Quintura blog http://blog.quintura.com Russian internet news, venture capital and private equity deals, M&A Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:00:31 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Travel Meta-Search Momondo And Oktogo.ru To Partner For Russian Hotel Booking http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/quintura/comblog/~3/P6B2Ug5p3-I/ http://blog.quintura.com/2012/02/06/travel-meta-search-momondo-and-oktogo-ru-to-partner-for-russian-hotel-booking/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:00:31 +0000 admin http://blog.quintura.com/?p=13170 The pan-European travel meta-search engine Momondo has partnered with Oktogo.ru, the leading Russian travel and hotel booking site, reported newspaper Kommersant. Oktogo.ru will power Momondo‘s search results with hotels from its database. The Russian online hotel booking market reached $1 billion last year.

In early 2011, Oktogo.ru received $5 million from European venture capital investors. Based in St. Petersburg, Oktogo.ru generates more than 10,000 hotel bookings per month. The online site offers booking at over 2,000 Russian hotels from its database.

Launched in 2006, Momondo was acquired by U.K.-based Cheapflights Media in 2011. Denmark-based Momondo operates online travel search in major European languages including in Russian.

Oktogo.ru tops list of the best Russian web startups of 2011.


]]> http://blog.quintura.com/2012/02/06/travel-meta-search-momondo-and-oktogo-ru-to-partner-for-russian-hotel-booking/feed/ 0 http://blog.quintura.com/2012/02/06/travel-meta-search-momondo-and-oktogo-ru-to-partner-for-russian-hotel-booking/ Kaspersky Lab To Purchase General Atlantic’s Stake In The Company http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/quintura/comblog/~3/j4COFQnlotk/ http://blog.quintura.com/2012/02/04/kaspersky-lab-to-purchase-general-atlantics-stake-in-the-company/#comments Sat, 04 Feb 2012 13:28:53 +0000 admin http://blog.quintura.com/?p=13254 Europe’s largest antivirus company, Kaspersky Lab, will buy back the company’s shares held by the investment firm General Atlantic as well as the shares of some individual shareholders. Kaspersky Lab will use profits accumulated over the past years for a share repurchase, it announced. The company will cancel the repurchased shares. Kaspersky Lab will rull out IPO plans and remain private.

The growth equity investor General Atlantic bought out a 20% stake in Kaspersky Lab for $200 million in January 2011.

Founded in 1997, Kaspersky Lab is ranked as world’s top four vendor of security solutions for endpoint users. In 2010, Kaspersky Lab reported annual revenues of more than $500 million, up 38% from 2009. Its flagship consumer products are Kaspersky Internet Security 2012, Kaspersky PURE and Kaspersky Mobile Security. Over 300 million people worldwide are protected by Kaspersky Lab‘s products and technologies. Kaspersky Lab’s corporate client base exceeds 200,000 companies.


]]> http://blog.quintura.com/2012/02/04/kaspersky-lab-to-purchase-general-atlantics-stake-in-the-company/feed/ 0 http://blog.quintura.com/2012/02/04/kaspersky-lab-to-purchase-general-atlantics-stake-in-the-company/ Troika To Make Over $50M, or 10 Times, From Investment In Evernote http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/quintura/comblog/~3/L2ySPIBehN4/ http://blog.quintura.com/2012/02/03/troika-to-make-over-50m-or-10-times-from-investment-in-evernote/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:35:47 +0000 admin http://blog.quintura.com/?p=13220 Troika, which is now owned by Russia’s largest bank Sberbank, has returned ten times money it invested in Evernote three years ago. Troika Ventures sold its stake in Evernote to the expansion round backer Sequoia Capital, announced Troika

Evernote was named top web startup in Russia several times.

Troika invested $4.5 million in online and mobile note making service Evernote in late 2008. Troika was the first institutional investor in Evernote. Troika paricipated in the next Evernote‘s investment round in 2009. Launched in 2008, Evernote has 20 million registered users.

Sequoia leaded Evernote‘s $50 million growth round together with previous investor Morgenthaler Ventures in July 2011.


