Benoît Lardy, Chairman of Tsar Voyages
Opening a company in Russia is fairly straightforward.
How did you come up with the idea of setting up a French-speaking tourism business in Moscow? Benoît Lardy - I was dreaming more of Brazil. But as my wife is Russian, we decided to move to Moscow, where we set up Tsar Voyages in 2004. Our initial objective was to take expatriates to Russia. Then we opened up to other sectors, notably business travel.What is your target audience? B. L. - Above all, I would say that our real speciality is Russia, and that the boundary between business and leisure travel is becoming increasingly porous. The clubs of company directors that we bring here ask for both professional and cultural visits. For independent business travellers, we provide invitations and visa support, suitable accommodation, transfers, interpreters, meeting room hire, etc. Our intimate knowledge of the country and long-standing links with trusted local service providers enable us to do all this.What advice would you give to a French company looking to set up in Moscow? B. L. - Opening a company in Russia is fairly straightforward. There are few barriers to entry, and it's fairly easy to find premises and obtain licences. What's more, tax is reasonable. On the other hand, the accounting aspects are very onerous and end up being very costly, particularly in terms of staff. One piece of advice: rely on the local French business community, which is very dynamic and organised in Moscow. Incidentally, I've set up another company, Carré France, which offers short and medium-term coworking spaces, with a range of services, because that's exactly what I would have liked to find when I moved here.
Alexander Khanin, Director of VisionLabs, a facial and visual recognition company.
Our main customers are banks and financial institutions.
What was your background before founding VisionLabs? Alexander Khanin - In 2011, I graduated from Bauman Moscow State Technical University with a degree in robotics. I specialised in machine learning, a highly developed speciality in Russia. I learned how to build autonomous vehicles, and then wrote a thesis on automatic recognition of the road environment.How did you come up with the idea of moving into facial recognition? A. K. - After working on robotics projects, I decided to focus on a broader market, that of consumer applications. Our main customers are banks and financial institutions. We offer them our LUNA visual recognition platform, which helps prevent fraud. We also offer facial recognition services in the cloud. Most of the users of these services are retail chains, restaurants, distance learning companies, etc.What does the future of your company look like? A. K. - Our team is mainly based in Moscow, but we have also opened research units in Paris and Vienna. We have just completed a major fund-raising drive that will enable us to expand our international presence. Our plans are to develop a more global strategy, with products that can meet broader needs.www.visionlabs.ru
Hervé Mercier, Alhemer Optik, distributor of luxury and fashion optical products
Ê Being French can be an asset, as Russians are often francophiles.
What drew you to Russia and why did you decide to offer designer eyewear there? Hervé Mercier - After working for twenty years in R&D in Switzerland, my first career move was to set up a distribution network for Clic eyewear, a unique product that is very popular in Europe. With my wife, who is Russian, we had the idea of developing Clic eyewear in Russia, because we noticed that there were no distributors on Russian soil. So we set up our company in Moscow in 2011.What do you offer that's different in Russia? H. M. - Many companies offer the same kind of products and the market is saturated. Russian customers are always looking for new things. Thanks to my contacts in the world of optics, we integrated the legendary Japanese brand Matsuda. This niche of luxury and timeless design has made us a success. Then we launched the French brand Caroline Abram, which is a big hit, with its colourful, very feminine acetate glasses, as well as the SEEOO brand, made-in-Austria nose clips that have been brought up to date. The Russians are beginning to cultivate a sense of difference. They love quality and beautiful objects and don't hesitate to make small sacrifices to buy them.What are the most difficult stages in setting up a business in Russia? H. M. - The first few years were not easy, because I knew nothing about the Russian market or the language! I had to establish a network of partners, which was the most difficult stage. In France, it's easy to meet decision-makers and make immediate, reliable contacts. In Russia, it's more difficult. Often, their employees stand in the way and the websites of potential customers don't always have email addresses where you can send a message. So it's mainly through networking that you make yourself known. You have to know how to surround yourself with the right people. But being French can be an asset, as Russians are often Francophiles.www.alhemer-optik.ru
CONTENTS OF THE FILEThree professional success stories in Moscow
