Russian Tech Exhibition: High-tech start-ups expanding market to go global

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Technology start-ups from across Russia have gathered in Moscow for the country's largest innovation event. As Russia's tech sector expands, many companies are looking to Asia for inspiration. Julia Chapman reports.

As any good businessperson knows, strategy is vital. It's not every start-up that can execute moves like a grand-master of chess. But the newly elected head of the World Chess Foundation thinks Russia has what it takes.

ARKADY DVORKOVICH PRESIDENT, WORLD CHESS FEDERATION "The improved culture for risk-taking can do things sometimes better than others, and cheaper, which is important to the market."

From high-tech sleep pods to 3D printers, Russian start-ups are developing rapidly.

JULIA CHAPMAN MOSCOW "There are dozens of innovative start-ups here vying for collaborators and investors. Many of them are already very successful within Russia. But going global is another challenge altogether."

The Virtual Reality Laboratory is based in the far-eastern city of Vladivostok, near the border with China. It pairs its VR technology with robots, aiming to send them places humans can't go. Its founders say the Russian government needs to go further for the tech sector to flourish.

TARAS GURKO CO-FOUNDER, VIRTUAL REALITY LABORATORY "We would like to see of course more support, as usual, more financial support, not maybe tied to finished products but actually products which need to be developed."

Some financial backing for the industry will come from Huawei. The Chinese telecoms giant has signed an agreement with the Moscow School of Management. Collaboration in research and education will send Russian tech minds to China to see how things are done there. In the meantime, burgeoning Russian companies aren't short of ideas. They just need a little encouragement. Julia Chapman, CGTN, Moscow.