Abstract: the purpose of the study was to study the motivation of young people to participate in startup projects. The study was conducted in the form of a survey of 19 to 25 year old young people in January 2020. As a result of the research, the respondents’ experience in project activities was evaluated, their preferred team roles were determined, as well as factors that motivate and demotivate them to participate in startups. Based on the results of the study, measures are proposed to increase the motivation of Russian youth to participate in innovation activity. The growth of innovation activity and the involvement of an increasing number of participants in it is an important task for the development of innovation activities in the Russian Federation. An effective way to develop innovation activity is to create or participate in startups – non-public companies and projects with a short history of operating activities, focused on creating a product that can be quickly scaled [4, p. 5]. In the world practice, startups have become the economic entities that move forward the development of the innovation sector. Start-ups are the generators of ideas, technologies and human capital, thanks to which it is possible to create products and services that respond to rapid changes in requests from consumers and the external environment in a short time.
Keywords: startups, innovation activity, innovation ecosystem, innovation ecosystem, motives for innovation