Moscow Agency of Innovations: Former Soviet Movie House Emerges as Showcase for Innovation

The Digital Business Space, Moscow, photo by The Digital Business Space

MOSCOW, Dec. 4, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- In 2019, Moscow joined the top 10 of the world's cities with the best ecosystems for startups, according to StartupBlink. The Russian capital is home to 4,500 startups and more than 25,000 innovative infrastructure facilities, including technology parks, coworking spaces, and hi-tech manufacturing sites.

Globally recognized IT companies such as Kaspersky Lab, ABBYY, Yandex, Acronis, and Mail.ru Group have their headquarters here. A major contributor to the city's success is the Digital Business Space (DBS), Moscow's go-to place for all things innovation.

In two years since launch, this futuristic-looking venue has hosted over 700 events attended by a total of over 10,000 people. One of such events was Telling Stories 2019, a festival of creative industries and media, headlined by the British journalist Oobah Butler. Before becoming a gathering spot for discussions on disruptive technologies, the building, located at 47 Pokrovka Street, had a long history.

It was constructed in 1977 as a movie theater, for which its architects were later honored with a state award. The facade of the building was clad with Crimean limestone of the Paleogene period. Next to the entrance stood an eight-ton anchor, a relic of World War II. Throughout its history the building served a variety of purposes and in 2017 was reconstructed to become the Digital Business Space. 

The large-scale revamp completely changed the inside and outside of the building. Today, its facades are fitted with wide-format media screens. Thanks to the fiber optic light-transmitting concrete developed by the Russian company Illuminart, the facades can also change color.

On entering the building, the visitor finds him/herself in the reception area with touch panels and LED navigation columns. The second floor has seven small conference rooms and a large 640-seat auditorium. The latter is equipped with the largest in Russia 4K screen and a unique sound amplification system from the American company Meyer Sound. Thanks to the system, audience members soon will be able to freely communicate with speakers on stage, without the need to use microphones. Other amenities include an elevator for disabled people, capsules for working and resting, and a coworking space with smart desks and a soundproof booth for internet calls.

"With the advent of the digital age, Moscow became home to a community of innovators who needed a space to discuss projects, launch pilots, and search for partners. That's why we set ourselves a task to create such a focus point to freely localize all breakthrough ideas. Our concept has been realized at several levels – in the building's design and equipment, in large-scale events, and in a hub for testing innovations," says Alexei Parabuchev, CEO at the Moscow Agency of Innovations.

According to him, the DBS has become a center of gravity that increases the density of ties in the innovation community and, on par with networking hubs in the Silicon Valley, accelerates the growth of innovative companies. Moreover, the DBS has become a key tool that turns Moscow into a "playground," where entrepreneurs can get guidance on the local innovation infrastructure and find a coworking space, an accelerator, or production capacities. Here they can also get feedback on their products or services and discuss collaboration with large public and private companies.

The Digital Business Space has become a flagship venue for piloting innovations. Dozens of advanced solutions have been tested here, including a light-transmitting concrete, a kick scooter rental service, an antibacterial fabric, a smart mirror, a biometric identification system and others.

For example, at the DBS was tested an innovative air-purifying system Tiokraft, the only air purification and disinfection device in the world that provides simultaneous mechanical filtering for all types of viruses, bacteria, mold spores and volatile organic compounds (including poisonous ones) followed by their complete decomposition under the ultraviolet light. Аfter successful test Tiokraft cleaners were purchased by the State Duma of Russian Federation, the government-owned сorporation Rusnano, Panasonic, SCC (Germany), ChemproControl (Germany), G.E. Constraction (Greece) and Gia Nguyen High-Tech JSC (Vietnam).

Alexei Parabuchev believes that the DBS can provide serious support to the local community and help Moscow become a global leader in terms of the innovation infrastructure.

"The DBS works like a machine: it consolidates the innovations market, helps startups get support from the city, experts, and corporations," says he. "It helps startups get on the radar of international organizations, such as TechCrunch, and respectively promotes Moscow as a global tech center."

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