A new joint educational program titled “Technological Entrepreneurship” will launch in the upcoming academic year, created through a collaboration between Sberbank and RTU MIREA, the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology’s Technological University. The initiative was announced at a demo day hosted by Sber youth accelerators, highlighting the bank’s ongoing commitment to expanding hands-on opportunities in technology and business among students across Russia and beyond.
The program builds on the SberStudent accelerator model, adapting its core principles for undergraduates, graduate students, and university staff. It aims to blend rigorous academic study with real-world entrepreneurship, giving participants a pathway from classroom concepts to market-ready ventures. Training will be delivered on a full‑time basis with both budget and contract options, ensuring accessibility for a broad range of students. Applicants who have experience in project work or who have engaged with accelerator programs, including the Sber accelerator for schoolchildren, will typically have an advantage when selecting a specialization.
Curriculum elements will cover design thinking, emerging technology trends, venture capital financing, and related disciplines. The program emphasizes practical experience, with mentors drawn from active entrepreneurs and technology experts guiding students as they develop and refine their ideas. This mentorship will help participants bring their minimum viable products to a testable state and progress toward real-world implementation.
A distinctive feature of the curriculum is its innovative educational trajectory. First-year students will select a major in IT, engineering, or biochemistry and will work on their own project throughout the entire course of study. In addition, graduates will have the option to defend startups created under the Ministry of Education and Science’s program Startup as Diploma as part of their diploma work, integrating official recognition with hands-on enterprise.
Vedyakhin explained that introducing young people to technological entrepreneurship is a key element in maintaining the competitiveness of the Russian economy in the years ahead. He noted that SberStudent has already established multiple master’s and continuing education programs in IT entrepreneurship across leading universities, building a pipeline of capable founders for the broader economy.
According to the Sberbank executive, the undergraduate program, developed in close cooperation with RTU MIREA, a renowned technology university, will help popularize this field among students and broaden access to entrepreneurship education. RTU MIREA Rector Stanislav Kudzh stated that the partnership will enable the university and Sberbank to jointly advance a strong ideology and practical support for young entrepreneurs, turning innovative ideas into viable businesses. He emphasized that collaboration will guide aspiring founders from initial startup steps to eventual monetization, creating a clear pathway for student-led ventures to reach the market.