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Hardware Congress 3.0: how it was, part 3. Analysis of the presentations of the Investments and the Future Section

We are analyzing the last section of Hardware Congress 3.0 - a large conference for heads of companies in the electronics industry, which was held on November 2 in Minsk.

In previous publications, we analyzed presentations on the industry development strategy and business cases of hardware companies. Today we are sharing with you the materials of the last two reports about the investments and the future:

1. Global trends in hi-tech and opportunities for Belarus, a view from Chinese investors


Speaker - Oleg Andreev - Vice President of the SINO-BLR Industrial Investment Fund, which finances projects in the Great Stone Industrial Park. The fund has a capital of USD 585 million and is managed by the Chinese investment company China Merchants Capital. The top-priority areas of the fund are projects in the field of artificial intelligence, lasers and optics, robotics, autonomous vehicles, biomedical technologies.

Oleg Andreev shared in his speech world and Belarusian investment statistics, and also spoke about the strategic plan "Made in China 2025", which directly affects the top-priority areas of Chinese investments:


The main conclusions of the presentation:

Where are Chinese VCs investing?

• Priority - high-tech areas from the Made in China 2025 Program.

• Investments go to leaders with breakthrough solutions in the relevant directions.

• The company (product / technology / team) must have a perspective on the Chinese market.

• The company (product / technology / team) must have growth potential on a global scale.

What should Belarusian companies do?

• Build competencies and improve existing advanced technologies (Made in China 2025).

• Improve the quality of corporate management, with an emphasis on financial management and reporting.

• Actively build up international presence, internationalize business and team.

• Actively lobby for their interests through the creation of associations, industry unions, etc.

2. How to grow a billion-dollar hi-tech business, necessary components of success: experience of Da Vinci Capital



Speaker - Arthur Valiullin - Managing Director of Da Vinci Capital, an international private equity fund that focuses on fast-growing companies in Central and Eastern Europe.

The key question of the presentation: why some companies become billion-dollar businesses, while others remain at the level of small and medium-sized ones? Arthur went through the steps of the success of well-known companies and showed the Hardware Unicorns card (private startups worth over $ 1 billion):



The main conclusions of Arthur's presentation:

What is it advisable NOT to do for Belarusian companies:

• Fear that the idea will be stolen.

• Be afraid to attract an investor, go through acceleration, etc.

• Develop global sales from a local office only.

• Rely only on organic growth and fear M&A.

• Disregard international corporate governance practices.

• Hopes that the investor / partner will solve all the issues, and you will only deal with R&D.