‘Making Useful Acquaintances Quickly and Easily’
From the very beginning of their university years, HSE students start to develop their own start-up ideas. As a result, three graduates of the bachelor’s programme in Software Engineering of the HSE Faculty of Computer Science—Andrey Losyukov, Timofey Valov, and Alexander Kulakov—created the HiBye platform for networking at events. The students presented their project and discussed their start-up with the HSE News Service.
Timofey Valov
— Our project is intended for smart networking at events on Telegram. People log into the app, fill out a survey, and attend various types of meetings. Artificial intelligence selects people for quick meetings based on data collected about each participant. It is also possible to add an event’s schedule and run prize draws. The goal is to help users quickly and easily find relevant, interesting, and useful acquaintances.
We have successfully developed our application and are now actively selling it to event organisers. Our portfolio includes notable events, with more than 1,000 registrations and over 500 meetings. In addition, we have received a ‘Student Start-up’ grant from the Innovation and Science Promotion Foundation and a certificate from the Academy of Innovators. We were also winners in the Summer School on Entrepreneurship at the HSE Faculty of Computer Science.
I am a designer and frontend developer, working on all interfaces, posters, and presentations. However, since the team is small, I also act as a product owner: customers ask me about the app’s features and I develop new ideas. I also help with AI algorithms at a senior level.
This year, I graduated from the ‘Software Engineering’ programme. At HSE University, I enjoyed our open student community and the faculty’s support. Thanks to both, HiBye became a reality.
Andrey Losyukov
— Studying at the HSE Faculty of Computer Science can be challenging and tough, but it also helps you meet very enthusiastic people in the community with whom you really want to study and make friends.
Timofey, Alexander, and I came together with the idea that ‘we need to do something urgent, right now.’ For about six months we jumped from one idea to another, researching the market. We started by thinking about a service where anyone could instantly find someone nearby for lunch or coffee. As a result, we gradually developed a more specific application in EventTech.
We were about to close the project because we didn't know who our clients were or if they even existed. However, after two months of paused work, we suddenly got a grant, which reignited our enthusiasm and led to our admission to the Academy of Innovators to win another grant.
I work as a director and communicate with potential clients. Most of the operational tasks are also under my responsibility at the moment. We are currently selling the app and have already passed the first sales stage. We automate mailing, look for new contacts, and plan to reach a revenue of more than 1 million per month by the end of this year. We are also considering a venture to accelerate our scaling.
See also:
HSE Students Receive Grants for Launching Startups
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Applications Now Open for Winter HSE Startup Cup 2022
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First University Startup Fest Held at HSE St. Petersburg
On June 24 – 28, HSE University – St. Petersburg hosted the International University Startups & Spin-Offs Festival (HSE Fest), which brings together students from across the world to pitch their startups for a one-time chance to win grants that will help them take their projects to the next level.
International Teams to Compete at HSE SPb Startup Festival
On June 24-28, HSE University – St Petersburg will be hosting HSE Fest, an international festival featuring university startups. 22 teams from 10 countries, including the HSE SPb team, ‘Sphere’, will be competing for grants in support of tech startups.
‘Don’t Be Afraid to Try’: What You Can Learn at the HSE Business Incubator
The HSE Business Incubator works as a business accelerator, helping start-ups raise investment through a network of business angels, mentors and partners. The incubator is open not only to HSE students and graduates, but also for other startuppers. Below is some information on the programmes it offers, as well as about some common mistakes startuppers should try to avoid.
500 mln
rubles in investments were raised over the last year by startups that are part of the HSE Business Incubator. The head of the HSE Business Incubator, Mikhail Erman, reported this figure during the Tekhnoprom forum in Novosibirsk, Russia.
HSE to Help Develop Legislature to Boost Technology Entrepreneurship
Artem Kritsyn, Manager of regional programmes and projects at the HSE Business Incubator, now heads the Working Group to Involve Secondary and Higher School Students in Entrepreneurship. The Working Group was created in October 2017 by the Expert Council on the Development of Civil Education and Student Socialization under the State Duma Committee for Education and Science. The Working Group also includes Tatyana Stroganova, Head of the HSE Innovation and Enterprise Office.
International Accelerator Invests in HSE Student Project
Dolphin Blockchain Intelligence, a Russian startup that graduated from the second intake of the fintech startup accelerator HSE{Pro}Fintech, was evaluated by Startupbootcamp, an international accelerator in Amsterdam at EUR 6 million and was given both investment and consulting assistance.
Winners of Startup of the Year Competition Selected
On February 19, the award ceremony for the 2015 Startup of the Year competition was held at Moscow’s Digital October Centre. Nearly 300 applications were submitted for the competition from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. Twelve of the best projects made it to the finals in four main categories, as well as in a special category called ‘People’s Love.’ The winning teams included students and alumni of the Higher School of Economics.