Closing ceremony of the Kazan Forum of Young Entrepreneurs of OIC Countries
Closing ceremony of the Kazan Forum of Young Entrepreneurs of OIC Countries
Organizers: Tatarstan’s Youth Ministry, the Eurasian Regional Center of the Islamic Cooperation Youth Forum (ICYF – ERC), SELET, RE'ACTOR Art Residence, Academy of Youth Diplomacy
Venue: Russia’s Kazan, Kazan Expo International Exhibition Center
Time: 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. local time (11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. GMT) on May 17
The closing ceremony was attended by Mordovia Youth Minister Anastasia Grishina, Commissioner for Entrepreneurship Development of the City of Kazan Mikhail Kuznetsov, Assistant to the head of the Republic of Tatarstan and Chairman of the Council of the "Movement of the First" Russian Children’s and Youth Movement’s regional branch Timur Suleymanov, Tatarstan Culture Minister Irada Ayupova, Tatarstan Youth Minister Rinat Sadykov, Deputy Head of Russia’s Federal Agency for Youth Affairs Damir Fattakhov, Director General of the Eurasian Office of the Youth Forum of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (ICYF-ERC, Azerbaijan) Rafig Ismayilov.
The OIC Young Entrepreneurs Forum is a unique platform to support startups from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries seeking to develop cooperation with companies from Russia and the Republic of Tatarstan.
The Forum has been held annually since 2014, attracting hundreds of startups, investors and experts from OIC countries and Russia. From 2015 to 2024, more than 1,000 representatives from 55 countries participated in the Forum, and the number of investments attracted amounted to more than two million dollars. Speakers and experts are startup founders, venture capitalists and CEOs of leading technology companies in Russia and around the world.
On May 14-18, 2024 in Kazan (Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan), as part of the 15th International Economic Forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum 2024," the 10th Kazan Forum of Young Entrepreneurs of OIC Countries countries was held. The main topic of the 2024 Forumwas "Creative Industries." The Forum was attended by the finalist start-ups in the following areas: contemporary art, media, folk art, sustainable development and tourism.
In 2024, more than 150 startups from 45 countries participated in the Forum's application campaign, and 30 young entrepreneurs were selected for participation by the Forum's experts.
The geography of participants in 2024 covers 17 countries: the finalists were business representatives from Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Senegal, Pakistan, Algeria, Egypt, Palestine, Iran, Indonesia, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Indonesia and Russia.
Experts of the forum and speakers of the panel sessions "Promoting national and traditional culture via creative entrepreneurship" and "How does artificial intelligence (AI) influence the development of creative industries?" were business leaders of the Republic of Tatarstan, as well as representatives of ministries, business accelerators and large companies from such countries as Azerbaijan, Oman, Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Russia.
The participants presented to the jury projects of the Center for the Development of Creative Industries on the basis of TsUM (Central Universal Department Store), a project to support young start-ups, a project to create an international youth center, a project to organize the interaction of creative businesses with the government of countries and large organizations.
"The development of creative industries is an eternal topic of discussion, how to make a unique creative product, how to monetize it, how to scale it, whether it needs to scale at all, whether it will not lose its uniqueness. It attracts tourists in a very serious way, including the opportunity to show this or that region its uniqueness, its traditions and culture. Especially wonderful is the idea of a youth center in Kazan, which has been implemented for several years. And Kazan is absolutely, rightly becoming such a tourist Mecca, especially for the younger generation, for the countries of Islamic cooperation, of course, there is no limit to perfection. I want your children to know about Kazan," Deputy Head of Russia’s Federal Agency for Youth Affairs Damir Fattakhov said.
Director General of the Eurasian Office of the Youth Forum of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (ICYF-ERC, Azerbaijan) Rafig Ismayilov emphasized: "The Kazan Forum has become an effective platform for promoting entrepreneurial initiatives. Tatarstan is now at the forefront of the Russian Federation in promoting start-ups, and it may not even be an exaggeration to say that in this sense it is a kind of gateway of the OIC countries to the world."
The 15th International Economic Forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum 2024" is being held on May 14-19 in Kazan. This year's keynote is "Trust and Cooperation." The main goal of the forum is to strengthen trade and economic, scientific and technical, social and cultural ties between Russian regions and the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as well as to promote the development of the Islamic financial system institutions in Russia.
