# Alexey Kalenchuk

> Alexey Kalenchuk’s writing on digital creative industries, technology, and projects.

- [Author profile](https://kalench.uk/en/about/), updated 2026-09-15

Technology project development across digital creative industries: from advertising, media, and video games to generative AI, computer graphics, and XR.

Alexey Kalenchuk works at the intersection of technology, capital, and industry markets. At the Skolkovo Foundation, he develops technology companies and initiatives across digital creative industries. He is also an expert for the Media Technology Cluster of the Moscow Innovation Cluster Foundation (MIC).

His focus includes launching pilots, evaluating technology solutions, identifying product hypotheses, attracting grants and investment, and using support measures, including tax incentives. His approach is technology-first: understand what actually works, where the solution has a strong technical core, and which market can give it scale.

Alexey is the author of Dive In, an expert blog about technology, media, games, XR, and AI. Dive In previously also existed as a podcast.

## Speaker and moderator

Talks and moderated discussions on gaming, digital creative industries, and technology. Conference record, organizer materials, and a downloadable PDF profile.

- [Speaker and moderator profile](https://kalench.uk/en/speaker/), updated 2026-10-10
- [Expert and speaker profile PDF](https://kalench.uk/assets/docs/alexey-kalenchuk-expert-speaker-moderator-profile-en.pdf)

## Clusters

- advertising, marketing, and AdTech
- media, content, and new communication formats
- video games and gamedev
- generative AI, LLMs, and AI tools
- generative graphics, CG, and virtual production
- technology entrepreneurship, investment, grants, and support measures
- corporate pilots, technology scouting, and tech due diligence
- XR: VR, AR, MR
- immersive media and interactive formats

## Public sources

- [Skolkovo Foundation: Alexey Kalenchuk tag](https://sk.ru/news/tag/aleksei-kalenchuk/): A curated media-center archive of news, interviews, and mentions.
- [Skolkovo: Media Technology Cluster and the Center for Digital Creative Industries](https://sk.ru/news/v-skolkovo-otkrylas-vtoraya-ochered-kreativnogo-klastera-klaster-mediatehnologij/): Skolkovo Foundation Board Chairman Sergey Perov describes the Center for Digital Creative Industries’ role in connecting technology teams with major industry customers and developing acceleration programmes.
- [Skolkovo: virtual media production in the Arctic](https://sk.ru/news/uchastnik-skolkovo-razvernul-kompleks-virtualnogo-media-proizvodstva-v-zapolyare/): Commentary on the Camix Vision deployment at Yamal Media, accessible virtual production for regional broadcasters, and technology maturity in a live production environment.
- [Forbes: 30 most valuable Runet companies — 2026](https://www.forbes.ru/rating/556110-30-samyh-dorogih-kompanij-runeta-2026-rejting-forbes): Forbes ranking that explicitly mentions Alexey Kalenchuk in its “About the ranking” section.
- [ComNews Who Is Who: Alexey Kalenchuk](https://whoiswho.comnews.ru/person/2390/kalenchuk-aleksey-pavlovich): Public professional profile with a short biography and current role.
- [CNews: Alexey Kalenchuk](https://www.cnews.ru/book/%D0%9A%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%87%D1%83%D0%BA_%D0%90%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BA%D1%81%D0%B5%D0%B9): Aggregated CNews profile with publications and mentions in the technology agenda.
- [St. Petersburg Technopark: Alexey Kalenchuk](https://spbtech.ru/tekhnopark-sankt-peterburga/biznes-inkubator/rezidentura/mentory/tproduct/111739814602-aleksei-kalenchuk): Business Incubator mentor profile covering AR/VR, New Media, Entertainment, pilot launches, grants, and tech due diligence.
- [HSE: technology project mentors](https://fest.hse.ru/mentors): HSE mentor listing highlighting accelerators, VR/AR, CG/FX, New Media, and GameDev expertise.
- [RBC: technology and creativity for export](https://amp.rbc.ru/rbcnews/business/22/07/2026/6a5f22749a7947bad703ecfc): Commentary on video games, generative AI, CG, and immersive technologies as part of the export potential of creative industries.
- [RIA Novosti: Skolkovo interactive technologies](https://ria.ru/20251204/kompaniya-2059855829.html): Commentary on Russian solutions for interactive content, avatars, motion capture, and virtual production.
- [RBC Trends: VR and AR](https://trends.rbc.ru/trends/industry/64f1f96d9a7947f0dabbc2c6): Expert interview on the VR/AR market, immersion, and user scenarios.
- [Kommersant: Metaverse — hype or reality?](https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/5089565): Commentary on metaverses, immersive interfaces, VR/AR, 3D content, and asset exchange between virtual worlds.
- [Kommersant: VR industry challenges](https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4187698): Feature on the Russian VR market after the investment boom, with expert commentary on industry development.
- [JetInfo: VR in industry](https://www.jetinfo.ru/interviews/esli-v-vr-nachinaetsya-toshnota-brosajte-kamni-v-razrabotchika/): Interview on tracking, training simulations, user experience, and information security in VR/AR.
- [Rossiyskaya Gazeta: VR and neurointerfaces in education](https://rg.ru/2021/03/07/nejrointerfejs-pomozhet-shkolnikam-luchshe-uchitsia.html): Commentary on the use of VR and neurointerfaces in educational scenarios.
- [APRIORI: Russian game industry IT landscape](https://apriori.games/news/it_landscape_itresearch/): Research by IRI, APRIORI, and Skolkovo on AI, engines, platforms, and services used by Russian game studios.

