As the Russian economy seems to be sinking as a result of the western sanctions, Alexey Solovyov, a figure of the Russian venture scene, has a nuanced analysis of the impact on his industry. From a deal cancelled to the disruption of an essential banking service, the crisis has already affected his firm and portfolio …
Will Russia take control of Ukraine after a quick military victory? Will it be a long-lasting war of guerrilla? Could an escalation involve neighboring countries and western powers? The outcome of the Russian military attack on Ukraine that began on Thursday, Feb. 24, is unpredictable. But just hours after the invasion, the impact on the …
Urent, Russia’s largest electric scooter rental operator, has raised 2.09 billion rubles (around $26 million, a considerable amount by local standards) in a round led by MTS. The mobile operator contributed 740 million rubles alongside private asset manager VPE Capital and state-owned fund VEB Ventures, which injected 700 and 650 million rubles, respectively, into the startup. The terms of …
Russian e-scooter leader Urent secures $26 million from corporate and venture investors Read More
While asserting themselves as chief disruptors in the food delivery industry — fulfilling orders in 15 minutes in cities of Europe (e.g. Jiffy) and North America (e.g. Buyk) — Russian startup entrepreneurs are also penetrating neighboring segments. From urban delivery, to mobility, to local or international freight, some of them receive generous support from VCs, as illustrated by four recent deals. …
Crunchbase and East-West Digital News are teaming up to cover key tech and venture trends from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, with a column by EWDN Chief Editor Adrien Henni that highlights the most notable industry facts and trends across the region. “With Russia and Belarus digging themselves into domestic authoritarianism and international confrontation, a looming …
The Eastern European paradox: How a troubled region generates unicorns and decacorns Read More
Just eight months after launch, a startup called Vitobox — which offers personalized combinations of vitamins and nutritional supplements — has raised 107 million rubles ($1.4 million) at a $14 million valuation. The funding will go, in particular, to international expansion: the startup plans to launch pilot projects later this year in Kazakhstan, the UAE, …
Russian startup bets on AI to sell vitamins online and expand globally Read More
IXcellerate, one of the most established data center company in Russia, has raised approximately some $190 million. The round — the largest ever in this field in the country — was led by sovereign wealth fund Mubadala (UAE) with participation from its Russian peer RDIF, SberInvest, and iXcellerate’s existing investors. Cited by Sber, the state-owned financial and digital …
Russian data center major IXcellerate attracts $190 million from Mubadala, RDIF and Sber Read More
While many internationally-oriented Russian startups move to Silicon Valley, or to such European alternatives as Berlin, London or Riga, Branquad made a different choice. This Russian digital commerce startup recently landed in Lille, a large, tech-friendly city in the North of France. Not only does its case provide yet another example of an International Russian …
From Moscow to Lille, France: This startup changes the way retailers fill product cards Read More
Last week, as reported by Reuters, TCS Group — the owner of Russian digital banking giant Tinkoff — took control of Swiss crypto service company Aximetria as part of its international expansion strategy. Founded by Russian serial entrepreneur Alex Axelrod in 2018, this startup has developed a SaaS platform to provide “seamless interconnection for any form of money: fiat, crypto and …
Far from their native countries, Russian-speaking entrepreneurs are thriving in the world’s major tech hotspots — from Silicon Valley, to Western Europe, to South-East Asia. These entrepreneurs have colonized the world’s best accelerators, including such ones as Y Combinator, 500 Startups and Techstars. Russian-speaking entrepreneurs reportedly accounted for 40% of a recent Alchemist batch. The …
Russian tech entrepreneurship on the rise: Forbes identifies 10 “future unicorns” Read More
Just a year after its previous round, Russian edtech startup Kodland secured $9 million in a Series A funding round. As reported by TechCrunch, the round was led by Redseed, with participation from Baring Vostok, Kismet, Flyer One Ventures and Alexander Nevinsky, a partner at I2BF who took part in the December 2020 round. All these investors have roots in Russia, excepted Flyer One whose team …
Miro, a US enterprise software publisher with Russian roots, announced yesterday a $400 million Series C round. The deal brought the company — known as RealtimeBoard when it was founded in Russia back in 2011 — to an astounding $17.5 billion post-money valuation. Several other unicorns founded or co-founded by Russian entrepreneurs emerged on the global tech scene over the past years — from Badoo, to Personio, to Veeam Software, …
