RVC, the state-owned fund of funds dedicated to innovation, intends to launch an investment fund to support innovation in the field of education technologies in Russia. With a considerable target amount – 6.9 billion rubles (roughly $100 million at the current exchange rate) – and a 10-year duration, the fund is being created in the framework of …
State fund of funds RVC to launch $100 million edtech fund Read More
LSE-listed Mail.Ru Group, which owns Russia’s largest social networks Vkontakte (VK) and Odnoklassiki (OK), has signed an option agreement to complete the acquisition of United Media Agency (UMA), an aggregator and distributor of digital content. UMA is, in particular, the owner of music rights in Vkontakte and of BOOM, a top music app. “Mail.Ru Group’s relationship …
Mail.Ru Group agrees full acquisition of music rights owner UMA for $97 million Read More
Larix VC, a fund launched by Moscow-based businessmen Oskar Hartmann and Igor Rybakov, has invested $1 million in Indian startup Ninjacart. Launched in 2015, this B2B “agri-marketing platform” claims to serve currently more than 3,000 vegetables and fruits farmers, connecting them to businesses. Ninjacart is the market leader in India, ahead of its competitors Crofarm, FarmTaaza and …
Larix VC invests $1 million in Indian agri-marketing platform Ninjacart Read More
Parallels, a global leader in cross-platform solutions founded in 2000, has been acquired by the Canadian software giant Corel. As a result, “Corel now offers the complete Parallels product line as part of its industry-leading software portfolio,” according to a corporate statement published Dec. 20. Parallels’ products – including its popular software for running Windows on Mac …
Corel acquires leading cross-platform solution publisher Parallels Read More
The State Duma, the lower house of Russia’s parliament, has postponed the second reading of a long-awaited bill intended to regulate to regulate digital financial assets, including cryptocurrencies, and ICOs. Lawmakers will review the draft law “On Digital Financial Assets” during the spring parliamentary session next year, the house deputy speaker Sergey Neverov announced. In …
Russian parliament postpones adoption of digital assets bill Read More
Waves, a Blockchain solutions developer founded by a Russian team and incorporated in Switzerland, has secured $120 million to develop its project Vostok. Designed for large enterprises and public institutions, this private blockchain platform “lies at the intersection of several disruptive technologies, including blockchain, Big Data, artificial intelligence and the industrial Internet-of-Things,” according to Waves founder Alexander (Sasha) Ivanov. …
Startups from Russia and other countries in the former Soviet Union offer extraordinary tech solutions, but international tech giants prefer buying their “brains” rather than their products or businesses. A part of this trend is the recent deal between Snap and Teleport, a Russian-Ukrainian startup that changes hair color. As reported by East-West Digital News, …
Selling brains: US tech giants buy teams, not startups, from Russia and Eastern Europe Read More
Note: This story has been updated following new elements brought by one of Teleport’s founders Snapchat has hired some of the best developers of Teleport, a startup launched by tech entrepreneurs from Ukraine, Estonia and Russia. The US company is also said to have acquired the processing image technology developed by this company, which claims it …
Snapchat reportedly buys Teleport’s technology, woos its best developers Read More
Last week Singapore-based cryptocurrency exchange Huobi officially launched its first branch in Russia. The new exchange, dubbed Huobi Russia, is established in partnership with the state-owned Vnesheconombank (VEB) Digital Transformation Center and supported by Huobi’s regional exchange partnership program, Huobi Cloud. The Center of Digital Transformation was created by VEB to promote blockchain. Back in September …
Huobi opens Russian office in partnership with state bank Read More
Earlier this week Adjust, a mobile measurement and fraud prevention company operating globally from its Berlin headquarters, announced the acquisition of Acquired.io. Founded in San Francisco in 2016 by Russian entrepreneurs Andrey Kazakov and Max Gannutin, Acquired.io has developed a SaaS solution that simplifies and automates campaign management for mobile user acquisition, especially via social networks. In 2017, …
New exit for Russian entrepreneurs in California: Adjust buys Acquired.io Read More
LSE-listed Mail.Ru Group has invested in four Russian gaming companies via Mail.Ru Games Ventures (MRGV), the dedicated investment division it launched last year. As reported by the Russian media, these companies are Moscow-based Game Garden (Farmdale, Fairy Kingdom), Mobirate (Parking Mania, Dead Ahead, Rovercraft) from Ulyanovsk, Siberia, Red Brix Wall (Battle Arena: Heroes Adventure) and Zillion Whales (Mushroom Wars), both based in St. Petersburg. Each of …
Mail.Ru Group invests in four Russian gaming companies Read More
Larnabel Ventures, a company founded by Russian businessman Said Gutseriev, and VP Capital, a venture fund backed by Belarusian businessman Viktor Prokopenya, have teamed up to invest $7 million in Banuba. Born in Belarus but now registered in Hong Kong and operating internationally, this startup develops innovative AI technologies and AR apps. Users are provided with an experience …
Russian and Belarusian investors back AR technology developer Banuba Read More
