Sber, one of the largest technological companies in Russia, has announced the launch of a new wave of Sber500, an international accelerator program designed to support technology entrepreneurs from around the world.
In 2021 Russian venture market exceeded a record $3 billion. The new wave of Sber500 is part of the bank’s efforts to foster innovation and support the growth of new technologies. Sber is actively extending its reach in the global technology and innovation space through the education of aspiring entrepreneurs and offering support to operating technology businesses.
Like last year, Sber has extended its geographic remit beyond Russia as it prepares to receive applications for its fourth cohort in 2023. Sber will provide participating entrepreneurs with access to a range of resources and support, including funding, mentorship, and access to a global network of industry experts. Registration for the program is open until 14 February 2023.
According to Sber, projects eligible for participation in the accelerator should develop solutions in one of the following fields: Advertising and Marketing (AdTech & MarTech), Geo-targeting and Mapping, Logistics, Machine Vision, MedTech, Web 3.0, Cybersecurity, ESG, etc. This year, projects with Artificial Intelligence (AI), Meta-verse and DeFi solutions will get an additional mentorship support and the chance to integrate their solutions into Sber products. The main criteria for the six-week program entail projects having an MVP (minimum viable product), a team and first sales.