In the middle of July the Telegram messenger created by Pavel Durov, founder of Russia’s largest social network, Vkontakte, was subjected to a series of large-scale DDOS attacks. They caused the application to breakdown all over the world. Shortly before, the application had been deleted from the Google Play store for several hours due to complaints …
Two Moscow-based funds, Emery Capital and Starta Capital, have invested $1.15 million in GeoCV, a startup which is developing a mobile app for creating 3D-models of interiors. According to Russian tech blog Firrma.ru, the funding will be used for sales tests in the Russian and US markets in the next few months. In a previous round …
Russia is the leading suspect in a sophisticated cyber attack on the unclassified email network of the U.S. military’s Joint Staff that prompted the Pentagon last month to restrict access to portions of that network, U.S. officials said on Thursday. Early reports firmly linked Russia to the attack, said one U.S. official, who declined to be named since the investigation is still underway. “It was a spearphishing attack …
Russia prime suspect in cyber attack against US military, say US officials Read More
InVenture Partners, a venture fund with Russian origins which invested in taxi booking app Gettaxi and in a range of Russian startups, has invested $5 million telemedicine startup American Well. This Boston, USA-based company uses mobile and web technology to “improve access to quality care, removing barriers such as distance, mobility, and time.” The fund received a minority stake in the US …
InVenture Partners invests $5 million in US telemedicine startup American Well Read More
3D sensor developer Occipital Inc. announced last week that it raised $13 million in Series B funding. Grishin Robotics, a fund launched in 2012 by Mail.ru group CEO Dmitry Grishin, participated in the round along with Intel Capital, Shea Ventures and existing investor Foundry Group. In 2013, following a Kickstarter campaign, Occipital launched “the Structure Sensor,” a 3D sensor that scans objects …
Grishin Robotics invests in US 3D sensing hardware and software maker Read More
With more than 85% of the smartphone market in Russia, Android continues to be the country’s favourite operating system. The great variety of devices within a $200 price range supporting this platform, among other things, has contributed to Android’s popularity with Russians who are happy to compromise some of their smartphone’s technical quality, such as …
Yandex launches multifunctional app for Android users in Russia Read More
DST Global, the venture capital and growth equity firm led by Yuri Milner, has raised $1.7 billion for its fifth fund, according to a filing with the SEC. The fund has been registered in the Cayman Islands. The identity of the new fund’s backers has not been disclosed, but a source close to DST told Russian business daily Vedomosti …
DST Global raises $1.7 billion to launch fifth fund – without Russian money Read More
Russia’s media watchdog has classified 640 blogs and online communities as equal to the media, making their content subject to certain restrictions, the watchdog said on its Twitter page Monday. Under the law adopted last year, bloggers and Internet users with public web pages visited by more than 3,000 people a day are eligible for inclusion …
Hundreds of Russian bloggers registered with media regulator Read More
Last week Driveway Software, a Silicon Valley startup that provides smartphone-based telematics solutions, announced that it raised $10 million in a funding round led by Ervington Investments, a property of Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich. A smartphone-deployed telematics platform designed to reward safe driving, Driveway aims to “disrupt the insurance industry.” Its iOS and Android app, paired with cloud analytics, …
Skolkovo, the international tech hub under completion on the outskirts of Moscow, is teaming up with two of its biggest industrial partners in Panasonic and truck-maker KAMAZ in a search for the next big breakthrough in battery technology. The three powerhouses of innovation this week launched a competition among Skolkovo residents – also open to …
Skolkovo teams up with Panasonic and KAMAZ in search for battery breakthrough Read More
Two notable Russian e-commerce sites are suspending their activities this summer, illustrating the crisis that has been affecting certain segments of this market since last year. While online auction and marketplace Molotok.ru, one of the country’s most established e-commerce sites, has announced it will shut down on August 20, Mamagazin.ru, a kids goods online store …
Russian e-commerce in crisis: Molotok shuts down, Mamagazin suspends activities Read More
A few weeks after the launch of a Russian version of its platform, JD.com has unveiled important aspects of its Russia strategy. In terms of delivery, the Chinese e-commerce giant announced in late July a partnership with Russian Post, industry blog Oborot.ru reported. The postal operator will ship the packages sent by JD from within Russia, …
JD.com inks deal with Russian Post, considers selling Russian goods to Chinese consumers Read More
