MirVracha.ru, a major Internet portal for physicians and medical students, has completed its first round of financing, totaling $1.4 million. The round was led by Japanese fund UMJ Russia, which received a majority stake, with the participation of M3 Inc., a Japanese company offering innovative web solutions for medical professionals and the life sciences industry, which got a minority stake.

M3 will also provide MirVracha with IT solutions and share its online marketing expertise.

Established in September 2011, MirVracha got its inspiration from such successful foreign models as Medscape.com, Doctors.net.uk, M3.com, and Sermo.com, the startup’s founder and general manager Shotaro Yamamoto told East-West Digital News.

MirVracha’s business model consists of providing pharmaceutical companies with access to its user base through polls and surveys, product promotions, job offers, etc.

MirVracha also has a portal dedicated to rare diseases, Orphamir.ru.

Several other “social networks for doctors” have emerged in Russia recently. Among them are Doktornarabote.ru, Medtusovka.ru, and Ivrach.com.

A former principal at the Moscow office of Booz & Company, Yamamoto has specialized in the medical and pharmaceutical areas. He has six years of business experience in Russia.