]]> http://blog.quintura.com/2012/02/03/troika-to-make-over-50m-or-10-times-from-investment-in-evernote/feed/ 0 http://blog.quintura.com/2012/02/03/troika-to-make-over-50m-or-10-times-from-investment-in-evernote/ DST to Acquire 4% of Zalando, “Zappos of Europe” http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/quintura/comblog/~3/8vEnCIzrJl4/ http://blog.quintura.com/2012/02/03/dst-to-acquire-4-of-zalando-zappos-of-europe/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:15:05 +0000 admin http://blog.quintura.com/?p=13192 The major investor of Zynga, Twitter and Facebook, DST of Yuri Milner from Russia has invested into Zalando, a pan-European online shoe store of Rocket Internet. The German Samwer brothers who have launched Zalando via Rocket Internet business incubator in Berlin also invested into the round. DST will obtain a 4% stake in Zalando as a result of the investment, reported Exciting Commerce.

The Samwer bothers Russian online shoe store Lamoda.ru, which is backed by Holtzbrinck Ventures, Tengelmann Group and Investment AB Kinnevik, competes with Sapato.ru that is repotedly acquired by the leading Russia online mall OZON.ru.

Launched in fall 2008, Zalando generates monthly sales revenues of 100 million euros, mostly in Germany and the UK.

In Europe, DST Global previously invested in online music service Spotify and payment service Klarna.


]]> http://blog.quintura.com/2012/02/03/dst-to-acquire-4-of-zalando-zappos-of-europe/feed/ 0 http://blog.quintura.com/2012/02/03/dst-to-acquire-4-of-zalando-zappos-of-europe/ OZON to Acquire Sapato.ru Online Shoe Store? http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/quintura/comblog/~3/USsXm3bUEQY/ http://blog.quintura.com/2012/02/01/ozon-to-acquire-sapato-ru-online-shoe-store/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:57:13 +0000 admin http://blog.quintura.com/?p=13137 ‘Amazon of Russia’, OZON has received an approval from the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) of the Russian Federation to acquire online shoe store Sapato.ru, according to the FAS’ web-site.

To finance an acquisition, OZON can use proceeds of $100 million round that it raised from Ru-Net, Rakuten, Alpha Associates and Index Ventures last September. Launched in 1998, OZON.ru should have generated revenues of some $200 million in 2011. Its major shareholder is Baring Vostok Capital Partners (BVCP).

Launched in June 2010, Sapato raised some $18 million in venture capital including $12 million in a round led by Intel Capital last June. Other investors of Sapato.ru included German Otto Group-backed eVenture Capital Partners, Investment AB Kinnevik of Sweden and Direct Group (via Fast Lane Ventures) of Pascal Clement.

Russia’s top 10 web startup of 2011, online shore Lamoda.ru will now face a serious competion from a possible alliance of Sapato.ru and OZON.

In 2011, the Russian e-commerce market was valued at more than $10 billion, up 25% from 2010.

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]]> http://blog.quintura.com/2012/02/01/ozon-to-acquire-sapato-ru-online-shoe-store/feed/ 0 http://blog.quintura.com/2012/02/01/ozon-to-acquire-sapato-ru-online-shoe-store/ Yandex to Partner with NAVTEQ For Global Online Maps http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/quintura/comblog/~3/81cLOA81Vyk/ http://blog.quintura.com/2012/01/30/yandex-to-partner-with-navteq-for-global-online-maps/#comments Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:59:04 +0000 admin http://blog.quintura.com/?p=13116 How to stop your online user going to a competitor’s service? To provide the same one on your own.

According to Finland’s ArcticStartup, Russia’s leading search engine and search-related advertising company Yandex has partnered with Nokia‘s NAVTEQ by licensing its global digital maps for Yandex.Maps (Яндекс.Карты). The monthly audience of Yandex.Maps is over 14 million, according to TNS Web Index. The deal with NAVTEQ shall help Yandex to compete with Google for Russian online users.

In 2010, Yandex purchased digital map maker GIS Technology for $5 million to have maps for Russia and its neighboring countries. In Russia, Yandex.Maps faces a serious competition not only from Google.Maps but also from digital maps’ service provider 2GIS that has a strong presence in Russian regions.


