which was founded by a Russian émigré in the Valley, has also participated in several San Francisco accelerators.
Another potential entry point for Russian tech companies interested in the Latin American market is Cuba. Last month top executives from Skolkovo, the international tech hub under completion on the outskirts of Moscow, attended an international workshop on nanotech sciences and nanotechnology in Havana, Cuba.
According to these executives, hundreds of Russian innovative companies are considering entering the Latin American market, primarily the Cuban market. Cuba potentially needs technologies in each of the five fields covered by Skolkovo — namely spatial, nuclear, biomedical, energy and IT technologies, they explained.
Skolkovo is also trying to fortify ties with Argentina. At a Moscow forum earlier this year, Skolkovo startups were matched with Argentinian companies looking for high-tech products and services in IT, energy efficiency and biomedical technology.