Venue: Russia’s Kazan, Kazan Expo International Exhibition Center
Time: 2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. local time (11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. GMT) on May 17
The closing ceremony was attended by Mordovia Youth Minister Anastasia Grishina, Commissioner for Entrepreneurship Development of the City of Kazan Mikhail Kuznetsov, Assistant to the head of the Republic of Tatarstan and Chairman of the Council of the "Movement of the First" Russian Children’s and Youth Movement’s regional branch Timur Suleymanov, Tatarstan Culture Minister Irada Ayupova, Tatarstan Youth Minister Rinat Sadykov, Deputy Head of Russia’s Federal Agency for Youth Affairs Damir Fattakhov, Director General of the Eurasian Office of the Youth Forum of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (ICYF-ERC, Azerbaijan) Rafig Ismayilov.
The OIC Young Entrepreneurs Forum is a unique platform to support startups from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) countries seeking to develop cooperation with companies from Russia and the Republic of Tatarstan.
The Forum has been held annually since 2014, attracting hundreds of startups, investors and experts from OIC countries and Russia. From 2015 to 2024, more than 1,000 representatives from 55 countries participated in the Forum, and the number of investments attracted amounted to more than two million dollars. Speakers and experts are startup founders, venture capitalists and CEOs of leading technology companies in Russia and around the world.
On May 14-18, 2024 in Kazan (Russia’s Republic of Tatarstan), as part of the 15th International Economic Forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum 2024," the 10th Kazan Forum of Young Entrepreneurs of OIC Countries countries was held. The main topic of the 2024 Forumwas "Creative Industries." The Forum was attended by the finalist start-ups in the following areas: contemporary art, media, folk art, sustainable development and tourism.
In 2024, more than 150 startups from 45 countries participated in the Forum's application campaign, and 30 young entrepreneurs were selected for participation by the Forum's experts.
The geography of participants in 2024 covers 17 countries: the finalists were business representatives from Kazakhstan, Nigeria, Senegal, Pakistan, Algeria, Egypt, Palestine, Iran, Indonesia, Lebanon, Kyrgyzstan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Indonesia and Russia.
Experts of the forum and speakers of the panel sessions "Promoting national and traditional culture via creative entrepreneurship" and "How does artificial intelligence (AI) influence the development of creative industries?" were business leaders of the Republic of Tatarstan, as well as representatives of ministries, business accelerators and large companies from such countries as Azerbaijan, Oman, Pakistan, Iran, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Russia.
The participants presented to the jury projects of the Center for the Development of Creative Industries on the basis of TsUM (Central Universal Department Store), a project to support young start-ups, a project to create an international youth center, a project to organize the interaction of creative businesses with the government of countries and large organizations.
"The development of creative industries is an eternal topic of discussion, how to make a unique creative product, how to monetize it, how to scale it, whether it needs to scale at all, whether it will not lose its uniqueness. It attracts tourists in a very serious way, including the opportunity to show this or that region its uniqueness, its traditions and culture. Especially wonderful is the idea of a youth center in Kazan, which has been implemented for several years. And Kazan is absolutely, rightly becoming such a tourist Mecca, especially for the younger generation, for the countries of Islamic cooperation, of course, there is no limit to perfection. I want your children to know about Kazan," Deputy Head of Russia’s Federal Agency for Youth Affairs Damir Fattakhov said.
Director General of the Eurasian Office of the Youth Forum of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (ICYF-ERC, Azerbaijan) Rafig Ismayilov emphasized: "The Kazan Forum has become an effective platform for promoting entrepreneurial initiatives. Tatarstan is now at the forefront of the Russian Federation in promoting start-ups, and it may not even be an exaggeration to say that in this sense it is a kind of gateway of the OIC countries to the world."
The 15th International Economic Forum "Russia - Islamic World: KazanForum 2024" is being held on May 14-19 in Kazan. This year's keynote is "Trust and Cooperation." The main goal of the forum is to strengthen trade and economic, scientific and technical, social and cultural ties between Russian regions and the countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), as well as to promote the development of the Islamic financial system institutions in Russia.
