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Business accelerators for corporations are both an investment tool and the ability to remain competitive. Participants in the discussion “In Acceleration We Trust!” at the Open Innovations International Forum in the Skolkovo Technopark will tell how support for startups allows large companies to be modern and successful.

Acceleration programs allow to make communications between startups and corporations stronger and more reliable. Startups get an expert assessment from the company and access to its resources and technologies in a business accelerator. Corporations can observe projects in the early stages of their development and implement real innovations as soon as they appear.

Business accelerators select and develop projects to cater to the customer’s needs, which may go beyond the scope of its interests. Thus, Rosatom corporate accelerator based on the TVEL Fuel Company was created to develop a non-nuclear business. The goal of the joint program of Sberbank and 500 Startups is to search for promising startups in the non-financial field.

“By opening acceleration programs, large organizations themselves are moving closer to technology startups, helping them shorten the path to launching the project. Of course, for corporations this is a way to increase profits and optimize processes. But not just that. The creation of business accelerators is a signal for both young companies and market competitors: for example, corporations that monitor advanced technologies consider themselves 21st century businesses”, says Pekka Viljakainen, member of the Board of Directors of the Skolkovo Foundation.

Participants in the discussion will discuss how large companies make use of the advantages of startups, how they look for promising projects and what they do to create an innovative ecosystem. This session will be attended by: Imran Khan, Honorary Vice-President of the SAP Integration and Certification Center (SAP ICC), Agustín Moro Kanyada, Head of Strategic Partnership Department of Telefonica Open Innovation, Dmitry Gorbachev, Director for Business System Development of PAO Severstal, Igor Shiyanov, Head of Strategic Development Department of Russian Post, etc.