Venture drawn to ecology

Of 23 years of labor hired Vadim Kulikov worked only three days - more precisely, three nights at the bakery, unloading trays with freshly baked bread. I tried to sell more green on the market Bauman. Luke had eaten the rest of your life, but a lot of money to earn first-year students did not succeed. It was then established himself in the thought that it is cheaper to make your own head, and as a commodity to offer their brains. And a year later, at age 19, Vadim Kulikov earned his first million. Ton. In childhood, many boys are wondering, "Why do planes fly?" Or "Why did not sink the ship?" But only a handful of youthful interest turned into a job. One of them - Vadim Kulikov, Honored Inventor of Russia, winner of over 20 patents in the U.S. and Russia, head of innovation. His father, a chemist and biologist by training, told his son about many works of great scientists, discoveries, stories that makes you wonder why this or that action takes place exactly as they did? The answer to the questions Vadim Kulikov began to look in the textbooks of physics for high school, enrolled in a circle parallel to the electronics. Thus, in the fifth grade Kulikov determined not only with passion but also with the choice of future profession. Teacher radiokruzhka was the main thing - to convince the student that he can do everything, continues to Kulikov. "I still do not understand how I, who was a sixth grade were given the task on which beat even the teachers? - He recalls. - Perhaps, the answers came in a dream, I just felt them - just as I feel now, will this or that idea of ​​economic benefit. By the way, this is a significant help for our team right now. " By eighth grade students had the usual high school for several publications in the central scientific and popular journals. "At this time I seriously studied physics and mathematics, - says Vadim Kulikov - avidly bought books and read them all the time something came up with and master." To capitalize on new textbooks and radio components, collected wild rose, which was given per kilogram of 2.5 rubles. Cobral ton, and was awarded a trip to the "Artek". So on a personal research library and a large number of electronic components, of which began to collect his first invention, in order to clearly see how it works in life. "For me, then and now, it was important not just invent something, but also to implement their ideas," - said Kulikov. After winning the Olympics in the ninth grade, MIPT, Vadim Kulikov was sure that this institution would become his refuge in the coming years, but because of poor eyesight did not pass a medical examination and entered the Moscow Higher Technical School im. Bauman at the Department of Energy Engineering. In the second year in 1989, came the first experience of the business. Together with two other students, Kulikov was invited to join the development of computer software for the company "Langepasneftegas." Automated system for distributing oil bushes, they created three months, cost 3 million rubles, similar to the U.S. - $ 5 million total was made seven installations, each of which developers receive 10%, ie 300 thousand rubles - increased stipend to those years was 105 rubles. The first machine was a student of the Soviet red Saab 900. However, the delay was very little: almost all the money spent on computers. "We got a personal computer classroom, a laboratory for energofakultete" Baumanki "- there were 386's and 486 processors, when at all - only the 86th! - Says Vadim Kulikov. - We were on the crest of a wave, then swept the country, and thanks to this technique and ideas to us, in fact, could foresee the future. " Head does not tear yourself away. Speaking of the nineties, Vadim Kulikov, adds the word "dashing", but only in a positive way. "It was the dawn of a small business, entrepreneurship just hovered in the air, there were no bandits, the complete absence of taxation, so the risk of being killed or becoming dependent on someone else was not, - he said. - We are, in essence, traded "brains" and the head is not tear yourself away. " Twenty-three years Vadim Kulikov invested in projects of their own. He now believes that it was a mistake. "I had to rank the projects, because the number of successes and" death "was about the same, took a lot of effort, time, money, - he explains. - Understanding of how to properly evaluate the projects, to choose to work with them, did not come immediately. " One of the successful projects ninetieth - the electronic exchange - says Vadim Kulikov. In 1992-1993, his team has managed before the mass distribution of the Internet to create Russia's first electronic trading system, based on a modem connection. However, this project, although the impact has brought and will not start: it was purchased by "Telemarket," which then owners decided to make a stock-market pyramid. And here was founded in 1994, the company "A Showcase," which specializes in communications in the areas of sales, the creator has brought not only money but also reputation. The first customer of the light panel was Hitachi. "We came up with a special lighting system - and in January 1995, Hitachi equipment were sold as much as in December 1994, although we all know that in January, especially for sales of electronics, blank month, and even wrote the company opened on a