]]> http://blog.quintura.com/2012/01/30/yandex-to-partner-with-navteq-for-global-online-maps/feed/ 0 http://blog.quintura.com/2012/01/30/yandex-to-partner-with-navteq-for-global-online-maps/ Russian Venture Capital Firms Invest Abroad http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/quintura/comblog/~3/ger7lZI0fSQ/ http://blog.quintura.com/2012/01/18/russian-venture-capital-firms-invest-abroad/#comments Wed, 18 Jan 2012 07:26:38 +0000 admin http://blog.quintura.com/?p=13089 In spite of massive market opportunities in Russia, some of the major venture capital firms from Russia made select investments abroad in fall 2011. Those VC firms include Almaz Capital, Runa Capital, RTP Ventures and VTB Capital.

RTP Ventures, the U.S. arm of ru-Net group of Leonid Boguslavsky, made early-stage investments in four U.S.-based companies such as Cake Health, GridGain, Koding and Tinfoil Security. New York-based RTP Ventures is headed by Kirill Sheynkman.

Almaz Capital, a Moscow-based venture capital firm of Alexander Galitsky, invested in Vyatta, a U.S.-based vendor of software-based networking for physical, virtual and cloud infrastructures.

Runa Capital, a Moscow- and Berlin-based early-stage venture capital firm of Serguei Beloussov, invested in U.K.-based ThinkGrid and U.S.-based BigTime Software.

VTB Capital, the investment business of Russian banking group VTB Group, invested $5.5 million in aiHit, a U.K.-based provider of company data to the business information, market research and lead generation industries. aiHit planned to open a R&D office in St. Petersburg, Russia. aiHit was previously funded by Amadeus Capital Partners.


]]> http://blog.quintura.com/2012/01/18/russian-venture-capital-firms-invest-abroad/feed/ 0 http://blog.quintura.com/2012/01/18/russian-venture-capital-firms-invest-abroad/ Top 10 Russian Web Startups of 2011 http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/quintura/comblog/~3/anoaAH0MQ8c/ http://blog.quintura.com/2011/12/22/top-10-russian-web-startups-of-2011/#comments Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:21:24 +0000 admin http://blog.quintura.com/?p=12930 In September 2011, Russia became the largest Internet market in Europe with 51 million online users. Who are the top emerging internet companies that disrupt the Russian market. Find out below a list of top 10 Russian web startups of 2011.

1. Oktogo.ru

Having raised $5 million in venture capital from European early-stage investors, Oktogo.ru is #1 in Russian online travel. Russia’s ‘Booking.com‘ Oktogo.ru has not only collected the largest online hotel database in Russia but also baked it with user reviews from TripAdvisor.

Oktogo.ru CEO Marina Kolesnik is one of the most visionary female internet entrepreneurs from Russia.

2. ZeptoLab (Cut the Rope)

Russia’s answer to Rovio‘s Angry Birds, ZeptoLab‘s Cut the Rope reached 60 million game downloads in the first year from initial release without venture money.

Managed by Voinov brothers, Misha Lyalin and, from recently, Diana Moldavsky, Moscow-based ZeptoLab strives to leverage its Om Nom game character by releasing Cut the Rope sequel and branching out into comic books and plush toys.

3. Biglion

Heavily-funded by Tiger Global and Ru-Net, coupon service Biglion beats Groupon and other upstarts in the space in Russia. Biglion delivers the highest revenue growth in Russia’s internet history: from zero to $15 million monthly revenues in one and a half years. Biglion could be the next largest internet IPO candidate from Russia after Yandex in 2011 and Mail.ru Group in 2010.

4. Metabar

Metabar is the perfect example of how to turn a simple idea into a hundred million business. Founded by Yandex grad Michael Ushakov, Metabar offers browser toolbar creation service, just like Conduit. To grow fast, Metabar has raised $1 million from Runa Capital.

