Andrii Degeler

Based in the Netherlands, Andrii Degeler has been covering Internet and tech business news for a number of Western and Ukrainian publications since 2007. He contributes news articles and industry insights to East-West Digital News.

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Mail.Ru stops cooperation with Google, switches over fully to proprietary search engine

July 3, 2013

This past Monday, LSE-listed Russian Internet company Mail.Ru Group announced that all user queries on its Search Mail.Ru service will be handled by its proprietary search engine. Previously, more than half of the queries – mostly international ones – were serviced by Google. The actual development of the company’s search engine began as early as …

Mail.Ru stops cooperation with Google, switches over fully to proprietary search engine Read More

RVC and Softline invest $1 million in social site builder BubbleGab

July 3, 2013

BubbleGab, a Russian startup developing a SaaS platform for building websites, has attracted $1 million in funding from RVC’s Seed Fund and Softline Venture Partners, the venture arm of the Softline Group. Founded in 2011, BubbleGab is working on a platform to allow users to create personal websites and social networks based on the information …

RVC and Softline invest $1 million in social site builder BubbleGab Read More

Rocket Internet’s furniture online retailer Mebelrama.ru is shutting down

July 2, 2013

Russian furniture e-retailer Mebelrama.ru, which had been backed by Germany’s Rocket Internet, is shutting down, the company’s co-founder Manuela Stoll confirmed in an exchange with East-West Digital News. In late 2012, the startup landed a $10 million financing round from Rocket Internet, but at present the decision was made to shut the project down.

Two-for-one: Digital October, Greenfield Project and RVC present new startup rating

June 29, 2013

Earlier this month Digital October, Greenfield Project, and RVC, the Russian government’s fund of funds for innovation, presented a new Russian Startup Rating (RSR). The startups are classified according to their investment attractiveness, ranging from AAA (the highest) to D (the lowest). At present, only eight startups have received the highest rank: AlterGeo, DaOffice, EasyFamilyApps, …

Two-for-one: Digital October, Greenfield Project and RVC present new startup rating Read More

New anti-piracy law for video content shocks the industry

June 26, 2013

Last week the Russian parliament passed a new law against movie piracy on the Internet, which will take effect on August 1, 2013 if signed by the President. The new regulation allows copyright holders to file lawsuits against websites violating their intellectual property. The court will issue a warrant to block the website if the violating …

New anti-piracy law for video content shocks the industry Read More

Report: Android dominates Russian smartphone market with 70.9% share

June 25, 2013

The share of Android operating system in official smartphone shipments to Russia now exceeds 70%, almost doubling in just one year, according to research presented by Hi-Tech Mail.Ru and IDC. Android´s closest rival, Linux, has a share about 7 times smaller. The market research data confirms the results of a customer survey conducted during the …

Report: Android dominates Russian smartphone market with 70.9% share Read More

Yandex tests new search features on its Turkish version

June 25, 2013

Earlier this month, Russian search giant Yandex announced the launch of new, interactive search snippets called “Islands.” In contrast to previous launches of new features, this time the company decided not to try launching in its home market — Russia and Russian-speaking countries of the former Soviet Union — but to instead roll it out …

Yandex tests new search features on its Turkish version Read More

Russian-American software developer Mirantis lands $10 million in funding

June 20, 2013

Mirantis, a California-based software developer and systems integrator with offices in Russia and Ukraine, attracted a $10 million Series A funding round in early June. The investment was made by Ericsson, Red Hat, and SAP Ventures, along with existing investor WestSummit Capital. The company plans to use the funding to enhance the engineering roadmap for …

Russian-American software developer Mirantis lands $10 million in funding Read More

Yandex search appears in newest versions of iOS and Mac OS X

June 19, 2013

Apple’s operating systems iOS 7 for mobile and Mac OS X Mavericks for laptops and desktops, which were introduced to developers last week, allow users from Russia, some other countries of the former Soviet Union, and Turkey, to choose Yandex as the default search engine. The news was confirmed by the Russian company’s International Media …

Yandex search appears in newest versions of iOS and Mac OS X Read More

Ostrovok.ru cuts a third of its staff “to make the company profitable and attract more investments”

June 18, 2013

Russian hotel booking service Ostrovok.ru, which has been generously funded by Western and Russian investors since its launch in 2010, has laid off about a third of its staff in order to optimize operations and secure more investments. The company’s co-founder Serge Faguet made the move public in a corporate blog post published yesterday in …

Ostrovok.ru cuts a third of its staff “to make the company profitable and attract more investments” Read More

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