This month saw the hosting of the Kazan Startup Week, a nine-day event dedicated to the five-year anniversary of the Kazan IT-Park, a business incubator for IT firms located in the innovation-friendly Republic of Tatarstan, around 800 km east of Moscow.
The highlight of the event was the DemoDay, which offered participating startups the chance to showcase their products to potential investors. As a result, the total amount of investment pledged to successful companies was $980,000.
The following startups clinched funds: ClassFit, an aggregator service for fitness clubs; RoadAR, an app designed for motorists to avoid fines; opteum, a digital service for taxi drivers and firms; WillDev, a tuition tool for programmer; ArbitRos, a debt resolution service; and techFit, an ERP service for sporting organizations.
The final day of the event also saw a coming together of Kazan IT-park startups, investors and the press as the head of the business incubator, Lenar Khalikov, offered to open a petition calling for President Vladimir Putin to form an official Startup Day in Russia.
