Who can apply
Contacts
Summer School
What will you get
Tracks
About DU Lab
Ru
Conference Evidence-based management
From Idea to Global Product in GameDev and AI/SaaS: Selection — Building — Growth
11-22 august/ оnline (Eng)
Watch the conference recording
about DU Lab
Disruptive Unicorn Lab
is a growth environment for early-stage startups in GameDev, AI, and SaaS. We support projects from the idea stage all the way to entering international markets.
International partners
ITMO University + invited experts from global innovation ecosystems
we explore how AI can support project design, strategy, and management
AI is a tool
We focus on people and practice
DU Lab is a space for team collaboration and hands-on learning through real challenges
Summer School DU Lab
A two-week online intensive that helps you master the key approaches to startup development and test your creative and tech ideas in GameDev and AI/SaaS — all under the guidance of top mentors.

Open to everyone who wants to: validate a startup idea, find a team, explore how to use AI in a product or game
Watch the conference recording
11-12 August
Format: Online (in English)
  • 1100
    applications
  • 120
    main track participants
  • 80
    participants of the GameDev track
  • 71
    expert & speaker
  • 37
    countries
  • 12
    school days
Mentors
Serial entrepreneur, mentor, Founder of B5 Research lab, ex-CPO & cofounder of the medtech startup Medixspace B.V.
Sandra Bit-Varda
  • Founded and scaled MedTech startup from concept to €3M funding (EU+USA)
  • Launched world's first AI-enhanced radiology platform – improving workflow of 300 specialists, serving over 12 million patients and significantly impacting the national healthcare system during the pandemic
  • Led international teams of 30+ across Europe, USA, Spain, South Korea, China and Israel in remote-first environment
  • Mentored 20+ startups within acceleration programs
  • Conducted 300+ interviews for product discovery and market validation
A trusted expert on federal business support and development programs. Expert and speaker of the Startup as Diploma programs, HSE, ITMO
Natalya Zinovyeva
TOP 3 tracker in the "Rapid Growth" category. Member of the expert committee of the All-Russian Forum "Strong Ideas for a new age" in the field of technological and digital projects. Expert of 80+ accelerators, mentor of 500+ startups and businesses.
15+ years experience in SpaceTech. AI expert. Co-owner of InfoTouch company at the junction of vending and tourism, a network of vending machines for the sale of audio tours with souvenirs.
Alexander Malinin
Launched first Russian private microsatellite. Held the role of CTO in a startup for "Advertising in space"
Senior Innovation Manager at a Russian venture capital company (RDIF Group).
Mikhail Murzin
Helped 9 Moscow companies enter the markets of the USA, the EU, the Middle East and China. After 3 months of work, 4 companies have already entered MoU with major partners. I have done offline Market Intelligence programs for Avito, Gazprom Neft, Aquarius, and the Ministry of Economic Development in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. Various tasks were completed: from finding the first partners to meetings with targets and infrastructure for an M&A deal in order to accelerate entry into the local market. He helped Russian companies save up to $10 million a year by searching for and integrating direct technology suppliers from China.

