Adrien Henni

Adrien Henni is the founder of International Digital News, a tech news and research agency dedicated to the emerging tech scenes of Eastern Europe and Central Asia. With nearly 20 years of experience in the high-tech and venture businesses in France and Eastern Europe, he advises a variety of startups, investors and other organizations. He is a regular contributor to industry publications and speaks at conferences in Western and Eastern Europe, Asia, and America.

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Chinese giants make their move into Russia’s booming cross-border e-commerce scene

January 21, 2023

The past few months have seen several significant moves on the booming China-to-Russia cross-border e-commerce scene. This important market represents roughly one half of international e-retailers’ total sales to Russia, or up to $1.5 billion last year, according to a study by East-West Digital News, but still suffers from product quality and delivery time issues. …

Chinese giants make their move into Russia’s booming cross-border e-commerce scene Read More

Alleged ex-spy Anna Chapman to launch online shop with logistic support from Otto Group

July 21, 2014

Anna Chapman, the Russian businesswoman and alleged secret agent uncovered by the FBI in 2010, has teamed up with the Otto Group to launch an e-commerce shop dedicated to her own fashion brand. According to an agreement signed last month, the group’s logistic subsidiary eTraction will provide the warehousing, fulfilment, call center, and returns management …

Alleged ex-spy Anna Chapman to launch online shop with logistic support from Otto Group Read More

Russian spirits businessmen hire Danish “brand futurist” with plans to invest $30 million in kids goods online store

August 6, 2015

Illustrating the appeal of the kids goods segment, a group of Russian businessmen from the spirits industry have launched Mamagazin.ru, a new e-commerce site with an assortment of more than 5,000 items at start. The site serves all Russian regions via agreements with the Russian post and private carriers, reported business daily Kommersant. The project …

Russian spirits businessmen hire Danish “brand futurist” with plans to invest $30 million in kids goods online store Read More

New personal data storage rules to affect both foreign and domestic players – but still no “Chinese wall” surrounding Russia

March 5, 2019

Some foreign players panicked last week when they learned about the new rules adopted by the Russian parliament regarding the collection and storage of personal data – which will be allowed only on Russian territory starting from Sept. 2016. Concerns were fuelled by inflated media reports, including a Google Translate-based article that appeared on an …

New personal data storage rules to affect both foreign and domestic players – but still no “Chinese wall” surrounding Russia Read More

Package tour reseller Travelata.ru secures $7 million investment from EBRD and Polish fund MCI

May 22, 2019

Polish private equity fund MCI Management has teamed up with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to inject $7 million into Travelata.ru, a Russian online reseller of package tours. The amount invested by each of the two investors has not been disclosed. The funds will be used “to enhance further Travelata’s online services …

Package tour reseller Travelata.ru secures $7 million investment from EBRD and Polish fund MCI Read More

$38 million not enough for a startup – Ostrovok closes 5th round of funding in 3 years

June 23, 2014

Ostrovok.ru, a major Russian hotel booking service, announced last week that it has raised $12 million in a round led by Vaizra Capital, a fund which belongs to Vkontakte co-founders Vyacheslav Mirilashvili and Lev Leviev. A number of the startup’s existing investors also took part in the round. The transaction, the details of which have …

$38 million not enough for a startup – Ostrovok closes 5th round of funding in 3 years Read More

VC investment falls 40% in Q1 2014 – Seasonal variation or worrying contraction?

June 18, 2014

Venture investment volumes in Russia fell 42% as the number of completed deals dropped 38% in Q1 2014, says Rye, Man and Gor Securities (RMG), an independent Moscow-based investment company, in their latest quarterly report published with the participation of East-West Digital News. In what appears to be a new low for at least the …

VC investment falls 40% in Q1 2014 – Seasonal variation or worrying contraction? Read More

SpinUp Partners leads Russian startups to global markets via Singapore accelerators

June 11, 2014

Over the past months Russian seed-stage fund SpinUp Partners has invested in two Asian startup accelerators – a pioneering move among Russian funds, which usually consider California the prime destination in their global investment strategy. In March, SpinUp Partners was the secondary investor in an international consortium that injected $2.1 million into Singapore-based Joyful Frog …

SpinUp Partners leads Russian startups to global markets via Singapore accelerators Read More

Cross-border sales will continue to thrive with mild tax regime and simplified customs procedures

June 2, 2014

The intense lobbying efforts of domestic Russian retailers against cross-border e-commerce received a serious blow last week when it was confirmed that the expected increase in customs taxes would be extremely mild. The long-awaited decision was announced by Deputy Minister of Communications and Mass Media Mikhail Yevraev at an expert committee last Thursday, a participant in …

Cross-border sales will continue to thrive with mild tax regime and simplified customs procedures Read More

From Russian funding to an American exit: French startup Capptain acquired by Microsoft

May 29, 2014

Yesterday, French mobile analytics startup Capptain, which so far had been funded by Moscow-based venture fund Runa Capital, announced it was being acquired by Microsoft. The amount of transaction has not been disclosed, but Runa’s PR Director Liliana Pertenava told East-West Digital News that the fund had made “lots of money” on this investment. While the …

From Russian funding to an American exit: French startup Capptain acquired by Microsoft Read More

New rules on user identification may significantly affect cross-border payments from Russia

May 23, 2014

On May 16, amendments to the Russian legislation on payments came into force with potentially far-reaching consequences for e-payment and e-commerce companies working with Russian customers – including those operating from abroad. The amendments, included in an “anti-terrorism” package adopted by the Russian parliament on May 5, make user identification mandatory for electronic payments in …

New rules on user identification may significantly affect cross-border payments from Russia Read More

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