RVC Infrafund successfully exits from the Chelyabinsk Engineering Company RIC AiLT

RVC Infrafund has performed a successful exit from the Chelyabinsk engineering company Regional Engineering Centre for Additive and Laser Technologies, CJSC (RIC AiLT). A share of the Fund was bought by private investors, representing the company's management team as part of the existing Corporate agreement.

The investment support of engineering companies is one of the priorities of the fund. In 2014, RVC Infrafund together with private investors co-founded the company Regional Engineering Centre for Additive and Laser Technologies (RIC AiLT). The company was created with the active support of the South Ural State University (SUSU NRU) and the Russian developer and manufacturer of industrial fibre lasers IRE-Polus, LLC, a member of the International Corporation IPG Photonics.

The main activity of RIC AiLT is focused on providing engineering services in the field of technology audit, the development of modernization projects of production of industrial enterprises, as well as the provision of services in the production and supply of customized modern high-tech laser cutting equipment, welding, deposition (DMD), detonation and cold spray, and selective laser sintering (SLM), according to the project of modernization. In addition, the experts of RIC AiLT provide consulting services regarding the introduction of modern additive technologies (development of coatings structure of surfaces in order to improve the physical characteristics and service life of products, restoration of worn parts and accessories).

The company is located in Chelyabinsk. The director of RIC AiLT is Yuri Uzkikh, Ph.D., who has more than 10 years of experience in the field of modernization of the production equipment of mechanical engineering and metal of the Ural region.

The key customers of the company are enterprises of the metallurgical complex and engineering, located in the Southern Urals.

Having received support from RVC Infrafund during the seed investment round, our company over two years was able to establish business processes and sign the first contracts with a number of large enterprises of the aerospace engineering and defence industry. This ensured RIC AiLT, CJSC with financial stability, and helped us to accumulate funds to purchase the share of RVC Infrafund. We are grateful to the fund for its support, and we plan to develop on our own in the future", said Yuri Uzkikh, the General Director of RIC AiLT, JSC.

The RIC AiLT Company is a vivid example of the engineering project, in which an experienced team of engineers-entrepreneurs managed to become a link between the applied science and industry, and to turn this connection into a financially stable business. RVC Infrafund received a target yield under this transaction, inherent in the call option at the time of foundation of the company, which for us is proof of the fact that engineering companies may become successful venture projects", said Alexander Loktev, director of RVC Infrafund.

Today, the portfolio of RVC Infrafund has eight engineering companies and approximately the same number are in the process of elaboration and negotiation of conditions of participation fund.