PJSC Sberbank : SberZ entrepreneurship talent program opens registration for schoolchildren

SberZ - a nationwide startup accelerator for schoolchildren in grades eight through 11 and secondary specialized colleges - starts accepting entries on December 2. The accelerator will help teenagers learn the basics of technological entrepreneurship and gain 21^st century skills - teamwork, project management, leadership. They will be able to go through the entire cycle of creating their own startup, from idea generation to launch. The winners will share the prize fund, get help with the development of the project upon completion of the program, and admission preferences when applying to universities.

Acceleration will have three stages with a total duration of eight months. The first stage includes online lectures, practical exercises, acquaintance with tools for creating digital products, and a course on technology trends from eight Sber laboratories. The participants will be trained on the SberClass education platform, which allows for interactive formats in training. The speakers of the educational course will be leading Russian entrepreneurs, including the heads of companies in the Sber ecosystem.

On stage two, the participants will build teams and undergo individual and group work with mentors on their projects' MVPs (Minimum Viable Products). After that, the best teams will participate in the Demo Day, where they will present their projects to the leadership of Sber, investors and deans of Russian universities. The winners will share the prize fund, receive admission preferences and support when interacting with the investment community and potential customers.

SberZ participation is free. Registration does not require a market-ready business product or even an idea. The deadline for entries is February 14, 2022.

Herman Gref, CEO, Chairman of the Executive Board, Sberbank:

"The founders of many international corporations took their first steps in business at a very young age because young people with fresh ideas and openness to new things can see trends earlier. This ability is especially important in today's world, which is undergoing a major technological transformation. Participating in the SberZ program, high school students from any part of Russia will be able to join the world of the latest designs and meet new people valuable for their development."

Fourteen thousand schoolchildren throughout Russia participated in the program in 2021. Learn about the winning teams and see their pitches at https://demoday.sberclass.ru/.