TomorrowVentures, a US investment fund founded in 2009 by Google chairman Eric Schmidt, announced earlier this week the formation of a strategic partnership with Digital October, a Moscow-based cooperative work space and events organizer. Court Coursey, Managing Partner at TomorrowVentures, agreed to speak with EWDN on the subject of their new partnership.
What precisely does this partnership consist of?
Our partnership with Digital October consists of us working with entrepreneurs at Digital October to help turn ideas into successful, global companies, as well as looking to invest capital to help take companies to the next level. We will be bringing our experience and relationships to Digital October.
How did the idea of doing business in Russia come to you?
TomorrowVentures has had a long interest in Russia, as one of the fastest growing markets on the planet. Several months ago, we were introduced to Mikhail Abyzov and Boris Ryabov of Ru-Com by one of our partners in Silicon Valley, who told us about their venture in Digital October. We had several meetings in the US and were excited. For us, we always look for strong, local partners and we felt Mikhail, Boris, Ru-Com and Digital October and Dmitry Repin were perfect to partner with to look for opportunities in Russia.
What makes Russian startups potentially attractive to you? Do you have any particular selection criteria?
We think Russian start-ups are very attractive in the sense that Russia has some very smart people with clever ideas that can turn into great businesses. And while Russia and the US have differences, there are a lot of similarities in the marketplaces, too. As for criteria, as we do in the US, we look for interesting ideas with smart people that have very large market potential.
• Court Coursey, 38, hails form Atlanta, Georgia and is the Managing Partner of TomorrowVentures, an investment firm with a focus on seed and early-stage venture capital investments that develop innovative ideas with the power to change the way people live, interact, and thrive. Coursey is a serial entrepreneur who founded his first business at 14. He has built a number of successful companies over the past 20 years. In addition to his efforts with TomorrowVentures, Coursey supports a wide variety of philanthropic efforts by bringing his entrepreneurial expertise to the non-profit segment, including CitizenEffect. Coursey currently resides in Palo Alto, California and Vail, Colorado.
