“Cofounder” for Startups: Sberbank and Chinese Universities to Help Aspiring Entrepreneurs
Sberbank is launching a digital assistant for aspiring technology entrepreneurs. Kofaunder runs on GigaChat and helps users move from an idea to a working startup. Leading Asian universities will provide educational support.
Today, it is possible to launch a technology project practically from scratch, but an idea alone is not enough. Entrepreneurs need to understand who will use the future product, what business needs it will address, test their hypotheses, build an initial version, work out a business model and, ultimately, pitch the project to investors. For someone just starting out, that process can be overwhelming, especially without a team or previous experience.
Sber has decided to move some of that complex work into a digital format. At the Moscow Startup Summit, the company announced Kofaunder (Cofounder), an AI assistant for people just starting to build a technology business.
The service is built around GigaChat, Sber’s educational materials and expertise from leading Asian universities. One of them is the School of Management at Fudan University, which is helping develop the educational component of the project.
From Idea to First Prototype
Kofaunder is designed as a digital partner that guides users through different stages of building a startup. The first step is to work through the idea: formulate it, define the problem the future product should solve and test whether businesses actually need it.
The entrepreneur can then move on to building the product and learn vibe coding, an approach in which AI helps write code and assemble digital solutions based on the user’s prompts.
The next step is a full-fledged prototype, which can be built using GigaStudio. Kofaunder can then help prepare a presentation for investors and potential customers. For people just testing the waters in business, this creates a way to go from an idea to a prototype without major upfront costs or the fear of making a costly mistake.
Collaboration Drives Innovation
Education is a separate part of the project. The assistant will not simply guide users through a dialogue – it will also give them access to a library of expert resources. Based on a specific topic, it will assemble a selection of video lectures and analytical articles prepared with contributions from Sber specialists and its educational partners. As a result, users who successfully build a startup will be able to receive an official educational certificate from partner universities.
The School of Management at Fudan University was among the first institutions to support the project’s educational component. Lu Xiongwen, dean of the School of Management, said the joint project is intended to combine China’s practical experience in science and technology innovation with educational programs for Russian professionals.
“Education connects us to the future, and collaboration drives innovation,” Lu Xiongwen said. According to him, the partners are developing specialized courses that will help prepare a new generation of Russian professionals in technology innovation.
What It Means for Russia and China
The project strengthens economic ties between the two countries. Trade between Russia and China is growing, and an increasing share of transactions is being conducted in national currencies. The partnership extends beyond raw-material trade: the two sides are also developing projects in high technology and investment.
With Kofaunder, cooperation between the two countries is built directly into the product. Users get a Russian AI platform and Sber’s educational environment, supplemented by knowledge from Chinese universities.
The project also shows how Russian digital platforms are reaching beyond the country’s borders, not only through technology exports but also through educational initiatives. If Kofaunder proves effective, similar programs could expand to other countries as well. That could be particularly relevant in markets where interest in technology entrepreneurship is growing and there is demand for accessible tools that can help people launch startups.
