JULY 16, 2018, NEW YORK – Miratech Group, a global IT services and consulting organization, hosted its first session of their annual networking event called M-FORCE on June 21-22 in Kyiv, Ukraine. The second session will be held in New York on September 26-27, 2018.
Now in its fifth year, M-FORCE18 Kyiv gathered attendees from over 10 countries in Europe and North America, including industry leaders, clients, partners and friends.
This year, Miratech held its first R&D4Equity Pitch Night, the new wrinkle the company added to M-FORCE. The session, in partnership with UAngel and 1991 Civic Center, brought together 13 startups, who presented revolutionary products and services from advanced technology for crop protection to innovative dating services. Some presenters who are already successfully leveraging Miratech’s R&D4Equity Program, including Plants Map, 8dates, and Cutting Edge, also presented their companies to the panel of investors and technology experts.
The theme of the conference, Value Innovation, covered individual presentations, breakout sessions, and one-on-one meetings. Andy Hunder, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Ukraine, hosted the event and welcomed the attendees.
Valeriy Kutsyy, CEO, Miratech, followed with opening remarks stating, “Today M-FORCE is more than a conference, it is the cornerstone of a Value Innovation ecosystem for Miratech clients, partners, and friends.”
The event was then kicked off with the keynote speaker Pavlo Sheremeta, Minister of Economic Development and Trade of Ukraine (2014). Sheremeta spoke about “Value Innovation from a public and private enterprise perspective”, bringing his personal experience from working with Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne, the authors of Blue Ocean Strategy. “The point of value innovation is the simultaneous pursuit of differentiation AND low cost”, said Sheremeta.
Pavlo’s presentation was followed by a panel discussion about “How Innovation Happens”, in which he also took part, along with Dan Pasko, Co-Managing Partner, Diligent Capital Partners, Oddgeir Hansen, COO, Axactor, and Michael Smith, CMO, Miratech as moderator. The M-FORCE18 Kyiv panel discussion focused on the changes companies need to make to pursue Value Innovation.
After a networking lunch, the conference continued with breakout sessions that included:
- Crypro Crowd Funding – New Opportunities for Value Innovation Projects by Andre Guedel, Head of International Headquarters, KPMG Switzerland
- Value Innovation at Philips, Case Study by Frank Nijsten, Digital Innovation Project Manager, Philips
- Value Innovation in Action: R&D4Equity for Inhavo by Alex Kaplun, Executive Board Member, Inhavo
- Value Innovation in Action: R&D4Equity for Plants Map by Bill Blevins, CEO, Plants Map
The Kyiv event culminated with Mirafest, celebrating the company’s 29th anniversary. With over 500 attendees, the pop art themed event burst in bright colors and bold prints as the guests danced on into the late hours of the night.
M-FORCE18 New York is scheduled for September 26-27, 2018. The event begins with Pitch Day in partnership with Rise New York at their facility in the heart of New York startup scene, and continues the following day with general and breakout sessions focused on Value Innovation. The event sponsors include Oracle Financial Services and Eccentex.
To learn more about tickets and pricing, please click here. Tickets are limited. Those interested may reserve their space now via the online registration form here.
