Startup Village 2026 in Moscow: our talk and the signing of the memorandum with Skolkovo
From 27 to 29 May 2026, UpGrowth was at Startup Village in Moscow, the largest innovation gathering in Russia. We took the stage, and on 28 May we signed a memorandum of understanding with the Skolkovo Foundation. UpGrowth is its only African partner.
Startup Village, the meeting point of Russian innovation
Every year, Startup Village gathers founders, investors, large corporations and institutions from around the world in Moscow. It is the flagship event of the Skolkovo Foundation, one of the largest innovation ecosystems in the world, home to thousands of resident technology companies.
Being invited to speak there, as an Algerian company, was not a given. It was recognition.
Our talk
We took the stage to carry a simple message: North Africa, and Algeria in particular, is not only a market. It is an innovation destination, an entry point to a continent, and a partner able to absorb and deploy advanced technology.
We presented how UpGrowth supports the companies and investors that want to enter Algeria, and how a technology bridge between the Russian ecosystem and the Algerian market can benefit both sides.
The signing of the memorandum
On 28 May, we signed a memorandum of understanding with the Skolkovo Foundation. The document makes UpGrowth the foundation's only African partner.
A memorandum is not an end. It is a framework. It defines a shared intent and opens a field of work. The real test is the first concrete steps that follow.
What followed: the corporate challenge
The first concrete step is already live. It is called the UpGrowth x Skolkovo corporate challenge.
An Algerian company describes a concrete problem it cannot solve. UpGrowth and Skolkovo search the ecosystem for the technology that already solves it. The program covers eight priority sectors, from FinTech and AgriTech to energy, water, logistics and smart cities. We detail all of it in our article on the UpGrowth x Skolkovo partnership.
Why it matters
For years, the story of Algerian business was told through what it lacked. We prefer a different story: a country full of talent that, when the right door opens, does not simply walk in. It signs.
Does your company have a challenge to solve? Describe it at upgrowth.dz/corporate-challenge. We and Skolkovo find the technology that already exists.
