PJSC Sberbank : Sber youth accelerators now accepting applications for AI track

For Student Day in Russia, the SberZ (for grades 8-11 and students at vocational schools) and SberStudent (for undergraduates, postgraduates, and research fellows at universities) accelerator programs have launched an additional track for young people interested in artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

In addition to the basic program on creating a tech startup, participants in the AI track will be able to take a specialized course on AI and take their project to the business results stage together with experts in the field. The track was designed in collaboration with the Artificial Intelligence Academy for Teens created by Sberbank Charitable Foundation Investment to the Future.

The SberZ and SberStudent acceleration consist of three steps lasting a total of eight months. In the first stage, participants attend online lectures and acquaint themselves with the tools for creating digital products. During this stage, participants on the AI track will learn how AI works in biometrics, targeted advertising, and medicine and how to come up with an idea for an AI startup and evaluate its prospects.

In the second phase, participants from the main program and the AI track form teams and work on a minimum viable product (MVP) for their startup with individual mentors from startup trackers. School and university students on the AI track can create teams both within their track and with participants from the main program. In addition to working with trackers, they will also receive personal consultations from AI Academy experts.

The teams that show the most progress during training will move on to the third stage, a demo day, where they will present their projects to Sber executives, investors, tech corporations, and rectors of Russian universities. Demo day winners will split the prize money. Additionally, winners from school teams will receive points toward the Unified State Exam and other preferences when applying to university. Winning projects by university students will receive grants from Moscow Seed Fund.

Participation is free. Neither a prepared business project, nor an idea are necessary for registration - the participants will receive help with that during the program. Applications are open until February 14, 2022.

Natalia Magidey, head of Sber's startups ecosystem:

"Artificial intelligence is one of the most relevant fields of technology among young entrepreneurs. Sber's 2021 youth accelerators showed that around 20% of participants use AI in their projects. As part of the new track, school and university students will gain advanced knowledge from experts and immediately apply it in practice, using it to create their own business. Sber continues to support graduates once the programs are over - in negotiations with investors, the integration of youth solutions into Sber and partner corporations' products, the promotion of startup founders' personal brand, and their participation in conferences and other events promoting entrepreneurship."

Pyotr Polozhevets, executive director, Sberbank Charitable Foundation Investment to the Future:

"Artificial intelligence is one of the most important technologies in use in modern business. It creates opportunities for the development of innovative solutions in absolutely different areas. I hope that the accelerator and our joint AI track will help participants implement projects that will broaden the experience of using AI not only in business, but also in everyday life."

SberZ is a nationwide acceleration program for students in grades 8-11 and students of vocational schools designed to develop their entrepreneurial skills. The students gain specialized knowledge and create startup projects under the guidance of mentors. The program is part of the "Best Teams" list, and participants present their startups at a demo day, receiving cash prizes, extra points on the Unified State Exam, and other preferences for university admission. In 2021, 14,000 school students from 85 Russian regions participated in the accelerator.

SberStudent is a national accelerator for undergraduate students, postgraduate students, and research fellows. The participants complete online courses on technological entrepreneurship from Stanford Online and then create their own startups. The best teams present their ideas at a demo day and receive the first investments in their projects. In 2021, 12,000 university students and research fellows from 85 Russian regions participated in SberStudent.

The Artificial Intelligence Academy for Teens is a national educational project established by Sberbank Charitable Foundation Investment to the Future in 2018 that receives expert support from SberAI. The goal of the project is to foster school students' interest in technology and help them develop practical skills in AI and machine learning.