product that he made in China. The effect was that due to the special lighting buyer to focus on the product and made a spontaneous purchase, and the seller could only count the profit. " Already in 1996, this development of "A Showcase" brought his first million. In 2000, the company has become the undisputed market leader for communications in the field of sales. In 2002, the project managed to attract the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. In total, the investment program of $ 12.4 million in 2007, investors and members of the project is fully recoup a substantial income. " Today, a group of companies "Showcase A" - an absolute market leader in marketing communications in the field of sales in Russia and the CIS, is a leader in the national market of BTL. Billion and the "three rubles." In 2005 came Innovation Centre. "We decided to open a back office for a preliminary analysis of the prospects of projects, because the seed stage is very important to understand what you want to achieve and in what way, with a command to start," - said Kulikov. Now in Russia there is no shortage of venture capital, but there is a problem with investproduktom at the entrance, he said. To venture investprodukt - is packed with the idea, defended in Russia and abroad, to study the possibility of commercial operation ideas, but the main thing - it's operating team, ready to implement a start-up. Just such a product and creating a business incubator "Center for Innovation Kulikova," who makes this service different stages of development projects or determines the fraction of the incubated companies. At later stages of the project is developing jointly with venture capital or venture capital buys stake center. "Moreover, we try not only to provide venture capital investment-friendly product, but also working on earning potential of its products by major Russian and foreign players, which is essentially hedge the risks of venture capitalists", - says Vadim Kulikov. "We are working very hard with venture capital funds: jointly determine the success of projects, sometimes it happens that our views on the success of a project more pessimistic, but to rely on the expertise offered by the venture capitalist - he continues. - We focus on the smart money - that is, it is important not just to invest in the project, and to back up these funds and technical support to yet. " In five years, the Center for Innovation examined about three hundred projects. We have 7 are in the seed stage. Among them are how the technology wave stabilization of pressure in the pipes, silver adsorption nanofilters, improving the efficiency of utilization of associated petroleum gas horizontal drilling technology branched wells, preparation of fuel emulsions and manufacturing small power plants. Another 20 projects selected for the launch, some of them are also considered seed fund MERs. But the main value of the work for Kulikova - more than thirty successful teams. "I fundamentally do not pronounce the word" project ", because for each project are people, and success depends on how they relate to him and to each other about what they dream, - says Vadim Kulikov, - He who comes to us with his idea, should understand that the success or failure of a project depend only on him. " All projects of the Centre have an environmental component. "In recent years a growing interest in quality of life, healthy lifestyles, food, air, transportation, environmental protection, all that gives us the opportunity to live a long life and high quality, but has accumulated a tremendous amount of problems and which are not addressed by previous generations, - says Vadim Kulikov, - for example, thousands of square kilometers, which is not something that can not grow anything, they are dangerous even when they're just, or underwater mounds with chemical weapons in the Baltic and North Seas - point of no return restore natural resources very close ". However, the "physical" past, too, does not give himself to forget. "The other day I met a scientist from Rostov-on-Don. He is engaged in quantum emitters and brought to Moscow the development in the field of communication, and this project will turn all representations about this industry, because until now we use technology a century ago - continues the story with enthusiasm director of the center. - It's time to move on to other methods of information transfer. 20 years, this technology will be the same norm of our life as it is today, for example, airplanes, and really want to make this project has received support from our help, the RVC. " But the main prerequisite - the scale of thinking. The team has even appeared Kulikova is a special term - "treshka Podolsk": when the question "What are you dreaming?" - A person responds, "About three-room apartment in Podolsk ..." - and not for himself but for his son or daughter, but in this case proves that his idea is worth a billion dollars. "Believe me, it is impossible that the idea was worth a billion and a top goal in life was estimated at several tens of thousands of such people is very difficult to work, and we are not satisfied with the condition - says Vadim Kulikov. - In some cases we can even change the basic idea of ​​the project, but the man command, alas, change is much more complicated. " Material provided by the Russian Venture Company