Agency for Strategic Initiatives

What Agency for Strategic Initiatives does

Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI / Агентство стратегических инициатив, АСИ) is a federal executive body of the Russian Federation, established in 2012 and headquartered at 119002, Moscow, Arbat, 16/2 bld. 1. It functions as a non-commercial strategic coordination agency and is wholly funded through the Russian federal government budget, employing approximately 49 staff and operating nationwide across all federal districts plus selected international engagements in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Its mandate covers regional development, social programs, investment climate improvement, and quality of life enhancement across all Russian regions.

ASI's operational portfolio combines digital platforms, national assessment tools, frameworks, and physical infrastructure. Core platforms include Smarteka (a dynamic knowledge base for exchanging effective regional governance practices among federal and regional executive bodies), the Regional Dashboard (digital monitoring and analytics for quality of life and investment indicators), the crowd platform идея.россконгресс.рф (over 600,000 registered participants and 120,000+ ideas submitted), and the Boiling Points (Точки кипения) network of 177 co-working and event venues in 70 regions and Kazakhstan (52 urban, 48 university, 60 business, 17 Hi-tech). National assessment frameworks comprise the Annual National Investment Climate Rating, the Annual National Quality of Life Rating, the Regional Standard for Creative Industries Development 2.0 (implemented in 73 regions), the Business Public Capital Standard (an ESG-style verification system with 15 pilot regions), and the 'Horizon 2040' strategic foresight model.

ASI serves four primary segments at no charge: project leaders and entrepreneurs (mentorship, funding facilitation, scaling support); regional government bodies of Russian Federation subjects (benchmarks, dashboards, practice exchange); Russian businesses and corporations (sustainability standards, creative industry integration); and NGOs and social groups (the 'Open for All' inclusive business community). Commercial revenue does not apply — all services are free — and the agency's go-to-market relies on direct government-to-government engagement, the annual 'Strong Ideas for a New Time' forum (mandated by Presidential Decree No. 899), the 'Know Ours' brand contest (~50,000 brands engaged), the 'People Change the Country' national award (~1,000 laureates), and partnerships with Roscongress Fund, VEB.RF, the Federation Council, the Ministry of Economic Development, the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly, Sberbank, Wildberries, Ozon, Skolkovo, ANO Public Capital, and Rossotrudnichestvo.

Name

Agency for Strategic Initiatives

Legal name

Агентство стратегических инициатив

Website

https://asi.ru

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) is a Russian federal executive body, founded in 2012, that coordinates strategic initiatives across Russian regions through digital platforms (Smarteka, crowd platform, Regional Dashboard), a 177-venue Boiling Points network, and national assessment tools, serving project leaders, regional governments, businesses, and communities free of charge under federal budget funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Moscow

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

The Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) is a Russian federal government agency that coordinates strategic initiatives across Russian regions. It operates knowledge-sharing platforms such as the Smarteka best practices repository and the Regional Dashboard, maintains a network of 177 co-working venues (Boiling Points), and administers national rankings (Investment Climate, Quality of Life). It also runs the annual 'Strong Ideas for a New Time' crowdsourcing forum and supports project leaders through mentorship, scaling programs, and federal-level matchmaking. All services are provided free of charge to regional governments, businesses, project leaders, and citizens.

Product overview

Agency for Strategic Initiatives (ASI) operates as a strategic development organization rather than a traditional product company, managing a portfolio of platforms, programs, and assessment frameworks. The core offerings include: the Smarteka platform for regional practice exchange, the Boiling Points network of collaborative venues, the Angelinа Braille reader service, and the Regional Dashboard for monitoring. ASI also administers national assessment tools (Investment Climate and Quality of Life ratings), implements the Regional Standard for Creative Industries, and coordinates the annual Strong Ideas Forum via its crowdsourcing platform. Additionally, the agency supports the Business Public Capital Standard framework and runs initiatives like the New National Brand project. These products function as interconnected tools for Russia's strategic development across regional governance, investment climate, creative industries, and social initiatives.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Смартека (Smarteka): Platform for exchange of effective regional management practices
• Точки кипения (Boiling Points)
• Страну меняют люди
• Открыто для всех
• Знай наших