Associate Professor and author of the Technological Entrepreneurship program at NUST MISIS. Candidate of Technical Sciences, expert in the field of renewable energy and robotics. Mentor and tracker of startups and companies. Expert of the Skolkovo Foundation.
Konstantin Pushkin
Winner of the Russian Federation award "Aircraft Manufacturer of the Year 2016" for the best innovative project.
ExCEO&Founder of the Skolkovo startup AL Technologies (electric generators powered by aluminum-air fuel cells).
10+ years of experience in new product development and innovation management.
Ph.D. and engineer with 17+ years of experience in conducting and managing R&D in applied engineering, more than 80 scientific publications.
General Director of the Venture Consulting Group, teaches courses on venture investment and innovative entrepreneurship at the Higher School of Economics, RUDN University, MIPT, SPGMTU and MGIMO, Associate Professor and Ph.D.
Alexander Semenov
  • Over 20 years of experience in venture capital, startups, and innovation ecosystems
  • Participated in more than 20 acceleration programs (many on multiple occasions)
  • Consulted over 500 startup projects, assisting them with financing, strategic development, and implementation of advanced technologies, including AI
  • Experienced in leading and executing projects in IT, AI, and biotech
The tracker and expert of 50 accelerators, tracker of the Skolkovo School of startups, a trusted NTI expert, an expert in the team of organizers of the NTI school of acceleration
Jelena Stukalova
Results X3, X4, X12, in the data-driven approach since 98, the creator of the DPO program for research supervisors in the Startup as a diploma program - about 800 graduates, methodologist and speaker of accelerators of the Financial University
Co-founder of the Stratosphere Business Development Centre, business coach, psychologist, expert in production and team development, author, methodologist and presenter of programs for entrepreneurs and managers
Irina Tolbuzina
Expert in federal business support and development programs, accelerators, mentor of startups; experience in organizing and conducting international training projects in the USA and Australia, university lecturer since 2000 (BSU, RANEPA).
A serial entrepreneur. Tracker of the Skolkovo Startup School and a member of the jury of the main Russian award for effectiveness in marketing Effie Russia
An expert and tracker of more than 10 acceleration programs in Russia and the CIS.
Natalia Tomasheva
In recent years, she has accompanied over 250 startups and companies with a total annual turnover of more than 15 billion rubles. Founder of the FOXMetoD consulting company. Ex is the founder of an IT startup on financial literacy for children.
Vice-Rector for External Relations and Partnership at LGTU, Candidate of Psychological Sciences, trusted expert and NTI tracker, accredited Skolkovo tracker, research supervisor in the startup as a diploma program at MIPT, MIPT SHIR, mentor of the ABT ITMO program, MTK Kidsby tracker - Skolkovo residents
Inara Chilikina
CEO @Softwarelead.me / Venture partner @Insta.vc / Advisor @Orionvc.uk
Vitaly Yanko
Implemented the Go-to-Market strategies of 50+ IT businesses and 30+ organizations in Edtech and HRtech. Made 25+ investments in global technology startups, 3 successful exits in Russia and the EU (educational robotics, distance education, VR/AR technologies in game development).
Senior Data Analyst (Engineer) II at Revolut
Tafida Balarabe
Built regulatory reporting pipelines, fraud detection models, and internal risk analytics tools used in high-stakes environments across global teams.
Tracks
GameDev
Build a game from scratch to a Vertical Slice
Launch an AI-based project with solid unit economics
AI/SaaS
Students
Designers
Researchers
Founders
Developers
Producers
Who can apply

Idea

Prototype

Investments

Pre-pitch

What will you get from DU Lab?

