News360, a Russian startup operating from Moscow and Silicon Valley, was honored last week in the mobile content portion of the World Summit Award (WSA). The startup was recognized as having the best M-media and news project among the entrants.
News360 offers a set of mobile apps which filter and stream news content based on users’ interests and preferences. It uses a linguistic analysis engine with learning capabilities that enable the app to refine news feeds – more than 100,000 articles every day – and diversify sources based on how it is used.
News360 has more than 2 million downloads on iOS and Android 4, CEO Roman Karachinsky indicated in an exchange with East-West Digital News. But the startup’s monetization strategy has yet to be announced.
Since its inception in 2010, News360 has received an investment from Oradell Capital, the venture arm of Russian IT service provider and software supplier IBS Group, as well as a grant from Skolkovo, the international tech hub under completion near Moscow.
The WSA, held last week in Abu Dhabi, is among the most prestigious global technology competitions. Its focus is on selecting and promoting the most innovative online applications. In addition to News360, other winners of the mobile portion of the contest were drawn from many continents. They ranged from ‘iButterfly,’ from China, a game-based geo-location couponing and entertainment platform, to Brazil’s ‘Hand Talk,’ an app that converts data to sign language.
