Startups

Kicksharing service Whoosh completes Russia’s first IPO of the year

Russia saw Wednesday its first IPO since the war in Ukraine began with local kicksharing service Whoosh raising 2.1 billion rubles ($32.6 million at the current exchange rate) on the Moscow exchange.  The IPO valued the company at 20.6 billion rubles ($320 million). This is a very honorable performance for a Russian startup launched in …

Kicksharing service Whoosh completes Russia’s first IPO of the year Read More

Slush revokes €1 million prize from Russian founded-startup after international outcry

Yesterday Immigram, a UK-based but Russian-founded tech immigration platform, opted out from the Slush competition, just a couple of days after winning the first prize.  Almost simultaneously, Slush formally revoked the win “in light of new information on the extent of [Immigram’s] operations in Russia.” The attribution of the Slush prize to a Russian-founded startup had shocked a number of …

Slush revokes €1 million prize from Russian founded-startup after international outcry Read More

Russian-founded tech migration platform wins €1 million at Slush, spurring controversy over solidarity with Ukraine

Immigram, a UK-based tech immigration platform, has won first prize at Slush, Helsinki’s yearly top tech event.  The Russian-founded startup will receive €1 million in investment coming from top global investors including Accel, General Catalyst, Lightspeed, NEA and Northzone.  Immigram had raised half a million just six months ago, earning trust from Joint Journey and Xploration …

Russian-founded tech migration platform wins €1 million at Slush, spurring controversy over solidarity with Ukraine Read More

Top Russian e-scooter service aims to raise $167 million on Moscow Exchange

Russian kicksharing service Whoosh intends to go public on the Moscow Exchange this or next year, unnamed sources told Forbes Russia and Reuters last week. Under plans, the e-scooter company could raise 10 billion roubles ($167 million at the current exchange rate) at a valuation of around 40 billion roubles ($666 million), Reuters learned.  A Whoosh spokesperson told Reuters: “Like …

Top Russian e-scooter service aims to raise $167 million on Moscow Exchange Read More

Business Insider: Western tech majors tested or used controversial Russian face recognition technology

According to a report published last week by US publication Business Insider, a range of western tech firms are users of FindFace, a controversial face recognition technology developed by Russian startup NtechLab. FindFace matches faces against social media accounts, regardless of privacy rights, among other facial recognition capabilities. Its approach is similar to that developed by US …

Business Insider: Western tech majors tested or used controversial Russian face recognition technology Read More

Ukrainian-founded startup Adwisely backed by diverse pool of investors in Silicon Valley

Adwisely, a startup founded in Ukraine in 2018 — previously known as Retarget App — is making its way in Silicon Valley. Six months after moving its headquarters there, with a team of Ukrainian pros distributed across the world, the company has just announced the completion of a $1.5 million round of funding. London-based TMT …

Ukrainian-founded startup Adwisely backed by diverse pool of investors in Silicon Valley Read More

Russian kicksharing service Whoosh raises $17 million in bonds

In late June Kicksharing service Whoosh raised 13.5 billion rubles in bonds (around $17 million at the pre-war exchange rate), making its debut on the Moscow stock exchange. Launched in 2019, the company is a market leader in Russia with 8 million claimed users across 45 Russian cities. Among Whoosh’s backers are Ultimate Capital Fund, …

Russian kicksharing service Whoosh raises $17 million in bonds Read More

State fund invests 520 million rubles in edtech platform Profilum

Earlier this month VEB Ventures, the venture arm of state-owned development corporation VEB.RF, announced a 520 million ruble investment (some $6.5 million at the pre-war exchange rate) in edtech platform Profilum. This deal was one of the most sizeable ones of the past months on the local venture scene, which has entered a semi-hibernation phase since …

State fund invests 520 million rubles in edtech platform Profilum Read More

Nothing could slow inDriver’s rise from Siberian startup to global Uber competitor. Then Russia invaded Ukraine

In 2021 inDriver, a ride-hailing app founded in Yakutsk, Siberia, back in 2012, announced it had achieved unicorn status. Its valuation reached $1.23 billion, following a funding round of $150 million earlier that year. This startup seemed set to continue its rollout into new locations around the world, including plans to expand into Australia. In …

Nothing could slow inDriver’s rise from Siberian startup to global Uber competitor. Then Russia invaded Ukraine Read More

How a Ukrainian tech entrepreneur created a startup from a Russian prison

Serge Faguet, a Ukraine-born tech entrepreneur who studied at Stanford and co-founded Russian booking service Ostrovok.ru in the early 2010s, made a public confession last week in a Medium post.  In the summer of last year, a Russian customs agent at the Moscow airport found five tabs of acid — in addition to a US-physician-prescribed …

How a Ukrainian tech entrepreneur created a startup from a Russian prison Read More

Food delivery service Broniboy lands 500 million rubles from major farming commodities group

In late March Russian delivery service Broniboy received the first tranche of a 500 million ruble capital injection (some $6.25 million at the pre-war level). The funding is provided by Krasnodarzernoprodukt, a major supplier of farming commodities and services. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. While serving 17 Russian cities, Broniboy is the …

Food delivery service Broniboy lands 500 million rubles from major farming commodities group Read More

Miro, a US decacorn born in Russia, closes Russian office and commits €1 million for humanitarian support in Ukraine

In a strong symbol of the crash of Russia’s technology sector, Miro, a US-based decacorn created in Russia eleven years ago, announced last week it was closing its office and stopping sales in its native country.  “We are devastated by the escalating war and human tragedy in Ukraine. We continue to call for a swift end …

Miro, a US decacorn born in Russia, closes Russian office and commits €1 million for humanitarian support in Ukraine Read More

Scroll to Top

This site is under maintenance. Sorry for the inconvenience.

This site is under maintenance. Sorry for the inconvenience.