## Appearances and projects

- [Digital Solutions 2026: More than a game](https://форумцифровыерешения.рф/program/18/): Speaker at a session on how video games shape business, education, cities, and the creative economy, October 10, 2026.
- [Startup Village: Alexey Kalenchuk](https://startupvillage.ru/en/speakers/aleksei-kalenchuk): Startup Village speaker profile.
- [Roscongress: Alexey Kalenchuk](https://roscongress.ru/speakers/kalenchuk-aleksey/): Speaker profile in the Roscongress Foundation database.
- [Kommersant Events: Alexey Kalenchuk](https://events.kommersant.ru/people/aleksej-kalenchuk/): Speaker profile for Kommersant events, including a Web 3.0 roundtable at FINOPOLIS.
- [Strana Industriya: Alexey Kalenchuk](https://industrytv.ru/series/aleksey_kalenchuk/): Video episode with a biographical note and a conversation on innovation, VR/AR, the game industry, and new media.
- [KRI 2026](https://kri.dev/): Speaker at the video game developers conference.
- [Moscow Industrial Media Forum](https://xn--h1ahb6a.xn--p1ai/): Speaker at a forum on media, interactive technologies, and digital content.
- [PLAYPORT FEST 2025](https://playport.org/fest): Speaker at the international game industry festival.
- [WN Hub: Game Industry Conference, Moscow 2024](https://wnhub.io/event-info/iiconfmsk24): Speaker at a conference on the video game market, development, publishing, and investment.
- [Data Economy: Game Industry working group](https://d-economy.ru/wg/games/): Participant in a working group focused on video game industry development.
- [Apple Podcasts: Dive In](https://podcasts.apple.com/ru/podcast/%D0%BD%D1%8B%D1%80%D1%8F%D0%B5%D0%BC/id1572472570): Archive of the VR podcast about technology, pop culture, and future-facing projects.
- [MAVE: Dive In](https://letsdivein.mave.digital/): Dive In podcast hub with episodes, RSS, and platform links.
- [Yandex Music: Dive In](https://music.yandex.ru/album/16295556): Dive In podcast page on Yandex Music.