Global Community

Team

DU Lab Summer School 2025
August 2025
Format: Online (in English)
Prepare your startup project in GameDev or AI/SaaS in just two weeks under the guidance of top mentors from Russia, China, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru, Thailand, and Malaysia
2 weeks of intensive work
Access to industry experts
A global GameDev and AI/SaaS community
Lectures, practical sessions, workshops, Q&A
DU Lab Summer School Program
organizer
AI Talent Hub is a coordinator of AI dimension. The largest master's degree programme in artificial intelligence at ITMO University implemented in partnership with Napoleon IT
Main organizer DU Lab Summer School — Center ‍for International Projects and Partnerships FTMI ITMО
Yulia Trabskaya
Head of the Center for International Projects at FTMI ITMO University, PhD, Associate Professor at ITMO University
Director of DU Lab and Science Track Coordinator
First Deputy Dean of FTMI ITMO University
Andrey Starodubtsev
Head of Resources at DU Lab
Andrey Anfinogenov
Dean, Head of the Master's Degree Program, entrepreneur, investor
Anna Kotova
Deputy Dean of FTMI ITMO University for Partner Relations
Ideological Inspirer DU Lab
Coordinator for Partnerships with Russian Partners
Deputy Director of FTMI ITMO for Investments, Investment Director of Kirov Group Ventures and ITMO Startup studio
Elena Morozova
Coordinator for Partnerships with Russian Partners
Diego Arbildo
Curator of the International Partnerships Department at FTMI ITMO University
Head of International Partner Relations at DU Lab
Head of the Marketing Office at FTMI ITMO University
Olga Kokorina
Head of Promotion at DU Lab and Coordinator of the Cultural and Entertainment Program
Anton Potsulin
Head of the Business Department at the Center for International Projects, entrepreneur, lecturer at FTMI ITMO University
Curator of the Center for International Projects at FTMI, ITMO University, Head of the Engineering and Technical Service at Senezh University, founder of the international competition group «Start the Game»
Mariam Karpova
Nikolai Rzhevsky
Head of Products and Projects, specializing in AI-based innovations and accelerating early-stage startups
Program Director, DU Lab Summer School
Coordinator for Partnerships with Russian Partners in the Field of Game Development
Project manager DU Lab
Project Manager at the Center for International Projects at FTMI ITMO University
Yaroslava Masyagin
Lead Organizer of the "Future Talk" foresight session — a telebridge featuring official representatives and experts from Russia and Latin America. Track Coordinator for Global Business at DU Lab School
partners
With the support of the first Game Development and Interactive Media College in Kyrgyzstan
Games, education, events - development and implementation of any projects in the gaming industry
The DU Lab Summer School is supported by EQUAA, an international accreditation organization. EQUAA's goal is to improve the quality of both educational programs and universities in general.
Among the universities accredited by EQUAA, the IÉSEG School of Management (France) which is in the top 50 of the QS ranking for the quality of the Masters in Marketing educational program, Florida International University (USA), ESIC Business & Marketing School (Spain), ISAE Brazilian Business School (Brazil), Universidad Iberoamericana de Ciudad de Mexico (Mexico), Universidad Cientifica del Sur (Peru), Montpellier Business School (France), Skolkovo School of Management, St. Petersburg International Institute of Management IMISP and many others.
Практика Гейм-Дизайна
Education Quality Accreditation Agency
DU LAB SUMMER SCHOOL PROGRAMME
FIRST WEEK (11.08-17.08)
17:00 -19:00 – Opening of the Summer School
Opening Plenary
10:00-11:00 — Soft-Landing in ASEAN: How APU’s ASBX Turns Student Ideas into Regional Start-ups
Prof. Angelina Yee Seow Voon,
APU Director of Research & Enterprise, Malaysia
Presentation
Case-based lecture
Dr. Zhang,
Dean of the College of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Jilin International Studies University(JISU)
11:15–12:15 — University-Driven Innovation in China: From Idea Evaluation to Customer Discovery
12:30-13:30 — The startup ecosystem of Argentina
Enrique Ignacio Ferrer Vieira,
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Argentine Republic to the Russian Federation
Lecture
Workshop
Sandra Bit-Varda,
Serial entrepreneur, mentor, Founder of B5 Research lab, ex-CPO of the startup Medixspace B.V., UAE
15:00-16:45 — How to Use AI Tools in product discovery?
17:00–18:30 Customer Discovery 2.0: How GPT Accelerates Early Validation
Mr. Dicson Ferney Quimbayo Diaz,
Entrepreneurship coordinator in charge, Center for Entrepreneurship, Javeriana University Incubator, Colombia
Workshop (Live Demo + Cases)
Lecture
Eugenia Deusheva (Jane the Limitless),
Innovation Expert, ex-BCG, UAE
18:00-19:00 Human & AI Collaboration in the era of Intelligence
16:30-17:45 — Start‑Up Chile: Equity‑Free Grants for AI and B2C SaaS Startups
Macarena Villalobos,
Scouting Manager of Start up Chile Program
Startup Program Overview and Q&A
Lecture with Demo&QA
Max Makarov,
Product Owner at AI Talent Hub, Lead Tracker and Mentor at ITMO Accelerator
Beloklokov Sergey,
Co-founder of the Napoleon IT Group of Companies
14:15-16:15 — Marketing for Startup - How to talk to your customers
