Maria Plotkina and Arina Nuriahmetova were stressed young computer science teachers battling an entrenched system of learning when they decided to set up Geek Teachers to equip school teachers across Russia with the IT skills to bring the latest education technologies to the classroom. Four years later, their platform, which has over 13,000 online followers, …
Russia has plans to develop its own cluster of at least 500 “next-generation, multi-spectrum satellites,” starting from next year. Dubbed ’Sfera,’ the program aims to provide high-speed Internet access and communications — particularly, along the Northern Sea Route — similarly to Starlink, a project developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX. Under plans, the first satellites could be …
American investor Michael Calvey and six other defendants in the Baring Vostok case have been released from house arrest, Russia’s Supreme Court ruled Thursday. This is the latest breakthrough in one of the most high-profile cases in the Putin era involving foreign businessmen. Their private equity fund, Baring Vostok, has been an investor in some of Russia’s …
Michael Calvey freed from house arrest weeks after settlement of civil claims Read More
Fura, a Moscow-based startup offering high-tech services to truck drivers, has raised 160 million rubles ($2.1 million at the current exchange rate) in a Series A round led by an unnamed Swiss-Russian fund. Alexander Popov, Svyatoslav Vilde and other individual investors also took part in the round. The fresh funding will be used to strengthen the …
After raising $2.1 million, this Russian truck driving startup wants to become a unicorn Read More
Upmarket, a service that helps e-merchants trade on marketplace, has agreed a 170 million ruble ($2.2 million) investment plan with OKS Group. The investor may get a 31% stake in the company by mid-2021, reports business daily Kommersant. From content creation, to marketing strategy, to logistic support, Upmarket helps merchants place goods on three of Russia’s …
OKS Group to invest $2.2 million in marketplace support service Upmarket Read More
An investor consortium led by Russian private equity firms Elbrus Capital and Winter Capital (the latter has Russian billionaire Vladimir Potanin among its limited partners) has acquired 60% of Banki.ru, a leading bank and insurance marketplace. The investors are buying all the shares of company founders Philipp and Kirill Ilyin-Adaev and Elena Ishcheeva for an undisclosed amount. Russia Partners, an …
Banki.ru founders sell their stake to settle conflict with US investor Read More
The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF, Russia’s sovereign wealth fund) is investing in a telemedicine platform developed by Digital Medical Services (a subsidiary of state corporations Rostelecom and Rostec) and online consultation provider Doctis. While Digital Medical Services will provide expert and methodological support to meet public healthcare standards, Doctis will contribute its information system to the joint …
A center for combating cybercrimes, telephone spam and phishing will be created in Russia as part of a government program for the digital economy, the TASS news agency reported earlier this week, citing Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media Maksut Shadayev. In an attempt to exclude even the smallest external risks of disruption, the ministry …
MegaFon, a major Russian mobile phone operator, is to acquire 33.8% of Digital Media Holding LLC (DMH), the parent company of the Start video service. The amount of the deal was not disclosed, but RBC heard from industry analysts that MegaFon’s stake might have been valued between 1.5 and 2.7 billion rubles (from $19 million to $34 …
MegaFon invests in fast-growing challenger on Russian online video market Read More
Ozon, Russia’s leading multi-category e-commerce company, announced yesterday it has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) in the United States (see prospectus), one month after starting the registration procedure. The company intends to list its American depositary shares (ADS) on the NASDAQ. No pricing terms were disclosed, but Reuters reported that Ozon “could raise at least …
Ozon files for NASDAQ IPO, aims to raise $500 million Read More
Fugitive US whistleblower Edward Snowden said Monday he had applied for Russian citizenship but would keep his US nationality. The former American intelligence contractor, who revealed in 2013 that the US government was spying on US citizens and across the world, has been living in exile in Russia since then. He tweeted: “After years of …
Edward Snowden aims to become dual US-Russian citizen Read More
Mail.ru Group, the LSE-listed Russian Internet giant, has just announced the completion of the sale MAPS.ME to Daegu Limited, a part of Parity.com Group. All company shares have been transferred for 1.56 billion (some $20 million at today’s exchange rate). Mail.Ru presents the move as part of its “strategy to focus on development of core assets where …
Mail.ru Group sells mapping and navigation service Maps.me as “non-core asset” Read More
