NTI Sovereign Technology Fund (FST NTI)

History

2023: Building a Company

The NTI Project Support Fund (National Technology Initiative) and Popov Radio Corporation JSC have created the NTI Sovereign Technology Venture Fund (FST NTI). This became known in early April 2023.

According to Vedomosti, citing Dionis Gordin, investor director of the NTI Project Support Fund, his organization has already invested about 1.7 billion rubles in the FST NTI, and the total expected investment in the fund is estimated at 6.4 billion rubles. It is assumed that this will allow until 2029 to support at least 20 NTI projects in the field of unmanned aviation and cargo delivery, micro- and radio electronics, robotics, wireless communications technologies, etc.

The size of investments in the fund is estimated at 6.4 billion rubles, they will be aimed at supporting NTI projects in the field of unmanned aviation and cargo delivery, micro- and radio electronics, robotics, wireless communications technologies

Both projects that have passed through the NTI ecosystem and projects from the market can apply for funding. As Gorin pointed out, if at the moment there are no projects in a number of technologies critical for the FST NTI, the Fund will first invest in "the relocation of engineering and nurture its scientific and technological school on this basis."

By the beginning of April 2023, FST NTI collects a pool of partners in order to expand the amount of funding and the number of possible projects. According to the estimates of Dmitry Kalaev, partner of the IIDF fund, of the total amount, about 10% will go to operating expenses, and investments in one company will amount to 250-300 million rubles.

The first investments from the fund are planned to be made this year. The most priority initiatives will be selected by the managing comrade, approved by the investment committee with the support of the expert bodies of the partnership. The selection will take into account the criteria for compliance with the "sovereignty," that is, the degree of "fatherland" of developments, the publication says.^[1]

Notes