This year, the forum saw a noticeable increase in the number of Deep Tech projects, including AI.

The platform traditionally brought together four sides: corporations with their demands for innovation, investors, startups, and the state providing benefits and support measures.

However, after any such meetings, the same question remains: "What's next?"

Everyone agrees that innovation is the engine of progress, but the market demands monetization tomorrow. For pre-seed startups, this is a familiar reality.

This leads to the next question: Are we limited without foreign capital in creating large projects?

The answer is both yes and no.

Abroad, it is easier to attract investments; you don't have to look for a desperate family friend. But this does not mean that successful cases are impossible under current conditions.

An example is the startup of my classmate, Sorex.

The team turned a fundamental scientific idea into a working product for the battery industry.

The founder (Sergey) told me that he does not seek to change the world, but wants to get the maximum out of what he can do, to do what no one has done before, and to influence his industry.

It is likely that such startups have the potential to change industries without foreign capital.