Alina says her Tamagotchi is still working. Really

Alina Suslova, Head of Projects of The Skolkovo Foundation, is the producer of Startup Village, the biggest startup conference in Russia. She works for the Skolkovo Innovation Center and promotes the startup community and tech entrepreneurship in her country.

She was one of the speakers at Echelon Vietnam 2016, where The Skolkovo Foundation chose two Vietnam startups whom they will fly to Moscow for Startup Village 2017.

As part of our 5 Fun Facts series of articles where we get startup founders and executives to show their lighter side, we asked Alina to answer these five fun questions.

What is one thing that is definitely on your bucket list?

Heliboarding in Kamchatka. It’s been my dream since I was 13 years old. Now I don’t have a lot of time to ride, but at least once a year I go to a ski resort. Freeriding among volcanos and wild nature must be an exceptional experience. I would like to accomplish it before I turn 30 years old, so I have plenty of time until my birthday in April 2017.

What is the oldest gadget you have that is still working?

Tamagotchi! Really — I have kept it. I would like to show it to my children. Like: “Look, your mum played with a prototype of a robot pet when she was 7.”

What is your favourite movie of all time and why?

Forrest Gump. It teaches us to be patient with people who have various kinds of disorders and how important it is to be yourself, and not to adjust to the expectations of others. The uniqueness of Forrest brought him success he couldn’t even imagine.

Which fiction book has influenced you most and why?

I have several favourite books and they are all written by Russian authors. “12 Chairs” by Ilya Ilf and Evgeny Petrov is a satirical, entertaining novel about a smart young picaresque hero, a good prototype of some modern startup founders. One phrase of the main hero — “Chairs in the morning, money in the evening” — is really good advice that I keep in mind during business negotiations. It means: be concise and concrete in your terms.

If you could travel back in time, where would you like to go or whom would you like to meet?

I really would like to meet my ancestors from six generations back. I know the story only up until my great grandparents. I am interested to know where they lived, what they did, what kind of people they were.
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Thanks, Alina, for sharing those 5 Fun Facts!

Hey, e27 Community, which startup founder or executive would you like us to feature next? Sound off in the comments!

The post 5 Fun Facts: The Skolkovo Foundation’s Alina Suslova on heliboarding, Tamagotchi and Forrest Gump appeared first on e27.