Yandex (NASDQ:YNDX) today unveiled its newly redesigned homepage. The most relevant information is now highly visible and easily accessible in a more streamlined format. The homepage now has less text and feels airier making it easier to navigate. Graphics have replaced some text blocks, and related items have been grouped together – for example, news …
Surfingbird.ru, the first mover on Russia’s nascent web content discovery market, could become a victim of its own success, having attracted the hostile attention of global leader Stumbleupon.com. So far things have gone relatively well for Surfingbird. Launched in June 2011, the startup secured a $2.5 million series A round just a few months later, …
Russian startup Surfingbird accused of patent violation by US giant Stumbleupon Read More
Altima, an e-commerce-focused interactive agency established in France in 1998, is strengthening its presence in China and making its first steps on the Russian market through the acquisition of THEM, an independent agency operating in Beijing, Shanghai, and Moscow. In addition to serving local clients, Altima will help companies launch their digital and e-commerce activity across …
Kima Ventures, the fund started by prominent French tech entrepreneurs Jérémie Berrebi and Xavier Niel, along with angel investors Fabrice Grinda, Jose Marin, and Alexander Aivazov, have teamed up to invest in Martmania, an online marketplace focused on trading “interesting and unusual things.” The details of the deal have not been disclosed, but a source …
Russian search giant Yandex is getting ready to build a data center in neighboring Finland, its third such facility outside Russia. The project is slated to break ground in August on an 8-hectare parcel 60km north of Helsinki that Yandex purchased from the Mäntsälä municipality for 1.5 million euros, Tatyana Komarova of Yandex’s press service …
New Yandex Finnish data center to enjoy cool climate and trim costs Read More
Petr Mitrichev, a Russian programmer with a clutch of major global IT competition wins already under his belt, came out on top earlier this week at Facebook’s 3rd annual Hacker Cup international programming contest, notching his second personal Cup win and making the competition’s first prize Russian-only for a third year running. Mitrichev, a 28 …
Russian programmer wins Facebook Hacker Cup – again Read More
Two major Russian Internet groups – Rambler-Afisha and SUP Media – have announced plans to merge, creating an entity that will have a combined audience of 35 million users. The financial terms of the merger have not been disclosed. The two firms claim they will have the third-largest Internet audience in Russia after the merger – behind Yandex and Mail.ru Group – with …
Rambler-Afisha merges with SUP Media; new group to reach 35 million users monthly Read More
The OZON Group, comprised of OZON.ru, O-Courier, OZON.travel, Sapato.ru and eSolutions, has today announced its financial results for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2012. The company reached $492 million GMV [1] and $250 million net sales, growing by 67% and 55% respectively from the previous year. The announcement highlights the significant growth in revenue of …
OZON Group reached $492 million GMV and $250 million net sales in 2012 Read More
In its pursuit of leadership in the Russian online travel market, online hotel booking service Ostrovok.ru has raised $25 million – its fourth fundraising operation in less than two years. General Catalyst Partners has led the round, with participation from Accel Partners and Russia’s Frontier Ventures as well as from Russian billionaire Yuri Milner, ex-Expedia …
Online hotel booking service Ostrovok.ru raises $25 million amid fierce competition Read More
VKontakte got its first Hollywood star on board! According to the Huffington Post Tom Cruise announced he was joining the Russian social network on Friday from his Twitter page with a tweet that read: “Увидимся там!” (“See you there” in Russian). As of Monday 25, Tom’s profile had gained 63,000 followers, many of which commented in English …
Tom Cruise’s Vkontakte page attracts 63,000 followers in three days Read More
Kaspersky Lab, a global IT security provider based in Russia with headquarters in the U.S., has announced an agreement with the newly-established Interpol Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI) to provide its expertise to combat international cybercrime and online threats. The announcement came after a meeting between Eugene Kaspersky, Kaspersky Labs’ CEO and co-founder, Ronald Noble, …
Interpol recruits Russia’s Kaspersky Lab to thwart cybercrime Read More
Blabroom, a resident company of the St. Petersburg-based technopark and incubator Ingria, has completed a seed stage round from Imperious Group, which has injected 6 million rubles (approximately $200,000) into the startup in exchange for a 20% stake. Blabroom’s site has been designed to help shy people establish their first contacts with other members of …
St. Petersburg startup secures $200,000 to turn shy people into online daters Read More
