News

Russian venture fund Life.Sreda seeks to sell assets amid first signs of severe industry contraction

Russian fintech fund Life.Sreda is seeking buyers for the greater part of its portfolio companies, both Russian and foreign, Russian business daily Vedomosti has learned from unnamed industry insiders. The fund intends to concentrate on the development of its most promising project, mobile acquiring startup LifePay. In an exchange with the newspaper, Life.Sreda representative Anna …

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After Bolshoi, Google wants to digitalize the Kremlin

The interiors of the Bolshoi Theater have become the most recent addition to Google’s initiative to digitally record the world’s art. On Feb. 10, the theater’s administration and the Google Cultural Institute unveiled a virtual 3D tour of the historic building, its new stage and three digital exhibitions from the collections of its museum. Russia …

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Yota clinches contract to sell its smartphone in China

The Russian manufacturer of smartphones Yota Devices has found a partner to enter the Chinese market, as reported by Russian business daily Kommersant. The new partner, Potevio, is one of the largest local distributors of mobile electronics. Over the next 18 months, Yota Devices expects to supply some 1 million units of its YotaPhone 2 …

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Russia to pay local devs to migrate apps to Tizen, Sailfish

The U.S. mobile ecosystem duopoly has been the big story of tech for the past six-plus years. And continues to be mobile’s unshakeable reality — with Android and iOS collectively cutting themselves a 96 per cent share of the device market (per Gartner figures for Q3 2014). Not everyone is happy about this lack of geopolitical diversity in the …

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Two Russian women electrocuted after using iPhone 4 in bathroom

A 24-year-old woman has died in Moscow after reportedly being electrocuted by a smartphone charger after her iPhone 4 fell into the bathtub. Yevgenia Sviridenko, originally from Omsk, was discovered by her flatmate as she lay floating in the bathtub on Monday evening, the Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper reported Tuesday. The flatmate, who was not identified in the report, said she had become concerned by how much time Sviridenko …

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Google’s Startup Launch Program extended to Russia

Google plans to launch its Google Startup Launch program in Russia, reported Russian tech blog Firrma.ru. This international program is not time-limited and is focused on startups in the early stages of development. Startups that end up in Google Startup Launch will participate in technological, product and marketing training seminars. In addition, they will receive support from specially selected …

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Russian online education platform Netology secures third funding round in a year

Netology Group, a major Russian online education platform, announced last week that it raised $2.1 million from Buran Venture Capital and InVenture Partners. This round is Netology’s third one in less than one year, following a Series A round with InVenture Partners in April 2014 and a $1.1million capital injection from the same fund in September.

Yandex purchases software tool for taxis

Yandex is purchasing Ros.Taxi, a software program for the management of taxis. It allows taxi businesses to take orders, coordinate and lead the work of drivers. Included within the Ros.Taxi brand is a mobile application called Taximeter, which determines the cost of a journey and provides drivers communication with dispatchers. Together with Yandex.Taxi – an …

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Coursmos attracts $600,000 seed investment

Illustrating the appeal of e-learning projects in the eyes of Russian investors, online micro-course platform Coursmos has received $600,000 in seed investment in a deal led by Altera Capital Group with participation from Imperious Group. Coursmos has now raised a total of $1.2 million in investment since it was launched in March 2014. Coursmos offers 11,000 micro-courses across 20 areas, …

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