Products and services

• Smarteka Platform (Смартека) Centralized platform for exchanging effective regional management practices among Russian regional authorities, federal bodies, and working groups, providing a dynamic knowledge base for systematic identification, verification, evaluation, and dissemination of regional best practices.
• Boiling Points Network (Точки кипения) Network of 177 co-working and event venues across 70 regions of Russia and Kazakhstan, including urban, university, business, and Hi-tech format locations, providing free equipped spaces for team collaboration, project acceleration, and events supporting technological development.
• Regional Dashboard (Региональный дашборд) Digital monitoring and analytics platform providing regional executive bodies with performance tracking against national quality of life, investment climate, and development indicators across Russian regions.
• Idea.Crowd Platform (идея.росконгресс.рф) Online crowdsourcing platform for the Strong Ideas for a New Time forum, where Russian citizens aged 16+ submit project ideas for evaluation by expert councils. Over 600,000 registered participants and 120,000+ ideas submitted cumulatively.
• National Investment Climate Rating Annual national ranking system evaluating regional investment climate conditions across Russian regions, measuring regulatory environment, infrastructure, and business support mechanisms. Top 20 presented at major economic forums.
• National Quality of Life Rating Comprehensive annual assessment system for regional quality of life conditions, tracking indicators across healthcare, education, social protection, and living environment across Russian regions.
• Regional Standard for Creative Industries Development 2.0 Updated regional framework including 14 development steps for creative industries with investment attraction tools and intellectual property protection mechanisms, covering all 16 creative industry directions. 73 Russian regions implementing as of 2025.
• Business Public Capital Standard (Стандарт общественного капитала бизнеса) Unified framework for assessing business public capital including environmental impact, social responsibility, and corporate governance effectiveness. Provides third-party verification through certified audit organizations such as DRT Group and Kept. Piloted in 15 regions.
• New National Brand Project (Новый национальный бренд)

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 120,000 ideas submitted through the crowd platform with ~600,000 registered participants
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability12 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