## Official links

- [Telegram](https://t.me/letsdivein)
- [TenChat](https://tenchat.ru/0545604)
- [VK](https://vk.ru/ior_um)
- [LinkedIn](https://ru.linkedin.com/in/kalenchuk)

## Publications

- [🙏 Bond in the cloud, at the push of a button](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-820/): First impressions of Fog Play: three hours with 007 First Light, its attention to detail, and more than eight hours of cloud gaming over Wi‑Fi.
- [Winamp is coming back! 🎧](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-819/): A new Winamp is promised for the first half of 2027, combining subscription streaming powered by Deezer with local files, radio and podcasts.
- [Steam Frame: plenty to play 🎮](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-818/): Great on Frame now lists more than 130 VR and conventional games and apps. Is that enough to make Steam Frame a hit?
- [IGROPROM: my unfiltered impressions](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-817/): Indie games, pitching, cosplay and candid conversations with developers about support, Steam wishlists and getting to market.
- [An AI Tamagotchi 🎁](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-816/): Meta has unveiled Muse Charm, a pocket-sized home for its Muse AI agent. But do we really need another device to carry and charge?
- [Amazon won't let AI agents shop 🖕](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-813/): Amazon has blocked Meta's Muse shopping agent from its marketplace. What does that mean for shopping through AI?
- [Meta VR Glasses: 100 grams and the same old question — why? 🤔](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-814/): Meta's new VR glasses weigh about 100 grams, but the processor and battery sit in a separate wired unit. A look at the specs and the reasons to use them.
- [Vivat GabeN! ❤️](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-810/): The main intrigue for me has been removed: Valve has ported Half-Life: Alyx to ARM. Now you can play it directly on Steam Frame, offline, without a gaming computer.
- [Marketplaces — the ‘ Old Russian Post’ of the Future 📦](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-801/): Our series about AI gradually taking over the internet has a new episode — this time about online retail.
- [The brain of a fly is taught to play Beat Saber. Why? 🪰](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-798/): Scientists have mapped the Drosophila nervous system - more than 166 thousand neurons and about 125 million connections. And enthusiasts have found a use for it: teaching a brain model to play Bitsaber.
- [The sign on the vibecoding coworking space: ENOUGH! 🤗](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-797/): Attended VK Play Day - a meeting of developers with the VK Play and VK Tech teams. I recorded for you a fragment of a speech by the head of VK Play, Alexander Mikheev, in which he talks about how games will go beyond the boundaries of the site itself.
- [GoPro is done! 🪦](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-796/): GoPro has signed a merger agreement with Starman Optical and plans to expand into equipment for AI data centres. A farewell to the action-camera legend — and a lesson in business strategy.
- [Vibe coding: a new source of dopamine 🤤](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-793/): Meta has launched Pocket in the US, an app with an endless feed of interactive content that users create from prompts.
- [How to choose tax incentives and grants for game developers in Russia? 🤔](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-789/): If your studio has been releasing games for several years and has steady revenue, then support measures may seem like something from the world of startups, grants and accelerators. But for an existing business, tax breaks often provide the greatest effect.
- [A ballet slasher gets an orchestral trailer! 🎹](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-788/): WATT Studio has released an orchestral trailer for the action-adventure game TSAREVNA. Age of Tales, featuring Alexander Billion’s “The Tsarevna’s Theme” performed by the Opensound orchestra under Stanislav Malyshev.
- [Gaming Technology and the Creative Economy](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/igrovye-tekhnologii-kreativnaya-ekonomika/): Alexey Kalenchuk’s expertise in digital creative industries, game development, VR, and technology ecosystems.
- [Lenovo is winding down XR in the US. Another alarm bell? 😱](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-779/): According to Skarred Ghost, Lenovo is shutting down its US XR division and changing course. Instead of corporate VR/AR solutions, the company is going to rely on consumer wearable devices with AI under the Motorola brand.
- [Anduril showed off remarkably compact AR glasses—but much remains unclear 🤔](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-778/): Palmer Luckey is teasing us again. The Oculus and Anduril founder appeared in unusual glasses and said they offer full AR, a wide field of view, and colour stereoscopic imagery.
- [Sony will stop releasing games on discs from 2028 🌐](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/sony-ntv-no-disk/): The company was the first to announce a specific deadline for phasing out physical releases. Sony fanboys are, to put it mildly, unhappy about the decision. But why did the Japanese company take this step?
