en.Wedoany.com Reported - Selectel and the National Research University ITMO (ITMO University) have jointly established a venture dedicated to developing a product platform for multi-agent systems based on large language models (LLMs). Selectel's investment in the project exceeds 1 billion rubles. The new company, named "Emergent Multi-Agent Systems" LLC (EMS), is headed by General Director Roman Venediktov.
The collaboration between Selectel and ITMO has spanned over five years. Konstantin Ansimov, Product Director at Selectel, stated that the university has extensive experience in fundamental research and applied task implementation, and the joint experience has demonstrated potential, leading to the decision to launch the joint venture. According to data from the Unified State Register of Legal Entities (EGRUL), EMS was registered in St. Petersburg on May 4, 2026. The equity distribution is two-thirds for Selectel and one-third for ITMO. A representative from Selectel's press service noted that as of July 6, 2026, Selectel holds only two-thirds of the company's shares, with changes post-transaction currently being registered, and the results are expected to be reflected in the EGRUL within a week. The new venture's team will include ITMO project groups and experienced industry experts. General Director Roman Venediktov also serves as the Executive Director of GlobalNet LLC.
ITMO will act as a key competency center, providing technological outcomes for the future industrial-grade multi-agent solutions platform. Selectel will contribute financial investment exceeding 1 billion rubles and the necessary IT infrastructure. The platform's business model is based on actual consumption of computing resources and tokens, with customers paying for the use of AI agents based on workload, scenario complexity, and the chosen deployment mode (Selectel infrastructure, dedicated environment, or on-premises). Alexander Bukhanovsky, Director of the ITMO Artificial Intelligence Institute, explained that the venture has proposed a new concept for automating the construction and operation of multi-agent AI systems based on large foundation models within the "Industrial Strong AI Research Center," implemented in the form of a tool environment.
Roman Venediktov, General Director of EMS, noted that the solution is currently in the pilot stage, with potential customers spanning enterprise sectors (finance, retail, telecommunications) and industrial fields (manufacturing, energy, logistics). These customers require comprehensive AI systems capable of automating complex multi-step processes and integrating internal systems. Unlike standard agents, this system needs to autonomously make decisions, interact with APIs, and manage resources to enhance business efficiency and reduce operational costs. Dmitry Livshin, General Director of Cyber Business Consulting LLC, believes the advantage of university-enterprise collaboration lies in its long-term perspective: universities bring scientific depth, talent, and results, while enterprises contribute funding, infrastructure, and customer channels, bridging gaps when combined. However, he noted that the collaboration must be structured as an independent company with experienced operational management to bring products to market. Dmitry Demidov, Head of the Innovation Laboratory at Norbit, pointed out that such partnerships help students use modern tools and gain vendor support, serving as an effective way to promote products, though the downside is that students need time to accumulate application experience in the real economy.
According to ComNews archives, Roman Venediktov was born on February 11, 1976, in Yoshkar-Ola, Mari Soviet Socialist Autonomous Republic. He graduated in 1998 from the Mozhaisky Military Space Engineering Academy with a degree in "Automatic Control Systems and Communication Engineer" and in 2005 from the Higher School of Economics with a degree in "Financial Management." He served in the armed forces from 1993 to 2000. Since 2001, he has served as Executive Director of Linkey LLC; since 2004, as General Director of Prometheus LLC; since 2009, concurrently as General Director of Piring LLC (DATAIX); and currently as Executive Director of GlobalNet LLC.
