2023-06-16 15:36:05
Imaguru, the innovation center of Belarusian origin, took advantage of the Parisian innovation fair VivaTech to try to open offices in France. Since the political crisis in Belarus in 2020, Imaguru has become the first collective of European start-ups in exile. A complicated professional and personal situation for these entrepreneurs. Met.
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They believe in their “pitch” like so many other start-ups at VivaTech, the innovation fair which takes place in Paris until Saturday June 17. Alex Korotkov wants to encourage people to plant trees themselves through his company, Pineox, which analyzes everyone’s carbon footprint. Kirill Sokol promotes a start-up, Skinive, which uses artificial intelligence to provide skincare advice. Finally, Egor Dubrovsky developed a solution, Filmustagewhich should help the film and animation industry to optimize certain processes using AI.
These three entrepreneurs have one thing in common: they belong all to the Imaguru start-up network, which is the first pole of innovation in exile. They accompany Tania Marinich, the founder of this Belarusian initiative, who came to Paris during VivaTech to try to set up new offices in the French capital. For now, this structure created in 2013 in Minsk, has branches in Lithuania, Poland and Spain.
From tech pole to island of political resistance
These innovation hubs are generally organized to promote local start-ups and offer them offices and aid for their development. In Belarus, “Imaguru was the most influential structure for national entrepreneurs”, confirms Alex Korotkov, who had joined this structure before his departure for exile.
Everything changed during the 2020 crisis, when part of the population contested the re-election of President Alexander Lukashenko. Relations between the regime and the tech ecosystem then deteriorated sharply. Entrepreneurs took part in the giant demonstrations against the president, like Egor Dubrovsky. “I was arrested right after, and I remained in prison until a few days after the start of the war in Ukraine [le 24 février 2022]“, he says.
Imaguru then embodies a potential island of resistance in the eyes of the regime. En 2021, the premises of this emblematic structure for the Belarusian tech ecosystem are closed and its founder is harassed. “I was treated to several propaganda articles against me in the main newspapers of the country”, explains Tania Marinich.
Instead of disappearing, the leaders of Imaguru then choose exile. “Initially we joined Imaguru for technical reasons, and we stayed for political reasons”, summarizes Alex Korotkov.
This innovation center then acquired an additional dimension of “platform allowing entrepreneurs to express their grievance with regard to power”, assure the managers of Imaguru that France 24 was able to question.
The start-ups of Belarusian origin met during VivaTech maintain that the overwhelming majority of Belarusian entrepreneurs are opposed to Alexander Lukashenko. And not just for ideological reasons. “You have to understand that the regime is bad for business because it scares away investors,” they all say.
Solidarity with Ukraine
The war in Ukraine and the major Russian offensive that began in February 2022 further complicated the daily lives of these start-ups in exile. “Some of the employees and investors who supported me were in Ukraine and I could no longer reach them overnight,” notes Egor Dubovsky.
The Belarusian tech ecosystem has, in fact, experienced in recent years what Tania Marinich calls “the double uprooting”. Following the 2020 crisis, some of the engineers and, more generally, Belarusian tech talents took refuge in Ukraine for its geographical proximity and because “the economic environment was good there”, specifies Tania Marinich. After February 24, 2022, everything changed. Especially since the close ties that unite Alexander Lukashenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin have not had the best effect for entrepreneurs of Belarusian origin present in Ukraine.
Imaguru and most of the affiliated start-ups then chose their side to pose as a “peacemaker”. It was now “out of the question to have any contact with investors or even possible Russian partners”, underlines Alex Korotkov.
“It was important to support Ukraine, as well as a democratic Belarus because we are fighting for an important common value: democracy”, assures Tania Marinich who, in addition to her role within Imaguru, is also the head of Foreign Affairs of the Coordination Council, an opposition structure to the Lukashenko regime created in 2020.
Concretely, the “Imaguru Hub” has renamed itself into “Solidarity Hub” (solidarity hub) and has set up various initiatives to support Ukrainian entrepreneurs, such as the free provision of offices or financial support for start-ups. -up Ukrainians.
Offices in Paris?
Belarusian entrepreneurs have also acted on their side, such as Egor Dubrovsky who, shortly after the start of the war and his release from prison, decided to recruit nearly a dozen Ukrainian employees. A way for these start-up creators to demonstrate that tech can also serve as bridges to connect people separated by a deep crisis. “It is important for us to show our opposition to the war as best we can,” underline these entrepreneurs gathered at Viva Tech.
Between forced exile and the alignment of Belarusian power with aggressive Russian politics, these start-ups are also facing a form of identity crisis. Not always easy to claim its origins. “Why not say that we are Dutch?” asks Kirill Sokol, whose company Skinive has its headquarters in Amsterdam. Both Egor Dubrovsky and Alex Korotkov admit that when they pitch their project in front of investors, they present their start-up as “registered in the United States”.
It is not a question of denying one’s origins, but rather “to do as simple as possible”, assure these business leaders. Proof that these entrepreneurs in exile are far from having cut ties with Belarus, a recent survey of this community showed that “91% of them want to return to their country of origin”, underlines Tania Marinich.
While waiting for the conditions for a return to be met, Imaguru multiplies the “first times”. After becoming the first innovation hub in exile, this collective also hosted the first “unicorn” – that is to say a start-up valued at more than a billion dollars by investors – in exile: Pandadoc who had moved to Ukraine following the 2020 political crisis. To see if they can put some of their luggage in Paris.
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