19 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Council of the Federation of the Federal Assembly of Russia (Совет Федерации)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Signatory of the agreement for conducting Days of Creative Economy. The Council's Commission for Development of Creative Industries and Folk Arts Crafts co-chairs the initiative with ASI, bringing legislative support and parliamentary expertise.
• Ministry of Economic Development of Russia (Минэкономразвития России)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Signatory of the agreement for conducting Days of Creative Economy. Contributes economic policy expertise and coordinates creative economy development within national economic strategy.
• CIS Interparliamentary Assembly (Межпарламентская Ассамблея СНГ)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 June 2026Signatory of the agreement for conducting Days of Creative Economy. Provides international dimension, particularly for CIS country integration in creative industries development.
• Sberbank (Сбер)coreTechnology or Integration · 4 June 2026Technology partner for the 'Technological Heritage' project, providing AI technologies to create digital AI-images of scientists based on data submitted to the project. Also serves as a business council member for the New National Brand project.
• Republic of Mordovia (Республика Мордовия)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 December 2024Mentor region under tri-party agreement with ASI and Kherson Oblast. Mordovia provides expertise in quality of life improvement, healthcare, education, and social development. Signed December 2024. Mordovia leads in national quality of life and investment climate rankings.
• Lipetsk Oblast (Липецкая область)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 November 2024Mentor region under tri-party agreement with ASI and DNR. Lipetsk Oblast, already DNR's patron region, now also serves as mentor for implementing ASI initiatives in investment climate and quality of life improvement. DNR also signed the Regional Standard for Creative Industries.
• Uzbekistan — various ministries and companiesminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 April 2024Through the ASI 'Go Global' initiative, Russian companies in robotics and IT successfully engaged with Uzbekistan counterparts at 'Innoprom. Central Asia' exhibition in Tashkent. Partnerships established with Uzbekistan Emergencies Ministry, Healthcare Ministry, and industrial clusters.
• Roscongress Fund (Фонд Росконгресс)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2022Co-organizer of the annual 'Strong Ideas for a New Time' forum. The Roscongress Fund provides the crowd platform infrastructure (идея.росконгресс.рф) and event management capabilities. ASI and Roscongress have co-organized the forum annually since its Presidential mandate in 2022.
• VEB.RF (ВЭБ.РФ)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 December 2022Co-organizer of the 'Strong Ideas for a New Time' forum. VEB.RF contributes strategic development expertise and serves as co-chair of the forum's organizational committee through its leadership.
• Rossotrudnichestvo (Россотрудничество)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 July 2022Strategic partner for international promotion of Russian educational projects. Quarterly joint reviews of ASI projects for promotion through Russian Houses ('Русский дом') abroad. Collaboration covers education, career guidance, and Russian language teaching across CIS, Middle East, and other regions.
• WildberriescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness Council member for the 'New National Brand' project, contributing retail market expertise and distribution channels for Russian brands developed under the project.
• OzonminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMentor partner in the 'New National Brand' accelerator program, providing e-commerce expertise and platform access for participating brands.
• Skolkovo School of Management (Школа управления «Сколково»)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMentor partner providing management education expertise and mentorship to teams in the 'New National Brand' accelerator program.
• VEB.RFflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the 'Strong Ideas for a New Time' forum and supporter of the 'Technological Heritage' project. Vladimir Pozner (Deputy Head of Presidential Administration) chairs the forum's organizational committee.
• Government of the Republic of Uzbekistan Agency for Strategic Development and ReformsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerIn November 2025, ASI and the Uzbekistan Agency for Strategic Development and Reforms approved a cooperation roadmap for 2026, covering creative industries, investment climate, and regional development practices.
• ANO 'Public Capital' (АНО «Общественный капитал»)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerOperator of the Business Public Capital Standard, established jointly by ASI and Moscow Government. ANO Public Capital develops methodology, maintains the verifier registry, and coordinates ESG-standard implementation across Russian companies.
• Educational Union (Обрсоюз)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for selecting best practices in video game integration in education. Jointly organized project sessions on 'serious games' development with gamedesigners, educators, and psychologists.
• Neva Ecological Operator (Невский экологический оператор)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTesting partner for production of construction materials from contaminated paper and mycelium. ASI-supported project in St. Petersburg on circular economy materials uses Neva Ecological Operator's secondary raw materials.
• Ascona (Аскона)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness Council member for the 'New National Brand' project. Founder Vladimir Sedov is a member of the project's business council, contributing expertise in building Russian brand identity and international competitiveness.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Skolkovo Foundation: Russian federal development institution supporting innovation ecosystems. Comparable to ASI in serving as a state-backed platform for project acceleration, regional innovation development, and ecosystem-building across Russian regions.
• Roscongress Foundation: Russian federal events and convention foundation and ASI's co-organizer for the 'Strong Ideas for New Time' forum. Operates the crowd platform infrastructure (идея.росконгресс.рф) that powers ASI's idea submission funnel.
• Nesta: UK innovation foundation that designs and runs experiments, conducts research, and supports innovative projects. Comparable to ASI's role as an intermediary between government, business, and society to back strategic initiatives and pilot innovative programs.
• Rossotrudnichestvo: Russian federal agency for international cultural and educational cooperation and ASI's named partner. Comparable scope as a state agency for soft-power promotion of Russian projects abroad through quarterly joint reviews and Russian Houses infrastructure.

Broad incumbents

• United Nations Development Programme (UNDP): Global UN network supporting national development strategies, including citizen engagement and regional development. Comparable in mandate to coordinate multi-stakeholder development initiatives at scale across geographies.
• VEB.RF: Russian state development institution. Co-organizes the Strong Ideas forum with ASI and provides strategic development expertise; broader than ASI in financial scope but adjacent in federal strategic development mandate.

Emerging players

• NORCE Norwegian Research Centre: Government-affiliated research organization supporting regional innovation and foresight studies. Comparable to ASI in operating across regional contexts with research-driven policy support and convening functions.

Regional players

• Centre for Strategic Futures (Singapore): Singapore government unit under the Prime Minister's Office focused on long-term strategic foresight and scenario planning. Functionally aligned with ASI's Horizon 2040 strategic foresight model and its cross-government convening role.
• UK Government Office for Science: UK government body providing scientific advice to the Prime Minister and coordinating cross-government science strategy. Comparable to ASI in serving as a federal executive body that convenes expertise to inform national strategy and policy.

Others

• World Economic Forum: International organization for public-private cooperation that convenes governments, business, and civil society to shape global agendas. Comparable as a convening platform that bridges citizen/industry ideas with head-of-state attention, similar to ASI's Strong Ideas forum.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/agency-for-strategic-initiatives

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Agency for Strategic Initiatives