Last month Plug & Play, a Silicon Valley-based global business incubator, opened a new affiliate center in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan – a praiseworthy initiative in a region more often in the news for political conflicts and religious extremism than for IT innovations. The Plug & Play Dagestan Center is located on the Dagestan …
In a move that illustrates the growing interest of international brands in the Russian Internet, social media analytics company Socialbakers announced that it will extend its coverage to Vkontake.ru (VK.com), Russia’s largest social network with over 50 million daily active users. Based in the Czech Republic, Socialbakers works with brands from 99 countries to help …
Socialbakers extends social media analytics coverage to Vkontakte Read More
The “All Together” fundraiser aims to help the over 100,000 people affected by recent floods in the Russian Far East. The campaign has proven to be one of the biggest non-profit SMS campaigns in European history. More than 9.5 million people have participated and a considerable part of the more than $23 million raised has …
SMS-driven fundraiser for flood victims breaks records Read More
Russia’s first public index of the prices of goods sold online was launched in late September by Yandex.Market, a leading Russian online marketplace, the Higher School of Economics (HSE), a major Russian university, and information agency Finmarket. The Internet Inflation index analyzes data from Yandex.Market based on a methodology developed by HSE. The project currently …
Earlier this week RocketBank, a Moscow-based banking application startup, announced that it received $2 million in funding from Runa Capital, a Moscow-based fund operating internationally. RocketBank’s application, currently available only on iOS, allows users to complete money transfers that necessitate no bank details of a recipient, simply an e-mail address or e-wallet number – which the …
Runa Capital injects $2 million in mobile banking startup with global ambitions Read More
Apple’s iTunes store dominates digital music sales in Russia, according to a study by AC&M Consulting. The iTunes store already accounts for one third of the online music market in Russia, less than one year after launch. The online store’s sales may reach up to 634 million rubles (around $19 million) in 2013. Yandex.Music and …
iTunes has become the driver of Russia’s digital music market Read More
From January to August 2013, salaries in the IT segment grew by 15 % in Russia, according to a report by employment agency Unity cited by news agency RIA Novosti. This growth is 5% higher than predicted for the field in 2013 and almost twice as fast as the growth in the human resources market …
Russian venture fund Prostor Capital has just invested $500,000 in Penxy, a Moscow-based startup that allows presenters to create “narrated slide shows.” The Penxy iOS app, which was released this past June, allows for one-tap streaming and recording of live presentations. The free app is easier to use than SlideShare, as presenters do not have …
US-style Russian startup raises $500,000 to compete with SlideShare Read More
Earlier this week, marking a new step in the development of its cross-border activity, Amazon started to ship consumer electronic and digital technology products directly to Russia, the Russian information portal Lenta.ru reported. In June, Amazon had already begun to ship household goods, clothing, shoes, and accessories to Russia. These news product categories came into …
Earlier this month Mail.Ru Group announced the launch of a new charity service, “Good Mail.Ru” (in Russian: Dobro Mail.ru) This site presents over 30 charities with over 115 projects across Russia. NGOs involved include the WWF, Spring at Heart, the Life Fund, and the Nastenka Fund. Mail.ru users can make a donation or by submit …
On August 20, U.S. online retailer Amazon applied to register the trademark “Amazon Instant Video” with the Russian patent office. The Amazon Instant Video service allows users to buy movies and TV shows for viewing on computers, tablets, and other devices. So far, the service has been available to users in the U.S., Canada, and …
Amazon preparing to launch online video service in Russia Read More
Western Internet companies operating in Russia and Russian Internet giants and media companies are the targets of investigation and potential new legislation on personal data. The committee for information policy of the Council of the Federation – the upper house of the Russian Parliament – has been investigating whether user agreements of major Internet sites …
