Startup Battle: how the Business Battle Contest helps entrepreneurs in the regions

The final stage of the Business Battle startup competition was held in Stavropol on October 23. This year, the geography of the project, which supports aspiring businessmen, has expanded. Previously, the competition was held only in the Kaliningrad region. In addition to Stavropol, Mordovia has joined it this year, where the competition is in full swing at this stage. How such initiatives are useful in the regions is described in the Izvestia publication.

A new point on the Business Battle map — Stavropol Territory

Systematic support for small and medium—sized businesses is one of the key factors for the sustainable development of Russian regions. For seven years now, the Business Battle startup competition, organized by the Russian media Group Zapadnaya Pressa and the general sponsor of which has been VTB Bank, has been creating an environment where entrepreneurs can not only receive financing, but also knowledge, expertise and connections. Over the years, the project has achieved great success: more than a thousand participants have tried their hand at the competition, dozens of startups have begun their journey to success. This season, the project has expanded beyond the Kaliningrad region and proved its relevance in other regions.

More than 120 local entrepreneurs submitted applications for participation in the first Business Battle season for Stavropol. Five finalists presented their projects to mentors, the investor club, and the project partners.

— "Business Battle helps entrepreneurs to express themselves, attract the attention of investors and experts, turn ideas into a sustainable business, and finalists receive prizes for the development of their business. The competition becomes a point of attraction for small and medium-sized businesses, forms a strong business community and stimulates economic growth. For VTB, it is important not only to finance projects, but also to provide businesses with the knowledge and tools to scale. I am confident that the experience of the participants of the competition will contribute to the creation of new jobs and the development of the economy of the Russian regions," said Denis Bortnikov, Deputy President and Chairman of the Management Board of VTB.

Svetlana Eroshchenko became the winner and winner of the main prize in Stavropol — 1 million rubles from VTB for business development — with the project of the ABVGDeika center for the development of intelligence for children.

— First of all, Business Battle is a cool, inspiring business environment. This is a unique startup competition that brings together young entrepreneurs who are just beginning to learn the basics of business, as well as more experienced and wise colleagues who are ready to share their knowledge and experience as mentors," the winner shared her impressions.

Ekaterina Glushchenko took the second place with the online school project "Entrepreneurial Thinking" for teenagers aged 12-17, which helps to develop practical skills: from financial management to creating your own startup. She will receive the opportunity to study for free under the MBA program at IBDA RANHiGS.

The prize for the third place — 300 thousand rubles from the partner of the contest in Stavropol, ASB agricultural holding, was awarded to Elena Cheremisina for the Doctormama project. The project helps mothers of children with special needs to find the best way to adapt their child to life.

The fourth place was taken by the SVGalactica AI agency of Sergey Yasinsky and Svetlana Dobrova, who are developing a platform on which any entrepreneur can assemble an AI team for himself: sales manager, marketer, copywriter, HR, lawyer. Stanislav Kochergin took the fifth place with a project for the production of a hemostatic sponge based on a biopolymer. Both projects received certificates for business support infrastructure services from the Ministry of Economic Development of the Stavropol Territory.

"In Stavropol, much attention is paid to supporting businesses and creating an environment where entrepreneurs can implement their ideas. The Business Battle is one of such platforms where the resources of the state, business and education are combined. I am confident that the competition will become an annual event and will take its place on the regional business agenda, helping aspiring entrepreneurs take the first step," said Vladimir Vladimirov, Governor of the Stavropol Territory, commenting on the results of the competition.

Traditions and records in Kaliningrad

The Business Battle in Kaliningrad this year set a record for the number of applications — 140. The main prize — 2 million rubles from VTB — was awarded to Johann Voronin with the AmberTerm project, offering mats filled with natural amber for natural heat therapy.

— How did you manage to win? I think there were three important factors here. First of all, we have a close-knit family team. Secondly, we had a prototype prepared at an early stage.: we sewed a heating orthopedic mat filled with amber. We were able to give it a feel, to show that we are capable of doing this, then we made a second, improved version of the product. Besides, amber is a regional resource, we don't need to bring it from somewhere. These are the three success factors," noted Johann Voronin.

The winner of the second place was Roman Ershov with the project "Bakery at the Teplo house". His business is a network of atmospheric bakeries with artisan bread and pastries, creating a sense of comfort and care. Their owner will now be able to study for free under the MBA program at IBDA RANHiGS.

For the third place, VTB awarded 600 thousand rubles to Daria and Maria Titov, the creators of the MIDITI women's clothing brand, which includes its own production and a chain of stores in Kaliningrad and Moscow.

Daria Abdulayeva took the fourth place with the Vetset24 Veterinary Service project and received 400 thousand rubles from VTB. The project offers a service for calling a veterinarian at home with 24/7 online consultations.

Mark Sahar, who took fifth place with the GraphON interactive university platform, received a special package from the Russian media group Zapadnaya Pressa for media promotion. GraphON is a platform for organizing extracurricular activities and visualizing them using graphs.

Johann Voronin emphasized that the value of the project goes far beyond the monetary prize.

— We keep in touch with the mentor and he still helps us, he tells us something. We also keep in touch with former competitors: we communicate, correspond, and become each other's clients. In other words, this is really a very cool project, without unnecessary bureaucracy, which I can recommend to anyone who wants to start their own business and achieve a specific goal, but does not know where to start and what to grab at the first stage," the entrepreneur summed up.

The governor of the region also highly appreciated the results of the competition.

The Business Battle has become a key platform where entrepreneurs can get practical support, expert assessment and access to resources to scale their ideas. Each project that has reached the final is a contribution to the development of the region's economy and to the future of our region," said Alexey Besprozvannykh, Governor of the Kaliningrad Region.

Mission and expansion

The mission of the project is to help aspiring entrepreneurs get stronger and receive the support of experienced businessmen.

"The main feature of the Business Battle is that the training is conducted not by academic teachers, but by active entrepreneurs with extensive business experience. Mentors who have gone through ups and downs, crises and periods of recovery, who are able to share their personal experiences and suggest the right path," says Alexander Vlasov, co—organizer of the competition, co-founder of the Western Press media group.

This year, the project has expanded to the Republic of Mordovia, where the competition is only gaining momentum, having collected about 150 applications. The first stage in Saransk took place at the end of October. The final will be held in early 2026.

"The Business Battle and other initiatives where entrepreneurs meet, learn and share experiences strengthen business faith in government support. And the bank's participation adds confidence that there is a reliable financial leverage nearby for the implementation of ideas and projects," said Artem Zdunov, head of the Republic of Mordovia, who noted the importance of the initiative.

In seven years, the Business Battle has transformed from a local Kaliningrad initiative into a large-scale interregional project. He proves that creating working links between businesses, banks, authorities and experts is a real tool for strengthening small businesses and improving the business climate in the country.