12:00-13:45 — Building and Customizing Your Own AI Agents for Product Tasks
Andrey Kuzminykh,
Founder of Andre AI Technologies, Mentor at AI Talent Hub
Lecture with Demo&QA
Lecture
Pavel Podkorytov,
CEO Napoleonit.ru, Co-founder AI Talent Hub
Sudjian Edward,
AI & Backend engineer, hands-on LLM experience at startups, ITMO student
10:30-11:30 — Prompt Engineering for Product Discovery
11.08.2025
13:00:13:30 — Welcome Address: Latin American Countries
Mr. Domingo Garcia,
President of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce in Russia CCLAR
Welcome Address
Case-based Lecture & Q&A
Anastasia Nikolaeva,
Financial modeling consultant with 10+ years in high-growth companies, he has helped 100+ startup founders worldwide and builds practical tools to simplify unit economics and forecasting
15:45-16:45 — Start-Up Chile from the Outside: A Practical Guide for Founders
17:00-18:00 — PUJ Incubator – Supporting Early-Stage EBCT in Latin America
Mr. Dicson Ferney Quimbayo Diaz,
Entrepreneurship coordinator in charge, Center for Entrepreneurship, Javeriana University Incubator, Colombia
Presentation with case and Q&A
Case-based Lecture & Q&A
Katherine Andrea Delgado Vargas,
Director of Entrepreneurship, Universidad Bernardo O’Higgins, Chile
18:15-19:15 — Chile: A Global Testbed for Science-Based and Deep-Tech Startups
19:30-20:30 — From Idea to Investor-Ready Startup: The NEXUM PUCP Roadmap
Ms Indira Carbajal,
Senior Incubation Analyst, NEXUM Incubator, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (PUCP)
Lecture with practical case demonstration
Lecture with practical case demonstration
Guillermo Usandivaras,
President of Fundalat (Foundation for the Development of Latin America and the Caribbean)
20:45-21:45 — Innovation for Development: Practical Cooperation between Latin America and Eurasia in Energy, Technology, and Education
12.08.2025
15:00-16:30 — Building a Wellness Startup in China
Dr. Mary Rumyantzeva, Ph.D.,
Founder & CEO of a wellness startup in China, product and market researcher and consultant.
Case-based lecture and Q&A
Workshop
Wei Guoliang,
The Secretary-General of the High-tech Enterprise Association of Fangshan District, Beijing. The Chairman of Beijing Zhongguancun Interconnection Technology Incubator Co., Ltd.
15:00-16:30 — Various Opportunities for Developing Startups in China
13:45-14:45 The Startup Ecosystem of the Philippines: Local Opportunities and Case Studies
Amerigo Tatel,
CEO, Alliance of Southeast Asian Entrepreneurs in Russia
Roman Gaintdinov,
Digital Attaché, Trade Representation of the Russian Federation in the Republic of the Philippines
Presentation and Q&A
Presentation and Q&A
Nick Ponomarev
- ORBIT Startups - Investment Associate
- ALONSY | GROUP - Advisor
12:30-13:30 — Beyond Market Access: Leveraging China for Technology Transfer and Global Expansion
11:15–12:15 — Startup Ecosystem of China: The Zhejiang University Perspective
Dr. Amel Amrouche,
Zhejiang University, China
Case-based lecture and Q&A
Presentation and Q&A
Dr. Chakkrapong Kuensaen,
Head of Digital Innovation Program, International College of Digital Technology, Chiang Mai University, Thailand
9:15-9:45 — Thailand's Startup Ecosystem: How to Build a Business on the Islands
13.08.2025
14.08.2025
15.08.2025
SECOND WEEK (18.08-22.08)
16.00-17.00 — The ESG Advantage: How Impact Becomes a Market Differentiator
Theresa Doan,
Bedayat Incubator, UAE
Lecture
Lecture
Germán Beber and Aranzazú Arangui,
Representatives of UNER University, Argentina
17.15-18.15 — Responsible AI in Emerging Economies: From Public Trust to Competitive Advantage
18:30-19:10 — Launching a Startup in Peru: Challenges and Opportunities Through the Eyes of an International Team
Silvia Eugenia Caceres Chalco,
Founder & Industrial Engineer at QUI9 - Pioneering FoodTech solutions through engineering excellence, Peru.
Anton Potsulin,
PhD in Economics,Business Expert, Entrepreneur, Russia.
Giovanna Godoy,
Nutrition expert, who has transformed the habits of 450+ people and is setting new health standards in the business world, Brazil.
Masterclass
16:00-18:00 Financial Model in Action: Subscription Business Case
Anastasia Nikolaeva,
Financial modeling consultant with 10+ years in high-growth companies, he has helped 100+ startup founders worldwide and builds practical tools to simplify unit economics and forecasting
Lecture + Hands-on Workshop
Case-based lecture + Q&A
Mr. Belkacem Touat,
B2B Customer Value Manager in Ooredoo Algérie
13:00-14:00 — What Customers Really Value: B2B Lessons for Founders
15:00-16:00 — Digital Quick Wins — From PyME Pain to Measurable MVP
Mg. Paula Beyries,
Minerva UNLP, Argentina
Case-based lecture and Q&A
Lecture + demo
Jean Carlos,
CEO Marketing Publics, Peru
18:45-19:45 — Pitch & Storytelling: From Human Story to a 60-Second Startup Pitch
20:00-21:00 — Why Now / Market Timing
Itamar Angeles,
CEO MONO&CO Group S.A.C., Peru
Lecture
18.08.2025
Self work before mentoring session
Academic session
10.00−21:00 — Conference Evidence-based decisions in management
19.08.2025
10:00-12:00 — Mentor Session 1
Closing Mentoring Session
Closing Mentoring Session
12:00-14:00 — Mentor Session 2
15:00-16:30 — DU Lab Summer School Fin
20.08.2025
21.08.2025 (additional activities)
22.08.2025
view presentations
Frequently Asked Questions
how to contact?
2025
FTMI ITMO
dulab@itmo.ru