Conference organizer Start-Up Challenge has become the third company in a portfolio of the Infrafund of the Russian Venture Company (RVC), RVC reports.

The RVC Infrafund’s stake in the firm’s capital will reportedly total 40%.

The project Start-Up Challenge is aimed at providing services on packaging and target promotion of innovation companies and products internationally. Start-Up Challenge offers a new format of presenting start-up projects to potential business partners. The project’s main goals include search, selection, expertise, quality and quantity growth of innovation projects in such fields as energy efficiency, energy saving, ecology, clean technologies, alternative energy sources and biotechnologies. It also attracts investors, develops and realizes regional, federal and international innovation programs in energy efficiency and energy saving, and helps generate new investment projects that could compete for support from private investors and state corporations.

Since its launch this form of dialogue between project owners and investors has fully met expectations. Attendees at conferences have been representatives of large businesses, venture funds, business incubators and governments. Some of the projects presented at the conferences have raised investment.

The project team intends to use investment of the RVC Infrafund to expand the project in the Russian regions and abroad. Under its regional network expansion program the company will develop infrastructure for innovation regional projects, prepare projects for investment, raise investment, present projects to large companies (innovation consumers). RVC Infrafund’s investment will also give Russian start-ups an opportunity to present their projects to international investment community.