LETI students learned the skills necessary to launch a successful startup by taking part in workshops and business games, discussing business ideas, and visiting R&D labs as part of the International Startupper School.
LETI held a track “Hard and Soft Skills” of the LETI Interdisciplinary International Week. Its participants gained the skills necessary to build a successful career.
The International Startup School, dedicated to the basics of running a successful R&D business in any part of the world, opened the track. Nadezhda Pokrovskaya, Professor of the Innovation Management Department, held an introductory lecture on trends and principles of innovation management that work everywhere. Ilya Bogatyrev, a 4th-year student of INPROTECH, presented to the participants the “LETI Startups” acceleration program aimed at the implementation of student tech entrepreneurship initiatives.
“The expansion of the geography of the projects that participate in the accelerator certainly speaks to the interest of the youth audience in different regions and countries in entrepreneurship. And at the same time, it is a challenge for us, as each project is unique, and cross-cultural features will play an important role in the acceleration process. But we are ready to accept such a challenge and welcome international participants.”
Students visited the university’s laboratories. The first was the CDIO lab, aimed at students who want not only to learn from the lectures but also develop in connected fields, bringing ideas to life. It will soon open its doors in a new space with new opportunities. Participants were impressed by the anechoic chamber, where experimental research in electromagnetic compatibility and antenna measurements is conducted.
On the second day of the school, Ksenia Tikhankina, Assistant of the Department of Public Relations at LETI, spoke about how to hold an effective “elevator pitch.” The participants presented their ideas and projects and had them assessed by the expert.
The program continued with an excursion to the LETI Science Park. The students learned about research in sports and rehabilitation, exoskeleton testing, the development of drone control systems, and other capabilities of the Motion Capture and Simulation Systems laboratory. Andrey Aksenov, Associate Professor of the Department of Laser Measurement and Navigation Systems, and assistant Olesya Maltseva demonstrated the functionality of the laboratory equipment, which allows for obtaining reconstruction of various objects, as well as the human skeleton for analysis of the musculoskeletal system.
Afterward, the students visited a Youth Laboratory on Hyperspectral Technologies, which are used in high-precision methods of material diagnostics. LETI researchers adapted them for applications such as the restoration of archival documents, personal identification, and the study of archaeological finds.
Anastasia Vasilyeva, Assistant of the Department of Photonics and Junior Researcher of the Project Office, gave a tour of the Laboratory of Lasers in Microelectronics, which was opened not so long ago in the LETI Science Park. Now the laboratory has three laser units and an optical 3D scanner. This equipment allows research on the micromachining of photonics and microelectronics materials, processing various materials ranging from metals to certain types of organics, and high-precision welding of various thin-sheet metals and alloys.
The third day was devoted to business games on the techniques of the Process Factory, which opened at LETI in September 2022. Students practiced quality management and lean production tools in a game format. The participants simulated a specific situation at work – from selling equipment to receiving payment and issuing finished products – and, assuming, solved the problems that arose in the roles of office employees.
“This program was great because it introduced students to entrepreneurship and gave them the skills to build a startup. I learned lean management skills, how to present my ideas better, and how to communicate with other people. I think that this experience will come in handy when I graduate and want to start my own business. I enjoyed the excursions – I visited places I didn’t even know existed.”
Amir Hisham, a 1st-year master’s student of INPROTECH at LETI
Active participants of the International Startup School received certificates and an invitation to the LETI Startups Accelerator Program to apply new ideas and skills.
The “Hard and Soft Skills” track also included a workshop and testing of the “Digital Botanical Garden” application, created by VibeLab, the youth IT laboratory of LETI. The developers introduced participants to the principles of the creation and operation of intelligent quest platforms. They could download the application and test it in navigation and quest modes in the Botanical Garden.
