Amid the pandemic, some Western investors take a closer look at Eastern European tech companies

Crunchbase and East-West Digital News are teaming up to cover key tech and venture trends from Russia and neighboring countries in Eastern Europe. Since last year, EWDN chief editor Adrien Henni has offered a regular column to highlight the most notable industry facts and trends as well as promising tech innovations from these countries.

Covering the first quarter of this year, the latest column analyzes the impact of Covid-19 on the region’s tech markets – from startups falling into coma to online retailers reporting unprecedented spikes in demand. In these troubled times, curiously, some Western investors are showing increased interest in the region, as illustrated by a US fund’s $50 million investment in Russian e-commerce major Ozon.