Kirill’s 100 Days Startup Story

How I made my next job in 7 weekends

Meet Kirill. A subsea systems engineer. Ranked top 3 in Russia as he graduated from University. Promised the world from a leading construction engineering company to the oil and gas operators, Kirill came to Norway.

Last year, I faced unemployment and deportation back to Russia. I joined the 100 days Moonwalk Tomorrow challenge. Today, I have created my next job in Marine Garden — to feed the world from the oceans. Next year, I build subsea ocean farms around the globe to become the world’s biggest food producer.

I smelled what was coming. The oil and gas industry was facing a crash. And here I was: In a foreign country that built its fortunes and workforce on the oil boom. Soon, I could be out of work. And be sent home to Russia. Not my idea of a bigger future.

So I seached for options. I found a 100 days startup hatchery and accelerator and a program with support from the Norwegian University of Science & Technology.

Intrigued, yet cautious, Kirill wanted to dip his toe in. Was this a way to create his next job? A job to replace subsea engineering with new work in new fields?

100 days later, Kirill and a cohort of 43 challenge colleagues understood the challenge facing Norway better than anyone. They turned every stone and arrived at a family of startups: The only startups this group could accelerate to solve the challenge giving the resources available and the timeline going forward. The team presented 7 startups. Kirill found that several of them provided new job opportunities ahead. He already qualified for ownership in the entire portfolio. At work, things was not looking brighter. So he renewed his part-time commitment. He entered the Marine Garden team to feed the world from subsea ocean farming.

Kirill made his personal investment. And committed to work in the Marine Garden team if it was funded. In 50 days, 160 investors deposited $500,000 in the Moonwalk Tomorrow bank account. Kirill was asked to take the Director of Technology role in the Marine Garden company. As his oil company employer had just laid him off, he was ready and motivated. He had just created his next job. And so had 15 other people now entering the companies in the Moonwalk Tomorrow family.

Do you want to create your next job? Do you want to dip your toe in? Then a Moonwalk challenge might be the right thing for you. Or any other challenge where the right people join forces at the right time and for the right rerasons — to move the world forward, together.

Moonwalk Tomorrow. Mission: To build new industry adventures on the advantages of an oil & gas nation. Facts: 60 people built 4 new companies growing on 3 continents employing 20 and backed by 200 angel investors. Going cash positive in their third year. At 1/10 of the cost of traditional tech companies. Now seeking growth funding.