On 29 and 30 October, Saint Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering hosted the first selection round for startup project concepts as part of the "Startup as a Diploma" program. Over the course of two days, students presented their developments in construction, engineering technologies, digitalization, and business to a panel of experts. This year, participants also had the opportunity to seek investment support for their projects.
Eighteen concepts were presented for evaluation. Among them were LoadSoil—a program for geotechnical calculations—a digital platform to support the purchase and interior finishing of residential properties under construction, software solutions incorporating artificial intelligence for the construction industry, as well as developments in water management and environmental technologies.
Each participant was allotted three minutes to present their idea and five minutes to answer questions from the experts. The evaluation took into account the project's feasibility and the soundness of its business model. Consequently, students had to demonstrate not only the technical potential of their development but also an understanding of how it could be applied in practice.
The expert commission included: Viktoria Vinogradova, SPbGASU Vice-Rector for Continuing Education; Inna Sukhanova, Director of the Educational Center for Project-Based Learning (ECPL); Olga Nagaychuk, a specialist at the ECPL; Viktor Dereshuk, General Director of Startup Studio GUAP LLC; Timur Ablyazov, Associate Professor at the SPbGASU Department of Construction Economics and Housing & Utility Infrastructure; Andrey Kornyushin, General Director of Kodak LLC; and Anastasia Dokukina, a lead specialist for student and youth engagement at Glavstroy-SPb LLC.
In addition to the selection of student projects, the first day of the event featured the signing of a cooperation agreement between SPbGASU and the startup studio of the Saint Petersburg State University of Aerospace Instrumentation (SUAI). The agreement is aimed at fostering technological entrepreneurship and expanding support for student initiatives. Viktoria Vinogradova emphasized that the expertise of colleagues from SUAI—who are assisting our university in developing this area—would serve as a foundation for future collaboration. "To be perfectly honest, startups are not our university’s strongest suit. Nevertheless, we intend to strive for innovation, as much as is possible within such a highly conservative industry. I am hopeful that the signing of this agreement and the development of a dedicated infrastructure for students will help us in this endeavor," she noted.
Viktor Dereshuk expressed confidence that this collaboration would allow for the continuation of work begun within the framework of acceleration programs, and would assist student teams in developing their projects and securing their first investments.
The signing of the agreement marks the next step in the development of the "Startup as a Diploma" program at SPbGASU. Through this collaboration with SUAI, students will gain additional support for developing their projects, while promising ventures will have the opportunity for further advancement and the attraction of investment.
Out of 18 submitted projects, 16 teams have been successfully selected to advance to the second selection stage, which will take place on 26 and 27 November. The participants have an intensive period of work ahead, collaborating with mentors, industry experts, and specialists from the SUAI Startup Studio. The teams will refine their hypotheses, develop their business models, and prepare minimum viable products for their final defense as part of the "Startup as a Diploma" program.
