AmBAR: A Case Of Russian Speaking Innovators’ Association
If I were thinking about supporting Russian cause in the US, I would support an organization that strives to unite all Russian-speaking technology entrepreneurs and venture capital investors interested in innovation and commercialization of high technology products. However, nearly the only association of Russian-speaking innovators which can be potential candidate for this role lacks not support, but even political will or desire to have it in correct order. This association is called American Business Association Of Russian-Speaking Professionals (AmBAR).
Though the Silicon Valley itself is already pretty much an association of, not to say a home for, Russian-speaking innovators, there is an association here that deserves special attention because it was launched in 2002 by a group of business professionals and entrepreneurs, representing leading Silicon Valley companies: Sun Microsystems, Intel Capital, and Draper Fisher Jurvetson. The AmBAR membership base today includes more than 2000 business professionals.
In the spring of 2010, AmBAR brought the first ever delegation of the top Silicon Valley Venture Capitalists to Moscow. At the same time, AmBAR signed a cooperation agreement with RUSNANO. More recently, AmBAR co-hosted the Russian President Medvedev’s visit to the Silicon Valley.
Currently, AmBAR is facing some internal issues that were hoped to pass away soon. Ambar organizes Silicon Valley Open Doors (SVOD), a technology investment conference that was going to be held for the sixth time on November 11-12 2010 and devoted to Skolkovo. As a consequence of the same internal issues, the AmBAR Directors who served as the Executive Directors and Management Team of SVOD 2005 — 2009 cannot endorse any AmBAR or SVOD events until these issues are resolved, states the SVOD website. I think that such projects might have received support from proponents of Russian-speaking world and innovation.