The HSE FEST 2023 winner was a startup of a practicing surgeon
On November 29, 2023, the results of the fifth HSE FEST Technology Projects festival were summed up. 13 teams reached the finals, but only three of them became winners. As a reward, the winners received a cash reward and other bonuses from the festival’s partners.
HSE FEST is an All—Russian festival of university technology projects organized by the St. Petersburg HSE with the support of Rostelecom PJSC. The purpose of the festival is to help aspiring entrepreneurs. Participants can get the support of experienced businessmen and corporations, acquire new knowledge, attract the attention of potential investors and win a cash prize for the development of their business.
The HSE FEST 2023 winner was the Newman project, an innovative bracelet that prevents bleeding from the radial artery after heart surgery. The jury members appreciated the simplicity of the technology, the sophistication of the business model and the market potential of the project, as well as the personal involvement of the device’s creator, a practicing cardiac surgeon, in the project. Another important factor for the jury was the human-centricity of the development and the focus on an import-substituting solution. The cash prize for the winner was 250 thousand rubles.
The second place was taken by the MyMeet AI project — an AI assistant for video conferencing. The main function of the application is to transcribe online calls in the form of a report with brief contents, tasks and keywords. The jury experts noted the active growth of the project, as well as the implemented scenario for solving the problem of inaccuracy of most transcripts from online meetings. The cash prize for the second place was 150 thousand rubles.
The jury placed the NanoScience project in third place — a protective coating that increases the shelf life of vegetables and fruits. NanoSkin vegetable spray allows you to retain moisture in the product, keeping it fresh for longer. The natural and eco-friendly composition of the product and a profitable business model have become one of the main criteria for a positive evaluation of the project. The NanoScience team received a prize check for 100 thousand rubles.
In 2023, teams from 170 universities from 65 regions of the Russian Federation took part in the Higher School of Economics festival. Traditionally, a large proportion of projects were innovative projects from the fields of education, medicine and industry.
