• Ph.D. in Economics
• Director of the program designed for teachers and managers of Russian high-tech companies
• Member of the Advisory Team of Innovation Synergy Centre in Markham
• Managerial experience in a number of startup and early stage high-tech companies  
• Invited speakers in a number of international forums and conferences
• Author and co-author of 8 books and more than 100 articles.

Target Audiences:

• Senior Managers responsible for incorporation of technological innovations into existing business processes
• Managers of knowledge-based companies
• Managers of incubators, techno parks and startup companies
• Representatives of a venture capital industry
• Government officials responsible for supporting entrepreneurship and innovations

Basic Methodology

Learning by Thinking!

Learning by Doing!

Learning by Implementing!

Time Frame and General Structure of the Basic Program

• 6 days within a week; 8 hours of sessions per day; totally – 48 hours of learning sessions
• The first 5 days: 4 hours of lectures and 4 hours of Personal Training Sessions (Training and Consulting within small groups of attendants) and site visits
• The 6^th day: final participants’ presentations and a round table (Q&A session and evaluation) 

Possible Options

• A two day seminar (the first half of each day lecture and afternoon – PTS)
• A six week program with the following components:

            - initial module – 1 week

            - e-learning module (case study) – 4weeks

            - final module and presentation showing – 1 week

Personal Training Session (PTS): a combination of coaching, consulting and self-learning activities.

PTS’s goals:

• Better mastering of education material delivered within the lectures
• Gaining practical experience by implementing acquired knowledge for cases associated with real-life businesses
• Initiating participants’ creativity as well as thinking and cognitive activities

Presentation Session

• Main objectives: evaluation of results attained by participants and hence, a quality of teaching 
• Scenario:

    – Elevator pitches –project presentations accompanied by slide decks (10-15 minutes)

    – Brief comments and recommendations provided by a group of experts from high-tech and venture capital communities

Content Outline: Main Modules of the Program

• Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Innovations
• Creation of a New Firm
• Marketing of Innovations
• Leadership and Building Innovative Team
• Protecting Intellectual Property
• Financing of innovations and raising venture capital

Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Innovations: 

1. Introduction to Innovations:

• essence and main features of innovations
• major types of innovations
• technology-based innovations

2. Technology-Based Innovations in the Global Context

• innovations as an engine of the global economy
• the most powerful technological markets in the world
• main worldwide tendencies and challenges peculiar to modern knowledge-based economy

Creation of a New Firm: 

• Main preconditions: venture’s genesis
• Required competencies
• Legal aspects
• Leadership as an internal engine driving the company’s growth
• Thinking strategically: key to success
• Evolution: Intrinsic Logic
• Corporate governance?

Marketing of Innovations: Best International Practices 

• Marketing Strategy – key points:

-              Product Definition

-              Market Validation

-              Value Proposition

-              Business Model

-              Market Segmentation

-              Target Markets

-              Market Research: Objectives and Information Sources

o   Marketing of Innovations: Power of Partnership

-              Partnership: Why? When? How?

-              Complementary Value

-              Types of Partnerships

-              Negotiating Better Deals

• Licensing Technology: Essence and Options
• Non-Recurring Engineering Agreement

Leadership and Building Innovative Team 

• Project Management: Key Components
• Leadership: New Vision
• Innovative Thinking – Thinking Innovatively
• Selecting and Hiring Personnel
• Motivation: A Set of Incentive Tools
• Stock Option Programs: Facilitating Long-Term Stimulus and Loyalty

Protecting Intellectual Property 

• What is Intellectual Property?
• Why Does Intellectual Property Need to be protected?
• Patent and Patent Pending: Process and Outcome
• Patent Infringement: Legal Implications
• Non-Disclosure and Non-Competition Agreements

Financing of Innovations and Raising Venture Capital 

• Major Sources of Venture Capital
• Two main types of Capital Injections: Loan and Equity Financing
• Convertible Debentures: Flexible Financial Instrument
• Term Sheet: Investors’ Requirements
• Business Valuation: Methodologies and Challenges
• Due Diligence
• Identifying Return on Investments

The program framework and structure may be changed and reformatted depending upon requirements and features of a specific audience.

The program’s modules are to be provided by leading instructors and industry gurus from both Canada and Russia.