- [Russian game development after the shake-up: past, present, and future 🔃](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/kri-gamedev-skolkovo/): On June 26, KRI, Russia’s game developers conference, will take place in Moscow. I invite everyone to a panel discussion that I will moderate. This session is for those who want a clear picture of the market after its recent restructuring—not an abstract debate about its future.
- [Video games are the new soft power 💪](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-770/): Last week I had the opportunity to speak in Khanty-Mansiysk at the VIII International Conference “Information and Communication in the Digital Age,” which was held as part of the IT Forum and the UNESCO Information for All program.
- [🚗 Steam Machine — do we even need it?](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-771/): Pre-orders for the new Steam Machine have opened in Russia at an eye-watering price of almost RUB 200,000. Yet most buyers are likely to use grey-market imports, marketplaces, or friends abroad, just as they did with the Steam Deck.
- [Seeking game companies for a $1 million investment 🛰](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-761/): Private investment in the game industry is difficult to secure, especially on reasonable terms. A group of investors is now seeking operating game companies with revenue and at least a modest profit.
- [Make Skyrim 💁🐉](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-756/): Remind me when the Internet admired Gopnik flying on a magic carpet among Russian apartment blocks? Not even a year has passed since we discussed Genie 3—and now a new hero has entered the scene.
- [👮 AI-powered police glasses with facial recognition are being tested in China](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-759/): Surveillance cameras have long been part of city life. Now the camera and access to databases are moving directly onto an officer’s face, enabling real-time identification and background checks on the spot.
- [🏃‍♂️ Fontanka reports: Roblox is now working without restrictions in Russia](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-755/): We predicted Roblox’s return six months ago. However, press releases and public discussion still contain no information about moving its infrastructure to Russia.
- [An LLM can decide your fate—literally, though only in a game for now ❤](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-753/): Fabula Rasa Dead Man Talking is a VR experience in which you face execution in a medieval square and must convince a witch, bard, executioner, and other characters to speak in your defense.
- [Meta is laying off employees again 👥](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-751/): Every time I read a headline about layoffs at Zuckerberg’s company, I subconsciously expect that the long-suffering VR/metaverse division has been put out in the cold again. This time the cuts are spread across the board: 8,000 people will be laid off, 7,000 reassigned to AI, and 6,000 roles left unfilled.
- [Russian indie game The Ballad of a True Thug is out on Steam 🎮](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-750/): Congratulations to the team of brave young developers on their long-awaited release! 😏
- [Following up on my CIPR 2026 video updates 🤨](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-745/): One of the sessions I moderated at CIPR focused on AdTech and autonomous demand. Here are several figures that are exciting—and may be shocking to some.
- [🗓 CIPR 2026 will take place in Nizhny Novgorod on May 18–21](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-740/): In recent weeks, my attention has been focused on the Digitalization of Industrial Russia conference. I will be there to moderate two sessions—one on autonomous demand in AdTech and another on components for the video game industry.
- [A factory in 10 minutes 🏭](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-739/): Industrial VR has long had an awkward problem. The vision was an engineer entering a digital factory, finding a fault, and fixing it—but first someone had to spend weeks or months building that factory in 3D.
- [Are humans no longer needed? ❔](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-737/): DeepMind alumnus David Silver raised $1.1 billion to launch a new AI startup, Ineffable Intelligence. An impressive amount will go towards solving a huge task: creating artificial intelligence that can learn without human data.
- [✈️ A pilot died while filming for Apple Vision Pro](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/telegram-letsdivein-735/): What is striking about this story is not only the tragedy itself but the logic of the genre—immersive media promises audiences safe risk while the people making it may face very real danger.

## Channels

- [English homepage](https://kalench.uk/en/)
- [More posts](https://kalench.uk/en/posts/)
- [Author profile](https://kalench.uk/en/about/)
- [Speaker and moderator](https://kalench.uk/en/speaker/)
- [RSS](https://kalench.uk/en/feed.xml)
- [Русская версия](https://kalench.uk/ru/)