International Accelerator Invests in HSE Student Project

Dolphin Blockchain Intelligence, a Russian startup that graduated from the second intake of the fintech startup accelerator HSE{Pro}Fintech, was evaluated by Startupbootcamp, an international accelerator in Amsterdam at EUR 6 million and was given both investment and consulting assistance.

The project team, which includes HSE students Ivan Kamakin, who is in his 3^rd-year studying Business Informatics, and Polina Medyanina, who is a 3^rd-year Logistics and Supply Chain Management student, is developing an ICO campaign analysis platform.

The startup was evaluated at EUR 6 million, and the total value of the infrastructure and services that the team will receive from the accelerator (i.e. an office in Amsterdam, legal and marketing support, access to the accelerator’s database of contacts, and mentorship by experienced investors and experts), will equal EUR 500,000. Startupbootcamp will take an 8% share in the project capital.

The Dolphin Blockchain Intelligence team has won the BlockchainHack hackaton twice. In November 2016, the startup won 10,000 waves from WavesPlatform, in addition to free project support from the HSE Business Incubator. In July, the project won again and took the main prize of 500 Waves tokens (≈ $2,500). The money was spent on project promotion and development. In the end of September, the startup presented its platform for collecting fast and high-quality risk assessment and assessing the prospects for ICO campaigns. Over 500 projects from 73 countries participated in the selection process. Dolphin BI became the first Russian project selected by Startupbootcamp for the FinTech & CyberSecurity acceleration programme.

‘We are developing a crypto project analysis programme, in which anyone interested can share their assessment of the risks of and prospects for a given ICO. The community will moderate the analysis as carried out by users, evaluating information by several criteria. Thus, a ranking will be compiled. Access to analysis will be available through subscription, and experts will be able to earn money on their competencies’, Polina Medyanina said, explaining the project.

The acceleration programme will last three months, from October 30 to February 8. The projects will develop final products that appeal to investors at any level, from private investors to global funds. Many accelerator participants find major investors even before completing the programme. 78% of programme graduates become successful active businesses.

‘First, we expect the accelerator to provide us with contacts, access to a vast community of mentors and investors who will help take the project to an international level and boost its development’, said Ivan Kamakin. ‘Another important task for us is to coordinate the ICO with the Dutch regulators. We are planning on launching the test version of the platform by yearend. After that, we’ll hold an ICO and launch the first full version by spring 2018’.

Startupbootcamp was founded in 2010 and is one of the biggest accelerators in the world. The company implements startup development programmes in Europe, Asia, North and South America, the Middle East, and Africa. Selected startups get investment, access to Startupbootcamp infrastructure, legal and marketing support, and mentorship by renowned experts, as well as good chances of finding investors in their area. The Amsterdam Startupbootcamp is the biggest of 20 programmes that operate in various cities and countries around the world.

HSE{Pro}Fintech is an intensive development programme for projects in finance and blockchain technology implemented by HSE Business Incubator for the early stages of project development. It was launched in May 2016. 17 teams having completed the two intakes of the programme, including Suretly, Confideal, Dolphin BI, SIMEX, iCoinSoftware, and SmartAn. In total, graduates have raised over $3.8 million, including pre-ICO and ICO.