Last week Skolkovo, the international tech hub on the outskirts of Moscow, announced the launch of GreenTech Startup Booster, presenting it as a first in Russia. The program is intended for companies or teams with ready-made products or prototypes of solutions that tackle environmental issues. Skolkovo expects “over 500 applicants” Six themes are covered: reducing …
K-SkAI, a startup developing an AI-enabled predictive analytics solution for healthcare, has raised 130 million rubles (around $1.8 million at the current exchange rate). Company representative Anna Guseva told East-West Digital News that the funding came from Russian individual investors, including Spartak Zabolotsky and other unnamed ones. She did not disclose further details of the deal. The …
Moscow-based Kaspersky Lab, one of the world’s top cyber security vendors, has increased its stake in New Cloud Technologies (NCT) from 29.5% to 47%, the Kommersant business daily reported. These shares were sold by company founder Andrey Cheglakov. Kaspersky acquired its initial 29.5% stake in May last year. Launched in 2013 — now with offices in Moscow, St. …
Kaspersky purchases additional stake in Russian cloud solution provider Read More
The subway cars working in the Moscow Metro will soon be equipped with facial recognition systems, reports the BBC Russian Service. According to a tender announced on July 9, the Moscow Mayor’s Office is spending 1.4 billion rubles (more than $19.7 million) on the purchase of the necessary surveillance cameras and specialized software. The first stage …
Moscow subway to deploy facial recognition surveillance system Read More
Last week the Skolkovo Foundation, Russia’s main tech hub with more than 2,400 resident startups, announced the temporary suspension of key grant programs until Dec. 31, 2020. The move is due to the government’s decision to freeze its subsidies to the foundation this year. Skolkovo will continue distributing grants from other sources. The suspended grant …
Skolkovo suspends key grant programs until next year Read More
Businesses face hefty penalties for operating on the Crimean peninsula, following its annexation by Russia in 2014 — a move deemed illegal by much of the international community and which resulted in the U.S., EU and other western countries placing stringent sanctions on Russia and barring firms from being active or investing on the peninsula. …
Sberbank, the Russian state-controlled financial and technology giant, is extending its empire to mapping services with the acquisition of a 72% stake in 2GIS. The deal, just announced, valued the company at 14.3 billion rubles ($205 million at the current exchange rate). Its approval by the antimonopoly authorities is expected in the third quarter of this …
Sberbank to acquire leading mapping service 2GIS at $205 million valuation Read More
Already moving into the commercial sector with a considerable growth potential, plastic-based electronics are already used in several ways. For example, they allow to create flexible solar displays that can be used as wallpaper as well as in sensors on smart clothing, aiming to monitor health markers. A Siberian company called PlusMinus Electronics Lab has …
Siberian smart t-shirt helps athletes and patients monitor health markers Read More
StartupBlink has just released the 2020 edition of its Startup Ecosystem Rankings Report, which encompasses 1,000 cities and 100 countries across the world. StartupBlink’s algorithm analyzes tens of thousands of data points. Data is coming from the company’s community of 50,000 members as well as from such partners as CrunchBase, SEMrush, Meetup, and Coworker. The ranking …
Moscow ranks 9th in StartupBlink’s global startup ecosystem ranking Read More
Sberbank, the state-controlled finance and technology behemoth, Azbuka Vkusa, a leading grocery retail outlet network, and Visa have teamed up to launch “Russia’s first store fitted with computer vision solutions.” Located in the Moscow City business center, the ‘Take&Go’ store features an “intellectual surveillance system” which “constantly tracks the products on shelves.” When entering the store, customers …
Ecwid, a leading provider of social commerce solutions for small businesses, has just secured $42 million from Morgan Stanley and PeakSpan Capital. Using 54 languages to serve 1.5 million businesses across the world, Ecwid has made a long way since it was born in Ulyanovsk, 720 km east from Moscow, 10 years ago. Now headquartered …
Russian-born social commerce major raises $42 million in Silicon Valley Read More
At least 21 autonomous republics and regions of the Russian Federation are setting up digital permit systems to enforce self-isolation rules: with a few exceptions, anyone who wants to leave their home in those regions needs or will need an official permission. These regional governments are using one and the same application: “Gosuslugi Stop Coronavirus,” …
