PJSC Sberbank : Sber500 accelerator for IT entrepreneurs accepting entries

Sber500, the international accelerator organized by Sber and 500 Global (earlier known as 500 Startups), invites technology startups with a finished product and first sales to participate. This year, the coverage of the program will be increased - 500 startups will be able to go through the boot camp and 50 teams will get access to individual work with mentors from all over the world. Apply for the free program on https://sberbank-500.ru/.

The accelerator program is designed for 10 weeks and involves a detailed study of the product and business development - an immersion in marketing and sales, scaling, fundraising, and pitching:

• Stage one (an online boot camp) is the basic part of the training. Teams will work out a value proposition, learn how to build communications with different target segments, and receive feedback on their projects from mentors. Upon completion of the boot camp, 50 projects will proceed to the next stage or receive an invitation to the fast track even without completing the main accelerator program
• Stage two is the first half of the main acceleration program. Teams and their mentors test several hypotheses to find the best growth hacking opportunities. The best 25 projects will be selected for the next stage, which will end in them pitching at the Demo Day
• Stage three is the intensive offline training: workshops, individual work with mentors, and preparations for the final pitch. At this stage, the startups will meet with people from the Sber ecosystem companies, corporations, and funds to discuss potential partnerships.

Mentors and international experts with background in Silicon Valley companies will supervise all the stages.

The finalists will speak at the Demo Day, where they will present their products and vie for partnerships with companies in the Sber ecosystem and partner corporations, as well as investments from the Fort Ross Seed Fund and other funds. Graduates of the three Sber500 batches have already raised more than RUB 850 mn in investments, of which about RUB 200 mn came from Sber, and signed several hundred contracts with big companies.

Lev Khasis, first deputy chairman of the Executive Board, Sberbank:

"Sber500 is expanding its reach significantly this year. Last season, we allowed a record of 560 startups to go through the boot camp training. In the new batch, we will double the number of startups that will have access to the main part of the program, which comes with individual work with mentors and exclusive networking opportunities. The increase in coverage will allow even more startups to gain recognition - the combination of the expertise of Sber and 500 Global in the Sber500 accelerator attaches a certain seal of quality to them in the global venture market, as well as in Russia."