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January 29, 2019

Insider view: Minsk's boom in AI

Ruled since 1994 by autocratic president Alexander Lukashenko, Belarus has a curious mix of Soviet-era feel and tech entrepreneurialism.


Maija Palmer

5 min read

Minsk established a tax-free Hi Tech Park in 2005

Yury Melnichek is a Belarus-based tech entrepreneur who cofounded Maps.me and AIMatter, the neural network-based AI platform that was sold to Google in 2017. His company Bulba Ventures invests in Belarusian startups.

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Yury Melnichek says Minsk has a strong track record in AI
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