Report on the work of the Institute for Development and Economic Affairs and the Club of Young Entrepreneurs in Kazakhstan during 2014.
“Entrepreneurial infrastructure Kazakhstan - points of growth”
Previously IDEAS had concentrated on student outreach and this was their first research project which produced a handbook through which free enterprise and the rule of law can be advocated.
As part of it IDEAS hosted the 4th Global Entrepreneurship Week with more than 2500 participants. Included were a number of panel discussion and presentation related to this research project which reached a large audience of decision makers, entrepreneurs and mass media (more than 70 materials in newspapers, TV and radio).
“Entrepreneurial infrastructure Kazakhstan - points of growth”
Project Report
Executive summary
Edited by Pavel Koktyshev
The project is implemented with the support of the Network for a Free Society
Institute for Development and Economic Affairs
Almaty
2014
Summary
The term “entrepreneurial ecosystem” describes how people, businesses, organizations and governments interact to influence the development of entrepreneurs and their companies in a particular city or country as a whole. But it is important to note that each local ecosystem consists of many small industry with unique ecosystems investors, human and other resources. For example, the entrepreneurial ecosystem in the city can include not only the development of the ecosystem in the manufacturing sector, but also poorly developed ecosystem in the industry of professional services.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and the World Economic Forum - classified ecosystem components into broad categories, taking into account the many factors affecting the business. The most common categorization include components such as - market access, labor, finance, support system, infrastructure and public policy, education, the role of universities in business, public support.
Such components are intended to be exhaustive, but they are, unfortunately, not very help leaders understand how ecosystems work. Entrepreneurial Ecosystem effective when it allows access to resources, such as customers, talent and funding. This causes many leaders to focus on the evaluation of the ecosystem, such as the number of new companies that run it. When measuring these data can be useful, but they are not able to present a picture of the overall performance of the ecosystem.
The Club of young entrepreneurs believe that the most important criterion for measuring and evaluating the performance of ecosystems is to create jobs and added value of these companies. Entrepreneurial ecosystem that is produced, are healthy and successful.
In this regard, the Institute for Development and Economic Affairs (IDEA) and the Club of young entrepreneurs with the support of EY and the Network for a Free Society implemented Foresight project «Business-2050″.
The mission is the development of effective entrepreneurial ecosystem in Kazakhstan, contributing to the emergence of a new generation of outstanding entrepreneurs who have built a leading company in the global market and will play a key role in promoting Kazakhstan’s economic growth and prosperity.
The aim of this project is to discuss topical issues in business, looking for answers to them, to form a picture of the future development of the business in the long term as well as the publication of the findings, advice and recommendations made by experts within the foresight sessions followed by the implementation of them in the framework of state and regional policy.
The project was based on the methodology of the World Economic Forum on building effective business ecosystems using tools foresight.
The project brought together leading experts in the field of entrepreneurship, finance, human development, representatives of large companies, small and medium enterprises, business associations, banks, investment and venture capital funds, universities, government agencies and non-governmental organizations to discuss with them issues of business development in Kazakhstan.
On the basis of the recommendations of the sessions was to make this final report (Road Map), which unites the important conclusions of the experts. All recommendations received in the course of the sessions will be transmitted to the relevant authorities, members of Parliament of Kazakhstan, NPP, business associations in the media.
Organizers spent seven foresight sessions, each of which was devoted to a specific component of the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
According to international research, which is based on this project, entrepreneurs are three components as the most important - market access, human capital and financing. Therefore, we decided to examine these components in the first place.
Sessions were held once a month. During the session, experts were divided into several groups, in which they discussed the issue of the moderator. At the end of each group made a presentation based on their discussions. The project is planned to be conducted on an ongoing basis.
Kind regards,
Pavel Koktyshev
Co-founder and CEO of IDEA