Shopping platform ShoppingPlus, a copycat of Germany’s KaufDA and a competitor of Lokata.ru on the Russian market, is experimenting with connected TV, having made its service available to users of LG’s Smart TV. Just like Lokata.ru, ShoppingPlus shows the products currently sold in stores and their prices, as well as special offers. It also lists …
ShoppingPlus teams up with LG for Smart TV shopping Read More
IBM and RVC, the Russian state-owned fund of funds dedicated to innovation, announced on Monday that they will cooperate to develop the country’s innovation ecosystem. In particular, with RVC’s help, the US IT giant will make available its Global Entrepreneur Program to Russian IT startup entrepreneurs, who may benefit from gaining free access to IBM’s …
IBM teams up with RVC to support startup innovation in Russia Read More
Since the national educational system is not providing Russia’s IT industry with enough qualified IT workers, these cadres must be attracted from abroad, said Nikolai Nikiforov, Russian Minister of Communications and Mass Media, in a forum on international investment held in Moscow last week. “The IT industry, indeed, is experiencing an acute shortage of qualified …
Russia needs foreign IT specialists, minister says Read More
Doroga.tv, a startup based in Nizhniy Novgorod, has received permission from the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) in New York on a test launch of software it has developed for the online tracking of city buses, Venture-News.ru reported last week. If the test is deemed successful, the system could become a permanent feature of the city’s transport resources. …
Russian online tracking system tested in New York City buses Read More
1C, Russia’s leading publisher of entreprise software, has acquired a 51% stake in Agent Plus, a developer of corporate mobile solutions, for an undisclosed amount. The two companies will create a joint venture for R&D and commercialization purposes, Russian IT portal CNews.ru reported last week. Agent Plus was established in Astrakhan, Southern Russia, in 2004. …
1C acquires business mobile app developer Agent Plus Read More
In what has been presented as a world first, Scartel, the Russian WiMAX and LTE operator operating under the Yota brand, announced last week it has implemented LTE Advanced technology in eleven of its LTE base stations in Moscow. LTE Advanced is a major enhancement of the LTE standard. The Russian operator claims it will …
Yota launches world’s first LTE Advanced network in Moscow Read More
Startup-Afisha, an online resource for Russian startups that has thus far focused on the domestic market, yesterday announced a decisive shift to address a global audience. Slated for launch next month, its startup database RusBase will “provide Russian IT startups with access to leading Western funds” and “link Russian funds to international partners for co-investment.” …
Startup-Afisha goes global with English-language Russian startup database Read More
‘Est Idea,’ which translates as “I’ve got an idea,” is a new web platform being launched in Russia. It focuses on automatic control systems, telecommunications, and data transfer. The pilot project, developed by the Moscow-based NIIAA Semenikhin Research Institute of Automatic Equipment, presents itself as “an open public online platform enabling the accumulation of ideas; …
‘Est’ Idea,’ a new Web-based platform to hunt for innovation Read More
Goldman Sachs announced on Tuesday that it has pulled out of a role as lead bank on an initial public offering by Megafon, one of Russia’s top mobile operators, scheduled for Nov. 1 simultaneously on the London and Moscow stock exchanges. According to the Financial Times, the Goldman’s decision followed recent statements by Megafon’s main …
Goldman Sachs walks away from Megafon’s imminent IPO Read More
OSMP, Russia’s leading operator of cash payment terminals under the Qiwi brand, announced earlier this week a new offer for e-commerce sites. Not only can online retailers now benefit from a specially adapted interface, ads for e-commerce sites can be displayed while users complete common cash payment operations. Cash payment terminals have become popular in …
Qiwi aims to turn cash payment terminals into a ‘front office’ for online retailers Read More
Baring Vostok Capital Partners announced last week that it has put together a new $1.5 billion private equity fund – Baring Vostok Private Equity Fund V, or BVPEF V – which now stands as the largest in Russia’s private equity business. The new fund is generally expected to follow in the strategic footsteps of its …
Once a remote hinterland in terms of foreign investment, Russia is now emerging as a hot destination for investors looking for a slice of the action on the digital frontier. The recent Landing Page conference organised by Digital October Center for Geeks on a Plane (GOAP) participants, Russian VCs and entrepreneurs was a perfect example …
