Sber has selected 25 startups to join the fourth wave of the Sber500 international accelerator, the bank’s press service reported. The chosen teams have begun an intensive six week training program designed to sharpen their capabilities, validate their technologies, and prepare them for real-world deployment. Successful graduates will gain the chance to pilot their solutions within Sberbank and a network of 30 partner institutions, with prospects for long term contracts and attracting investment based on pilot results.
During the selection process, emphasis was placed on the novelty of the solutions and their relevance to priorities shared by Sber and its partners. Alexander Vedyakhin, First Deputy Chairman of the Board of Sberbank, expressed confidence that by the end of the accelerator, participating initiatives will acquire valuable experience and knowledge from leading international experts, positively impacting their strategic development.
In total, the initiative attracted applications from 1,250 startups across 36 countries. Of these, 150 clients attended the foundational training camp, a rigorous phase that combined a series of workshops and practical tasks guided by international consultants to ensure hands-on learning. From this pool, 25 projects were selected for acceleration, representing strengths from Russia, India, and Turkey, among others, and highlighting the program’s global reach and diverse expertise.
The accelerator program will culminate with a Demo Day, a milestone event where the new participants will present their progress to Sberbank leadership, potential investors, and representatives of companies actively implementing innovative solutions. This showcase serves as a critical bridge between early development and scalable deployment, offering startups a platform to secure interested partners and to refine their value propositions in a live setting.