East-West Digital News

Founded in 2011, East-West Digital News is an online resource dedicated to the Russian high tech industry — providing fresh news, market research and business consulting services. Its news service and publications were suspended in 2022 as a consequence of Russia’s war on Ukraine and the subsequent international isolation.

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Moscow ranks #3 among cities of the world for anti-Covid innovations

StartupBlink has just ranked cities of the world by the number and quality of anti-covid innovative solutions. In the list, which includes 80 cities from 31 countries, Moscow ranks third — behind San Francisco and New York City, but ahead of such major cities as Toronto, Tel Aviv, London, Taipei and Paris.  Among Moscow’s innovative …

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Russian foreign ministry makes first steps on TikTok to counter teenagers’ digital rebellion

After Russian social network aficionados, including millions of teenagers, transformed TikTok into a digital rebellion hotspot, the Russian Foreign Affairs ministry opened an account on the Chinese platform late last week. The first videos displayed in the ministry’s account are meant to mock opposition figure Alexey Navalny, refuting his last year’s claims that the Russian anti-covid …

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E-commerce provider secures $1.3 million from Russian business angel

As Russian e-commerce, boosted by the pandemic, is breaking records, service and solution provider PIM Solutions has just received a capital injection of 100 million rubles ($1.3 million at today’s exchange rate) from business angel Dmitry Zobnin. The valuation of the company has reached 2 billion rubles (around $26 million), as Zobnin received a 5.13% …

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Yandex.Taxi acquires assets in the taxi industry in spite of Mail.Ru’s veto

Yandex.Taxi, the taxi-hailing and food delivery joint venture of Yandex and Uber (formally called ‘MLU’), has completed the acquisition of the call centers and cargo business of Vezet Group.   ‘Vezet’ means “it’s giving a ride” or “to be in luck” in Russian. Established in May 2017 (resulting from the merger of two local companies), Vezet Group provides ride-hailing, cargo …

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Report: Russian software companies generate growing sales in emerging markets

Last month Russoft, a major Russian IT association, released its 17th “Annual survey of the software development Industry.”   Even though its data relate mostly to 2019 — not 2020, — this report offers a variety of interesting market insights. Some of them may be summarized as follows: Sales volumes: The Russian software industry (including both software …

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Russian neurotech startup Wikium raises millions to improve cognitive capacities and increase stress resistance

Last week, a sizable deal in the field of neurosciences was announced in Russia. Maxim Basov, an executive from the agro industry, has invested in Wikium, an award-winning startup offering brain productivity exercises for office staff and students. Basov took control of the company, acquiring a 66% stake, Rusbase reported. The amount of the deal was not disclosed, but Rusbase noted …

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Tencent backs Russian game studio to re-create robotized Soviet atmosphere

Russian game publisher Mundfish has secured a Series B funding round led by Tencent. Two existing investors — Moscow-based GEM Capital  the investment vehicle of oil industry executive Anatoliy Paliy and Gaijin Entertainment’s founder Anton Yudintsev — also took part in the deal. The amount of the capital injection was not disclosed, but industry insiders told Russian business …

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Russian tech amid the pandemic: Impact and response

Since the COVID-19 shockwave hit Russia in March 2020, East-West Digital News has been following closely the impact of the pandemic on the country’s tech industries. These articles highlight the best of Russian innovators’ response to the virus, the high-tech approach of the authorities to manage the crisis, online retailers’ reaction to demand surge, and …

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Russian Railways to launch marketplace for robotic software solutions

Russian Railways subsidiary RZD Technologies has partnered with Robin, a Moscow-based “leader in robotic intelligence,” to create the first Russian marketplace for robotic software solutions. Scheduled for launch in July this year, the platform is part of a program called ‘Cloud Factory of Software Robots,’ which received a 80 million-ruble grant from the Skolkovo Foundation (around $1.05 million at the current …

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Moscow is testing flying taxis

Earlier this month in the Russian capital, air mobility startup Hoversurf started testing its Hover drone taxi, a flying vehicle that can transport passengers and cargo, ‘Popular Mechanics’ magazine reports. The drone taxi is the size of a standard sedan car (5 m x 1.6 m), says TASS news agency, citing the press service of the Moscow city …

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iHerb to launch IT support unit in Russia

iHerb, one of the most successful international e-commerce companies in Russia, aims to take advantage of this country’s large tech talent pool through the creation of a local IT division. Under plans, the first local IT team will start activities in the course of this quarter. It will include programmers, mobile developers, software testers, web designers …

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Sber to invest more than $400 million in Goods.ru in a bid for e-commerce leadership

Sber, Russia’s state-controlled financial and tech giant (previously known as Sberbank), announced today a new partnership to assert itself in the Russian e-commerce space.  Just weeks after agreeing an alliance with Merlion, Sber signed a “memorandum of intent” with M.Video-Eldorado Group — a competitor of Merlion in the field of electronic goods — to “join hands in developing the …

Sber to invest more than $400 million in Goods.ru in a bid for e-commerce leadership Read More

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