Moscow-based investment consulting company Global TechInnovations and investment fund Prostor Capital have announced the launch of GTI Labs, a new acceleration program for IT start-ups. GTI Labs describes itself as a sort of “investment lift” in which representatives of venture funds are part of the project selection process. The fund will assess KPIs of selected …
New startup accelerator GTI Labs launched in Moscow Read More
The last two years have shown a significant increase in venture capitalists’ interest in the Russian Internet, says a report released yesterday by Fast Lane Ventures, a major player in the field. Fast Lane identified no fewer than 215 venture deals in 2011, up from 59 during the previous year. The total investment volume during …
Internet investment triples in just 12 months, but market still lacks transparency Read More
Russian businessman Oleg Tinkov last week announced the launch of Tinkoff Digital, an Internet company that will develop new technologies and products for the online and mobile advertising markets. Goldman Sachs will join Tinkov as a co-investor and shareholder in the business at an undisclosed share split. Tinkov and Goldman Sachs will initially invest approximately …
Oleg Tinkov teams with Goldman Sachs to invest in online advertising and mobile Read More
Just days after its investment in India was revealed, Ru-Net, a major Russian venture fund, is reported to have acquired a stake in Lidyana, a Turkish online jewelry retailer. The fund’s investment amounts to “a few million dollars,” for an estimated 25% stake, according to a source close to the deal cited by Russian business …
KupiVip Holding, the owner of the largest online fashion shopping club in Russia, has raised $38 million in a Series D funding deal led by Intel Capital, with new investment from Acton Capital Partners and the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development. Historic investors Accel Partners and Balderton Capital also participated in the round. KupiVip’s …
KupiVip raises $38 million from leading Western funds Read More
MTS, a leading mobile operator and telecom provider in Russia and the CIS, is considering acquisition opportunities among European assets that have suffered in the crisis, said MTS investor relations officer Josh Tulgan in an exchange with Bloomberg yesterday. “You can characterize some assets in Europe as borderline distressed. Obviously, we look at opportunities,” though …
MallStreet.ru, a Russian online retailer that until recently had remained under the radar, has just secured $1 million from investors in its second round of financing in less than a year. Neither the site’s valuation nor the investors’ identity were disclosed, but Mallstreet CEO Dmitry Shashkin told East-West Digital News that French business angel Fabrice …
KupiVip’s CEO Oskar Hartmann confirms plans to hold an IPO in New York “within two years,” Reuters reported yesterday. “We have already made quite good progress and [an IPO] is likely. We need to grow to reach the size [of business] that allows us to do a round of $120 million or more,” Hartmann told reporters. …
KupiVip.ru confirms plans for IPO in New York “within 2 years” Read More
After weeks of rumors, Israeli face recognition startup Face.com officially announced yesterday its acquisition by Facebook. The exact terms of the deal were not disclosed, but two unnamed sources familiar with it told AllthingsD that the price was in the neighborhood of $60 million. The amount is significantly below the $100 million that had been rumored previously, but almost three …
Facebook acquires Face.com; shareholder Yandex may get stake in US social giant Read More
In yet another step in its international expansion, Ru-Net, a major Russian venture fund, has invested $17 million in Freecultr.com and BeStylish.com, two Indian e-commerce companies. The news on the investment in Freecultr – a website that offers its own apparels brands – was initially reported earlier this month by Iamwire, an online publication dedicated …
Dmitry Grishin, the CEO of Mail.ru Group, the LSE-listed Russian Internet group, announced on Friday the launch of a New York City-based investment fund dedicated to robotics startups. The fund, named Grishin Robotics, intends to inject $25 million into 10 to 20 early stage or middle-size companies developing robots in the fields of home maintenance, education, …
Mail.ru Group CEO announces $25 million fund for robotics Read More
Leta GIV, the corporate venture arm of Leta Group, announced an investment earlier this week in Baltostorage, an online service that allows users to store their pictures in a secured way. The fund invested $350,000 for an undisclosed stake in the company. BaltoStorage claims it already stores more than 1.7 million files from 50,000 registered …
Leta GIV invests in photo storage startup BaltoStorage Read More
