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The past year in the Belarusian IT sector has become the largest in many years. Never before has the Belarusian "computer girl" paid so much attention. Senior officials, the president, foreign investors and well-known lawyers talked about the country's computer and startups. It seems that IT Belarus is actually viable – at least for a year, there were many reasons to believe it, and the arguments are really convincing. We remembered the major industry events over the last twelve months.
You know what decree
We signed Decree No. 8 on the development of the digital economy at the end of December 2017, but we only woke up in a country of information technologies that after close four months, March 28th. Recall briefly why the decree is so sensational and really necessary for the country.
The document simplifies the attractiveness of foreign investments and the relocation of foreigners to Belarusian IT companies, broadens the field of activity of companies eligible for the status of resident of the High Technology Park. The result – this year, the HTP has taken more businesses than in the past twelve years.
In addition, Belarussian law began in English law: options, guarantees and guarantees of obligations, obligations to pay for material losses and other items familiar to foreign investors (but not valid in our country) have gained weight in Belarussian legislation. This makes the country more attractive for foreign investment.
And, of course, blockchain, cryptocurrency and ICO. Prior to January 1, 2023, individuals had the opportunity to exploit, sell digital coins and play in any way possible to a crypto-investor / trader – it was not necessary to report such income (s). they exist). But there was a problem: cryptobirds, interchanges and ICO projects only in November had access to filing applications for HTP resident status.
The decree has already pbaded a reality test: when an agreement was reached between RocketData and the Russian-Belarussian venture capital fund (RBF Ventures), elements of UK law were used, which means that they have been useful and effective.
The government, including the president, sees great prospects in the sector. At least a month ago, the head of Belarus described as very specific the computer sphere important for the country's economy:
– The computer is one of the engines of the Belarusian economy. This year it will only bring in about $ 1.5 billion in exports, but that engine did not open yesterday when it became fashionable to talk about digitization. The driver is from 10-13 years old. We then discovered that it was the future. I have issued a decree and we have created this computer park. <…> When we created the HTP, [первое время] worked on a subcontract, created some products for foreign companies. We now want to create a product: it is much more expensive and we are already seeing the effect.
Meanwhile, the argument "again, all these computer scientists would have thought of ordinary people" is already losing its relevance: amendments are underway in the Civil Code. If all goes well, the institutions of English law will go beyond the HTP.
Investment
In the spring, an investment company appeared in Belarus (ie a company and not a fund, according to the founders) Bulba Ventures. In addition to its odd name, it is distinguished by several important features. First of all, it was founded by Belorussians Andrei Avsievich (Atlant-M, Triple) and Yuri Melnichek, who, a year earlier, had sold AIMATTER to Google, before developing the cartography service maps.me. Secondly, the company specifically targets startups under Belarussian jurisdiction. In addition, among the potential portfolio creation needs in Bulba Ventures, there is the move to our country.
The founders approach the selection of projects carefully. For the first year, a cooperation was planned with about five startups. In fact, that's what happened: OneSoil, WANNABY, RocketBody, See and FriendlyData. Almost all have already reached serious indicators (perhaps the others too, but until now they have been silent).
The OneSoil start-up works in the agriculture sector, WANNABY's WANNA NAILS project is dedicated to beauty, RocketBody is focused on healthy lifestyles, See regards the external image of one person. But FriendlyData is no longer a portfolio for Bulba Ventures. In October, the US computer giant, ServiceNow, bought a company to develop a natural language search interface for databases. Thus, already six months after the appearance of Bulba Ventures, the creation of its portfolio had a first exit. And obviously not the last.
Companies of Belarussian origin are also bought by foreign companies. Thus, EPAM has allocated $ 55.5 million to American Continuum, which works in the field of product design.
Foreign investors continue to invest in young Belarusian companies. For example, in the autumn, the Ukrainian Digital Future Fund invested in SplitMetrics an unnamed amount. It helps application developers to increase their sales by improving the project pages of the AppStore.
The Flo start-up in Series A raised $ 12 million, then $ 900,000 invested in the app. The application is evolving at a fantastic rate: more than 22 million users (developers target 100 million), the number of downloads has long exceeded the 50 million. only in 2015.
In general, it is difficult to list all the investments in young Belarusian companies this year – too many. As a starting point: Banuba has raised $ 7 million, Storyline has written $ 770,000, invested $ 500,000 in RocketData – and this is not a complete list.
IT Community
In Minsk, more and more conferences, competitions and other computer events have started to take place. At least once a week during the year, at least something was there. In conferences, first select EMERGE. One of the most important events of the year has brought together IT professionals and investors from Europe and the United States. The organizers also organized a start-up contest. And there was Natalya Vodyanova with the charity start-up Elbi. By the way, the second conference has already been announced. It will be held in the "capital of the new east" (that is Minsk, if that is the case) on May 31 – June 1 of next year.
EMERGE's general partner was Onliner, and this is not our only activity in the IT community. We organized the second PHP Onliner Meetup and will soon announce something very interesting.
Sometimes the National Library collects not only paper book lovers and their rare publications, but also computer scientists. Jamie Nigri (BDXCoin, formerly Head of Business Development at Wargaming), former co-founder of Rovio (developer of Angry Birds), Peter Westerbaka, and well-known Belarusian computer scientists also took the floor.
In addition, there was the next DevGAMM and BelBiz Battle, the founder of Product Hunt came to Minsk. There have also been countless battles of startups, hakatons and mitaps.
How to see the country IT now
We get used to technoshtuk so quickly that we stop paying attention to them, and then we complain that nothing is changing in the country. Let's say that the payment of the trip by subway with a credit card (a Visa or MasterCard contactless card is necessary) or a clock / smartphone with NFC has become a procedure so convenient and natural that you do not understand how a year ago, I went from one foot to the other as a token. And a mystery that makes people do it again. We are waiting for the same land transport system.
This year we have a mini-badog Amazon Go – a network of stores in which the service and payment are fully automated. The item ZOOQI X with pet supplies works without personnel: the entrance to the store, payment and exit go through a smartphone app with a credit card attached. Until now, it is a test balloon, but the bottom line is that the owners have managed to open such a store. And then follow the rest of the contractors.
Iron Accelerator EnCata has opened the Make IT hacks space, in which many processes are also automated. Users spend their national currency and turn on the machines (after pbading the training and pbading the test) through the bracelet. The company has gathered in the bunker many serious equipment that will be useful to start-ups "iron and steel" for the creation of their prototypes.
The emergence of the 5G area is another important event. Yes, although small and trial, but it is still the case and it is already very well The base stations per device give a speed higher than 1 Gb / s. These features will be useful in the era of the Internet of Things: beCloud indicates that the network will form the basis of the development of the digital economy infrastructure in Belarus.
Last year, the term "computer country" was perceived with irony, rather with curiosity and expectation of something unbelievable. The time has come for new stories about the "exit", the mbadive support of the HTP and, ultimately, the tangible impact of the information technology industry on the economy. At least, a lot has been done for that.
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