From April 30th to May 6th, we conducted the 38th cohort of our immersion program in Silicon Valley. Our goal within the framework of this program was to integrate participants into the innovative community that we have been cultivating for over seven years. Although our community hub is located in Silicon Valley, our participants come from different corners of te world.
At the beginning of the program, we focused on introductions and building close relationships among participants. One of our main program goals is to create an environment where participants can become true friends within a week, enabling them to exchange experiences and support each other. During the orientation meeting, we assisted participants in formulating their program goals and finding answers not only during sessions with our speakers in Silicon Valley, but also while traveling on the bus, during lunches, and in any free moments. We emphasize participants getting to know each other and being oriented towards mutually beneficial interactions that help them ask questions and gain knowledge.
To achieve this goal, we organize numerous events that stimulate communication among participants, allowing them to share their stories. Engaging with other participants often provides them with the most valuable ideas and knowledge, even as we also meet legendary figures working in Silicon Valley, such as David Yang, Arsen Tomsy, and many others.
On the first day after introductions, we visited Stanford University to explore its work. We met with the president of the Russian-speaking community, who shared insights about the university’s structure, admissions process, and academic environment. Following a tour of the campus, we continued getting acquainted in one of Stanford’s classrooms. Ruslan Gafarov, the founder of San Francisco Innovation Hub, discussed the setup of Silicon Valley, its unique aspects, and officially confirmed metrics.
On the second day, we visited the University of Berkeley, where we met a professor familiar with legends of Silicon Valley such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Sergey Brin, Bill Gates, and others. He provided insights into the university’s functioning, its internal structure, and educational processes. We strolled through libraries, visited one of the classrooms to experience the atmosphere in which Berkeley students learn.
Next, we headed to a co-working space for startups located in Oakland. It’s one of the few places where startups related to robotics are concentrated. There, we met Vitaliy, originally from St. Petersburg, who develops software for Boston Dynamics’ robot. He gave us a presentation about the work of the Spot robot and how it was trained for various use cases, such as searching for people under rubble after earthquakes.
We also tried sports in virtual reality using special simulators that allow immersion in a virtual world while engaging in physical exercises.
After Oakland, we returned to Stanford, where we met Professor James Terranova, who teaches an investment course. He shared his 30-year experience in the investment field, discussing investment structures and the main risks investors face today – market risk, team management risk, and technological risk. We asked questions and then met with Dinara, who conducts research in the field of medicine, particularly allergies. She told us about the internal organization of governance at Stanford and her work in the research field. We learned more about how research is organized and how the academic industry operates at Stanford.
The third day of the program was dedicated to visiting Plug and Play, where venture investors from Silicon Valley presented. We were given a tour of the Plug and Play campus and familiarized ourselves with their business model. The head of Plug and Play conducted a presentation to help us better understand their operations and ask questions that interested us.
On the fourth day, we delved into startups. Several startups at different stages of development were introduced to us, ranging from early-stage to more mature ones. We learned more about the workings of the startup industry in Silicon Valley through the perspectives of the startup representatives themselves.
The fifth day was spent in San Francisco, where we studied the workings of Uber. We met with employees, toured their office, and received insights into how the company functions. The transformation of the company’s culture after the founder’s departure was of particular interest. Thanks to changes in Uber’s leadership, the company managed to overcome negative founder-associated reputation, go public, and thrive even more successfully. Later, we visited the LinkedIn office, where employees told us about the company’s culture and decision-making processes related to hiring, development, and employee dismissal. We also explored various interesting places within the LinkedIn building, took fun photos, and had an enjoyable time. On the same day, we met with Arsen Tomsky, the founder of Indriver, a company valued at over 3 billion dollars. He shared insights into how his company from Yakutia became an international player and discussed the key principles of their progress, including their fight against injustice in the transportation sector. Arsen Tomsky is also actively involved in philanthropy, funding educational projects, and supporting kindergartens.
The sixth day began with a visit to Google headquarters, where we were greeted by long-term employees of the company. They gave us a campus tour and discussed the company’s internal culture, as well as how their internal dining system operates. After having lunch at their cafeteria, which has been the subject of numerous stories and films, we concluded the final part of the program in a conference room, where we discussed the outcomes and shared insights. We exchanged experiences and set future goals.
The seventh day of the program commenced with a sightseeing tour of San Francisco, during which we visited significant landmarks of the city. Subsequently, we had a networking event that brought together over 100 participants. It took place in one of the downtown buildings of San Francisco. In this program, we had the pleasure of listening to intriguing speakers such as Ukraine’s renowned fashion designer, Andre Tan, who has over 50 stores and regularly appears on various TV channels. Additionally, we had Valentina and Alexander Vysotsky, who possess 15 years of experience in managing Vysotsky Consulting, a company that has aided thousands of businesses in implementing effective internal processes. Their experience working with American companies also sparked significant interest among us.
Throughout the entire program, we gained a vast amount of valuable knowledge and experience. Our focus was on fostering connections among participants, enabling them to establish long-lasting mutually beneficial relationships. We were pleased to observe that some of the most valuable sources of information and inspiration for participants came from their own colleagues. Despite interactions with legendary figures from Silicon Valley, our participants realized that the most valuable ideas and insights stemmed from communication and experience sharing with fellow participants.
In conclusion, the “Immersion in Silicon Valley” program provided participants with a unique opportunity to acquaint themselves with cutting-edge innovations and industry leaders. They visited universities, startups, and met experts who shared their knowledge and experience. However, the most invaluable aspect of this program was the interaction among participants, fostering idea exchange, mutual support, and the pursuit of new development opportunities. It was an unforgettable immersion into the world of innovation that left a profound impact on the hearts and minds of the participants.
If you want to become a part of our next program, join us.