“SAP certification may help Russian startups enter completely new markets and access our enormous client base”

When multinational corporations work with small startups, it’s always a two-way process, believes Andrej Bievetski, managing director of SAP Labs in the CIS, the local R&D arm of the German software giant. Bievetski, who has been working for SAP for 17 years, took over the running of SAP Labs in March, and a major part of his job now is fostering collaboration with innovative companies.

In a recent interview with Sk.ru, the news portal of the Skolkovo tech hub, Bievetski explained what both sides have to gain from cooperation. He concedes that, "in the local market, a small startup that no one has heard of is highly unlikely to become a contractor for major corporations: just try getting to Rosneft, Gazprom, Sberbank or VTB."

But certification by the SAP Labs in Moscow may greatly help startups, Bievetski believes.