Technology company leaders from ten regions complete the SME Corporation and HSE GSB scale-up program

The first joint special education program by the SME Corporation and the HSE Graduate School of Business for leaders of small technology companies (STCs) has come to a close. A total of 25 owners and directors of IT, chemical industry, engineering, and agriculture enterprises from 10 regions of Russia completed the program. The combined revenue of the participating companies exceeds 12 billion rubles.

Dan Medovnikov

Academic Director of the Program, Director of the Institute for Innovation Management, HSE Graduate School of Business

Russia has begun adopting support tools for mature, fast-growing small technology companies. The importance of this business segment for economic growth and technological sovereignty has been proven by numerous studies, including our own. However, compared to Europe and Asia — and particularly China — we are still at the beginning of this journey. The joint scale-up program by the HSE GSB and the SME Corporation for fast-growing STCs is an important step toward expanding these support mechanisms.

The program "Rapid Growth Through Innovation: A Scale-Up Program for Future Champions" was designed specifically for leaders of mature STCs. It includes six thematic modules during which participants, guided by coaches and experts, work on strategies for scaling up their businesses.

"One of the program’s goals is to ensure that, upon completion, participants are able to identify and seize additional growth opportunities for their companies," said Alexander Isaevich, CEO of the SME Corporation. "The scale-up program attracted leaders of companies with revenues ranging from 90 million to 1.6 billion rubles. Once a company achieves the status of a mature technology enterprise, the challenge of further scaling becomes quite complex. Therefore, the course allowed participants to enhance their competencies in areas such as launching new products and technologies to market, building production partnerships, expanding manufacturing operations, and attracting resources from strategic investors."

Alexander Isaevich also emphasized that a separate section of the program was dedicated to tools for supporting small technology companies. One of the key tools highlighted was the concessional lending program for STCs, implemented by the SME Corporation and the Russian Ministry of Economic Development. Under this program, companies can access loans at a rate of "key rate minus 7%." Eligible applicants include STCs with annual revenues between 100 million and 4 billion rubles and a two-year revenue growth rate (CAGR) of at least 10%. Applications can be submitted via the MSP.RF digital platform.

The program brought together company owners and executives from Moscow and the Moscow region, St. Petersburg, Ivanovo region, Tatarstan, Kemerovo region, the Republic of Bashkortostan, Sverdlovsk region, and Chelyabinsk region.

The SME Corporation and the HSE Graduate School of Business launched the "Rapid Growth Through Innovation: A Scale-Up Program for Future Champions" in August 2024. Upon completing the program, graduates are awarded the qualification of "Manager" and receive a state-recognized diploma of professional retraining.