Attracting an array tech investors, startup entrepreneurs, and professionals from Russia and abroad, the annual TechCrunch Moscow conference took place for the third time on December 9 and 10 in Digital October, a major venue for tech events and educational programs. This year’s topic was ‘War and Peace,’ with 44 projects involved, representing a variety of …
Forty-four Russian startups highlighted at TechCrunch Moscow Read More
Fastlane Ventures, one of the most active investors on the Russian Internet scene, has secured $13 million from Kenges Rakishev, a prominent businessman from Kazakhstan. Rakishev will be joining Fastlane Ventures’ board of directors, along with existing strategic investors VTB Capital, Direct Group, and e.ventures. Rakishev already serves as chairman of the boards of directors …
Life-Pay, a startup that is developing smartphone-based bank card payment terminals, has secured $2.6 million from Life.Sreda at an undisclosed valuation. The news was reported yesterday by Unova.ru, a website covering startup and venture news. The funds will be used to reinforce the startup’s team, develop new products and penetrate new markets in the former …
Square-like startup Life-Pay raises $2.6 million from Life.Sreda Read More
Russia Beyond the Headlines (RBTH), together with Digital October and PricewaterhouseCoopers’s Center for Technology and Innovation in Russia, has introduced their Russian Startup Rating. The goal of the Russian Startup Rating is to provide an objective assessment of the development level and dynamics of young technology companies established in Russia. The role of RBTH is …
RBTH features Russia’s best startups and new rating Read More
This article is published in partnership with Russia Beyond The Headlines, an international source of political, business and cultural news and analysis. As a new generation of startup entrepreneurs is emerging in Russia, the local startup scene tends to look more and more like its American, European and Asian counterparts. The stereotype of innovative Russian boffins …
How to invest in Russian startups: An investor’s guide Read More
Megafon, a major Russian mobile operator controlled by Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, has acquired a 50% stake in Euroset, Russia’s first mobile phone retailer, from Alexander Mamut, a prominent Russian businessman. Vimpelcom, another leading mobile operator, has increased its stake in Euroset from 49.9% to 50%. The deal has valued the company at $2.3 billion, …
Megafon acquires 50% stake in mobile retailer Euroset, eyes mobile operator Tele2 Read More
WebReady, a contest organized by Ingria, a St. Petersburg-based technopark, took place in St. Petersburg last week. One of the Russian startup scene’s most notable competitions, the event included a startup exhibition, elevator pitches, conferences, and a Venture Capitalist Corner as well as a variety of other networking opportunities. Featuring Internet and mobile sections for …
The Russian Ministry of Education and Science has announced the start of a public debate over this country’s new long-term intellectual property (IP) protection strategy, portal Science and Technologies Russia reported earlier this week. The document is reported to have accumulated opinions and suggestions from Russia’s leading experts who represent VC funds, venture companies and larger …
Russia drafts its new IP protection strategy and encourages public feedback Read More
Mail.ru Group, an LSE-listed Russian Internet group partly owned by Russian billionnaire Alsiher Usmanov, may consider selling its 40% stake in VKontakte (VK.com), Russia’s most popular social network. This possibility was discussed earlier this week by Ivan Streshinskiy, chief executive officer of the company that manages Usmanov’s assets, USM Advisors LLC, in an interview with …
Mail.ru Group considers selling its stake in Vkontakte Read More
Alisher Usmanov, the Russian billionaire who backs the leading global Internet investment fund DST Global, is now avoiding the US and focusing on China, Bloomberg reported yesterday. The valuations of US technology companies are too high to justify making new investments, Ivan Streshinskiy, chief executive officer of the company that manages Usmanov’s assets, was quoted …
Yuri Milner, co-founder of the prominent Russian Internet fund DST Global, is among the investors in Prismatic, a San-Francisco based startup that attacks the difficult task of creating personalized news feeds based on users’ interests. Also participating in the Series A funding, which amounts to $15 million, are Jim Breyer and his fund Accel Partners, …
Yuri Milner takes part in Prismatic’s $15 million Series A funding Read More
Moscow – Tinkoff Digital, а Russian developer of innovative technologies for the internet and mobile advertising markets, has launched its first real-time bidding (RTB) platform, DataMind, and signed its first agreements with leading providers of advertising impressions for RTB, including Google Inc. Russian online film service Yota.Play has become the first advertiser to adopt Data Mind.
