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3 June 2025
In April-May 2025, the team of the CIS Regional Office of the International Telecommunication Union held a series of educational meetings, including inviting representatives of the startup industry in Belarus, for the Gomel State Technical University (GSTU) and for the Gomel State University (GSU).
University students learned what business models are most common among startups, how to create a minimum viable version of the product (MVP), conduct CustDev, and make themselves known in the media space; In addition, they learned what path needs to be taken to bring a startup in the field of artificial intelligence (AI) to the market and which accelerators in Belarus can help with this.
ITU consultants – project manager Anastasia Lagutik, analyst Maxim Buryanov and PR and media communication specialist Yulia Strelets – participated in the series of startup events of Gomel State Technical University ERA GSTU and the university business forum Startup Space Forum, as well as in the educational startup program of Gomel State University.
The ERA GSTU program included an educational part and a startup competition in the following areas: electronics and smart energy; robotics, automation, including information technology.
At this program, ITU experts conducted the following trainings in online and offline formats: a meetup with Alexander Bogush, product manager at EPAM, on the topic of creating an MVP, developing a startup product and testing hypotheses; trainings on creating a business model, conducting audience research (CustDev) and working with media.
At the end of the startup program, ITU invited the founder of the startup Utlic.Co, an expert in the implementation of artificial intelligence and the founder of the AI community M.AI. N by Dmytro Utlik, who told how to build a startup in the field of AI technologies. Denis Savitsky, CEO of the Belarusian startup accelerator Zborka labs, told students why accelerators and incubators for startups are needed, and also shared the main approaches of Zborka labs in working with startups.
The founder of the startup Utlic.Co Dmitry Utlik
Andrey Zapolsky, Assistant of the Department of Industrial Electronics of the Gomel State Technical University and co-organizer of the program, noted that startup trainings help in the development of innovative, innovative and scientific activities among young people. According to him, the students themselves are just getting acquainted with the startup direction, but some already want to create their own innovative project.
The largest number of students who took part in the trainings are studying in 2-4 years in the areas of electronics and programming.
"The trainings were organized and held at a high level. Despite the fact that some of the wording proved to be quite difficult for students participating in such events for the first time, the overall organization was on top. Especially successful was the training with the use of an interactive game, which, apparently, was well received by the participants," said Andriy Zapolsky.
According to Andriy Zapolsky, among the difficulties he sees in the student environment are that students do not realize the value of startups, concentrating only on prize funds instead of gaining knowledge and business connections. As a solution, he sees the systematization of startup education and its integration into the educational process. .
Finals of the ERA GSU Startup Program
At the university business forum of Gomel State Technical University Startup Space Forum, which was held on May 13 in a hybrid format, Maxim Buryanov conducted a training on the topic "From the business model of a startup to the creation of the first MVP".
Startup Space Forum was organized within the framework of the II Educational Forum of the Faculty of Humanities and Economics. At the forum, students and young entrepreneurs met to meet and exchange experiences and ideas. The topic of the forum was focused on the very beginning of the startup path - how to turn an idea into an implementable project.
During his speech, Maxim Buryanov conducted an interactive game on how to determine the key characteristics of a potential MVP, spoke about the structure of the business model canvas and offered participants possible trajectories for creating an MVP that could bring value to users.
Experts of the International Telecommunication Union also took part in an educational program at Gomel State University. Anastasia Lagutik, Yulia Strelets and Maxim Buryanov spoke at a series of trainings that were held both online and offline. The trainings were aimed at aspiring startups and included topical topics on the development of startup projects.
At the final meeting, Anastasia Lagutik conducted an interactive game to identify customer needs. ITU also invited the founders of Belarusian startups and startup projects: Dmitry Utlik made a presentation on building a successful startup in Belarus, and the program was completed by Denis Savitsky, who presented the Zborka Labs accelerator.
CEO of Zborka Labs Denis Savitsky with students of GSU
The program as a whole consisted of more than 10 hours of intensive training, including not only theoretical expertise, but also live communication, exchange of experience between experts and students of various courses and faculties of the university.
Ekaterina Yarosh, Head of the Startup Center of StartUp Space GSU named after F. Skorina, said that this startup center works in the direction of popularizing innovative entrepreneurship in the student environment and developing the necessary skills among students, which can contribute to the emergence and development of startups.
ITU Consultant, Project Manager Anastasia Lagutik at the final meeting with startups at GSU
"In today's world, employers increasingly value not only theoretical knowledge, but also entrepreneurial skills, the ability to work in a team, generate ideas and implement them. Participating in startups gives students the opportunity to develop these skills and become more competitive and successful. Support for student start-ups contributes to the formation of an innovation ecosystem in and around the university. This attracts investment, creates new jobs and contributes to the economic development of the region. Successful student startups increase the reputation of the university, attract talented students and teachers, and strengthen its position in rankings," said Ekaterina Yarosh.
According to her, students of the Faculty of Physics and Information Technologies, Mathematics and Programming Technologies, the Faculty of Economics, the Faculty of Biology, Philology, the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Psychology and Pedagogy, and the Faculty of Geology and Geography are traditionally active participants in startup programs.
"Students from different faculties are interested in the startup movement. We are forming a student community that brings together students with different competencies," added Ekaterina Yarosh.
In November 2024, ITU organized a hackathon on creating start-ups for smart cities in Belarus with the support of the Ministry of Communications and Informatization of the Republic of Belarus and the Belarusian State Academy of Telecommunications. The winners of the hackathon were Smart Trash Bins with a system for monitoring occupancy and optimizing cleaning logistics, SafeWay, a navigation application for people with autism spectrum disorder, and SearchHelper, a personal real estate search assistant. More than 100 students from universities in Belarus and Russia took part in the hackathon.
Read more about how the startup ecosystem of Belarus is developing in the material. |
