Mail.Ru Group, the LSE-listed Russian Internet giant, and Vezet (“it’s giving a ride” or “to be in luck” in Russian), a major taxi aggregator in Russia, have inked a convertible loan agreement which is described as “part of the preparation for a new round of investment.” Neither the terms, nor the amount of the deal, which …
Kaspersky Lab has teamed up with Itelma, a Russian scientific industrial holding specializing in the production of the broad range of the automobile components, to launch a joint venture. The new company will be engaged in the development of smart automobile systems. Each of the partners reportedly holds a 50% share in the JV. The new …
Kaspersky launches JV to develop smart automobile systems Read More
Earlier this month Rosatom, the Russian state atomic energy corporation, announced that it will inject up to 3 billion rubles ($47.5 million at the current exchange rate), along with other LPs, in a new venture fund christened ‘Digital Evolution Ventures.’ The fund will focus on business solutions for a range of promising industries, not only nuclear related, told …
The Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF, or FRII in Russian), Russia’s biggest fund for early-stage startups, has announced the results of its operations since inception. The fund launched in mid-2013 as an instrument to support the emergence of a strong startup industry in Russia. It initially received the equivalent of $200 million – a huge …
IIDF, Russia’s largest startup fund, celebrates 5 years of operations Read More
After investing $17 million in Telegram’s ICO private presale this past winter, Sergey Solonin, a co-founder of payment operator Qiwi, has committed to invest 220 million rubles (roughly $3.5 million at the current exchange rate) in Skolkovo Digital, the IT fund managed by Skolkovo Ventures, Skolkovo announced on June 1. Skolkovo Digital primarily targets startups in the …
Skolkovo Ventures attracts over $8 million from QIWI co-founder and Russian Helicopters Read More
As Russia prepares to regulate ICOs and cryptocurrencies, Russia’s central bank launched this past April a “regulatory platform” to experiment and implement new financial services and technologies that require legislative changes. This platform, which involves other state institutions and industry associations, will be used in the near future to test an ICO technology. The first transactions …
Sberbank and National Settlement Depository to test new ICO technology Read More
Yesterday the Russian search giant announced the launch of a new smart speaker, Google Home style. Dubbed Yandex.Station, the device “not only our first hardware product, but also the first smart speaker [made] for the Russian market,” Yandex stated. Yandex.Station includes such basic functions as creating alarms and playing music hands-free, but also “incorporates a full video streaming experience,” according …
Russia’s national telecom operator Rostelecom has acquired Solar Security, a major local tech player in the field of target monitoring and information security operational management. Rostelecom spent 1.5 billion rubles (roughly $23 million at the current exchange rate) for this acquisition, as announced last week. As part of the deal, Rostelecom’s existing information security resources, …
Rostelecom acquires Solar Security for $23 million to create national cybersecurity center Read More
MTS, a leading Russian telecom operator, announced earlier this month that it increased its stake in Ozon Holdings, one of the most established Russian e-commerce companies. The operator now own 16.7% of Ozon, up from 13.7% previously, following “a series of transactions with minority shareholders.” MTS invested in Ozon in April 2014, acquiring a 10.8% …
CardsMobile, a developer of contactless payment solutions, including mobile app ‘The Wallet,’ has raised an undisclosed amount in investment from Alfa Bank, a leading Russian commercial bank, in exchange for a 25% stake. The funding will be used to develop further the app, which allows consumers to save all their loyalty, bank and transport cards in …
Alfa Bank invests in CardsMobile to “fully correspond to the digital future” Read More
The French DIY giant Leroy Merlin has partnered with the Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF, or FRII in Russian), Russia’s biggest fund for early-stage startups, to launch an accelerator for retail startups. The program will target startups developing marketing software, automation and robotization solutions for internal operations in the field of logistics, solutions for heavy trucking …
Leroy Merlin teams up with IIDF to accelerate Russian retail startups Read More
Last week Mail.Ru Group, the LSE-listed Russian Internet giant, announced that it acquired a majority stake —51% — in Russian mobile games developer Bit.Games. The amount of the deal has not been disclosed. Mail.Ru Group said it will provide the team with access to all of its resources, including development, analytics and marketing, “to fuel …
Mail.Ru Group takes control of mobile game developer Bit.Games Read More
