Internet

Vkontakte.ru ownership saga: Usmanov now plans to increase Mail.ru Group’s stake

December 28, 2012

A mere two weeks after an executive of his management company stated the opposite in an exchange with Bloomberg, Russian billionaire Alisher Usmanov, the main shareholder of the Mail.ru Group, said he was willing to increase his group’s stake in Vkontakte.ru, Russia’s leading social network also known as VK.com. “If there is a reasonable market …

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Mail.ru Group closes microblogging service Futubra

December 28, 2012

Futubra, a microblogging service with advanced multimedia, news group and comment functions, is closing down less than a year after its launch in early 2012. The termination announcement on the Futubra website contains no substantial explanation; however, Mail.ru Group CEO Dmitry Grishin had publicly conceded this past July that Futubra’s audience was not meeting expectations.

US, Russia agree anti-piracy plan

December 27, 2012

Last week the Russian and US governments signed an agreement that contains an action plan to protect intellectual property rights. The agreement requires the parties to fight online piracy, close websites hosting litigious content, allocate funds for anti-piracy enforcement measures and coordinate efforts towards these ends. Russia will have to alter its current legislation – particularly …

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Rostelecom strengthens presence in Armenia

December 25, 2012

GNC-ALFA, a leading Armenian telco owned by the Russian national telecom operator Rostelecom, will enlarge its service offer and operate under its mother company’s brand. Earlier this month the Armenian operator launched Rostelecom-branded landline telephony and broadband Internet sales, and is gearing up for retailing interactive TV services to private customers at a later date.

WebGames continues buying spree, takes over game developer Drimmi

December 21, 2012

WebGames, a former game publisher now turned investor in game studios, has taken over Drimmi, a three-year-old Russian developer of games for social networks. The parties have not disclosed the deal’s value, but an anonymous source with knowledge of the transaction leaked to the Russian business daily Vedomosti that it could be in the millions …

WebGames continues buying spree, takes over game developer Drimmi Read More

New online furniture retailer serves ‘American bourgeois-style’ Russian shoppers

December 17, 2012

Among the growing number of players competing on the Russian furniture and home decor online landscape, The Furnish, a site launched last week, demonstrates some originality. It focuses on the premium segment, claiming to be the first online furniture retailer with this specific positioning, and offering items in various styles, from ‘Country’ to ‘Eco-Style’ and …

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Mebelrama.ru attracts $10 million from Rocket Internet as competition tightens

December 14, 2012

Last October Germany’s giant startup incubator Rocket Internet invested $10 million in its portfolio company Mebelrama.ru, a Russian online furniture retailer. The transaction was revealed only this past Friday by Mebelrama co-founder Manuella Stoll in an interview with Russian business daily Kommersant. The investment will help Mebelrama enlarge its assortment, move to a new warehouse, …

Mebelrama.ru attracts $10 million from Rocket Internet as competition tightens Read More

Swiss fund to invest €100 million in Russian ecommerce infrastructure and services

December 14, 2012

Swiss private equity fund Pluribus Optimum announced last week its plan to invest €100 million in e-commerce projects in Russia and neighboring countries by the end of 2015. The fund will focus on improving processing, document flow, billing organization, and payment acceptance in online stores, as well as 3PL logistics. “We have identified e-commerce as …

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Fastlane secures $13 million from Kazakhstani investor; celebrates first exits while conceding failures

December 12, 2012

Fastlane Ventures, one of the most active investors on the Russian Internet scene, has secured $13 million from Kenges Rakishev, a prominent businessman from Kazakhstan. Rakishev will be joining Fastlane Ventures’ board of directors, along with existing strategic investors VTB Capital, Direct Group, and e.ventures. Rakishev already serves as chairman of the boards of directors …

Fastlane secures $13 million from Kazakhstani investor; celebrates first exits while conceding failures Read More

WebReady attracts startups from 13 countries to St. Petersburg, rewards JavaScript mistake monitoring and iPad app startups

December 8, 2012

WebReady, a contest organized by Ingria, a St. Petersburg-based technopark, took place in St. Petersburg last week. One of the Russian startup scene’s most notable competitions, the event included a startup exhibition, elevator pitches, conferences, and a Venture Capitalist Corner as well as a variety of other networking opportunities. Featuring Internet and mobile sections for …

WebReady attracts startups from 13 countries to St. Petersburg, rewards JavaScript mistake monitoring and iPad app startups Read More

Mail.ru Group considers selling its stake in Vkontakte

December 6, 2012

Mail.ru Group, an LSE-listed Russian Internet group partly owned by Russian billionnaire Alsiher Usmanov, may consider selling its 40% stake in VKontakte (VK.com), Russia’s most popular social network. This possibility was discussed earlier this week by Ivan Streshinskiy, chief executive officer of the company that manages Usmanov’s assets, USM Advisors LLC, in an interview with …

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DST backer Alisher Usmanov to focus on China

December 6, 2012

Alisher Usmanov, the Russian billionaire who backs the leading global Internet investment fund DST Global, is now avoiding the US and focusing on China, Bloomberg reported yesterday. The valuations of US technology companies are too high to justify making new investments, Ivan Streshinskiy, chief executive officer of the company that manages Usmanov’s assets, was quoted …

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