KAMA FLOW at Startup Village 2025

On May 29-30, the largest startup event, Startup Village, took place at the Skolkovo Innovation Center. The KAMA FLOW team traditionally participates in the business program, and we invite you to join us!

• KAMA FLOW partner Evgeny Borisov took part in the session "Money loves the brave. Where to find it in 2025?"

The speakers discussed the venture market situation, the challenges of raising funding for early-stage startups (Pre-Seed, Seed) against the backdrop of increased investments in mature companies.The focus was on: finding funding sources for early-stage projects, analyzing attractive stages and investment directions (AI, hardware, biotech), encouraging corporate financing for early stages, exploring unconventional funding sources, the prospects of global scaling for Russian tech companies, and investor priorities (reliability vs. breakthrough potential).

• Sergey Gayvoronsky, Investment Director at KAMA FLOW, participated in several key sessions:

The panel discussion "IPO vs Pre-IPO. Choosing a Market Entry Strategy." Participants discussed how companies should choose the optimal path for attracting investments — through IPO or Pre-IPO, covering key stages of preparation, timelines, risks, and financial aspects of each approach, along with practical advice from stock exchange representatives, investment bankers, and entrepreneurs who have already gone through this process. Special attention was given to the support measures from the Skolkovo Foundation, which can help tech companies go public amidst the growing IPO activity in Russia.

Session "Growth Capital. When Should Companies Go Public?". This discussion focused on the right timing for a company to go public, considering the company’s development stage, industry dynamics, and external economic conditions. Participants examined which tools — bonds, Pre-IPO, or IPO — are optimal for different types of companies. Real stories of tech companies going public, including examples from Russia, were presented. Experts discussed the common mistakes founders make in preparation for listing, investor expectations for candidates for the public market, and what processes within the company should be reorganized in advance. The session provided insights into what lies behind successful listings — from strategy and team decisions to market prerequisites and working with investors at each stage.

Pitch Session "IPO-PITCH. Pitching Projects Planning to Go Pre-IPO and IPO." Sergey Gayvoronsky was part of the expert panel and evaluated projects preparing to go public. Participants — companies in the active preparation stage for listing — had the opportunity to present their solutions and strategies to leading representatives of the investment community, development institutions, and tech corporations.

• Additionally, Mikhail Oganov, Investment Manager at KAMA FLOW, participated as an expert and member of the judging panel in the SK Gala Pitch, a large-scale pitch session for projects.