5. Nginx

It’s hard to beat Microsoft. Nginx did it. The lightweight, high-performance web server, reverse proxy and e-mail proxy software provider Nginx is #2 web server software on the Web, behind only Apache. Founded by Rambler refugee Igor Sysoev, Nginx raised $3 million from global venture capital investors to make it a commercial success.

6. Lamoda

Online shoe store Lamoda.ru is the first project launched in Russia by Samwer brothers’ Rocket Internet with funding from Holtzbrinck Ventures, Tengelmann Group and Investment AB Kinnevik. Lamoda stands against competion from Sapato.ru and Ozon.ru who both closed massive VC rounds in 2011.

7. Surfingbird

Curation is a hot trend on the Web. So is web discovery. Backed by $2.5 million from the French and Russian investors, Surfingbird.ru delivers a web recommendation and discovery service to end-users. Is it better than StumbleUpon? 2012 will tell us.

8. GridGain

St. Petersburg, Russia- and Foster City, California-based cloud computing software vendor GridGain employs the winning formula for Russian startups: a software development in Russia and sales & marketing in the U.S.

GridGain closed $2.5 million Series A in November 2011 led by RTP Ventures, the U.S. arm of Yandex and Ozon.ru investor Ru-Net Holdings of Leoind Boguslavsky.

9. BabyBoom

Kids’ goods online retailer BabyBoom.ru finds itself in a very crowded market space in Russia unless a baby boom is really coming to the country. Index Ventures‘ seed fund seems to believe in it by backing BabyBoom. We will see next year.

10. KupiVIP

Online commerce is booming in Russia. Top 10 Russian web startup of 2009, online shopping club KupiVIP.ru made headlines in April 2011 when it closed $55 million round from Bessemer, Balderton and Russia Partners, the largest internet startup funding in Russia. In 3 years from launch, KupiVIP managed to become bigger than Ozon.ru, a 10-year old ‘Amazon’ of Russia. Time to market is a key!

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]]> http://blog.quintura.com/2011/12/22/top-10-russian-web-startups-of-2011/feed/ 0 http://blog.quintura.com/2011/12/22/top-10-russian-web-startups-of-2011/ Tiger Global To Invest $25 Million In Russian Coupon Leader Biglion http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/quintura/comblog/~3/n8RIWOqVc2A/ http://blog.quintura.com/2011/12/21/tiger-global-to-invest-25-million-in-russian-coupon-leader-biglion/#comments Wed, 21 Dec 2011 09:07:26 +0000 admin http://blog.quintura.com/?p=12903 Tiger Global Management has invested some $25 million in the leading Russian coupon service Biglion, reported newspaper Vedomosti. Previously, Biglion raised funding from Ru-Net of Leonid Boguslavsky.

Launched in March 2010, Biglion offers coupons to 7 million users in more than 50 cities of Russia as well as in Kiev, Ukraine. Its annual turnover is estimated at more than $150 million. The company is reportedly profitable.

Biglion‘s closest competitors in Russia are Vigoda.ru and Groupon Russia (formerly Darberry) with annual turnover of ca. $100 million.

Russia has 51 million Internet users, the highest number of users in Europe.

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]]> http://blog.quintura.com/2011/12/21/tiger-global-to-invest-25-million-in-russian-coupon-leader-biglion/feed/ 0 http://blog.quintura.com/2011/12/21/tiger-global-to-invest-25-million-in-russian-coupon-leader-biglion/ Christmas Time Is Here: Sochi 2014 Online Shop Opens For Business http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/quintura/comblog/~3/dkg7NLa2-10/ http://blog.quintura.com/2011/12/19/christmas-time-is-here-sochi-2014-online-shop-opens-for-business/#comments Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:39:13 +0000 admin http://blog.quintura.com/?p=12882 Just in time for Christmas the Sochi 2014 online shop has been launched. The internet shop sells apparel, souvenirs, toys and school & office supplies with the symbols of Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.

The most interesting items include the Sochi 2014 Olmpic mascots: white bear, hare and snow leopard as well as Khokhloma souvenirs: matryoshka and kitchen ware.

Sochi 2014 online shop (shop.sochi2014.com) takes pre-orders and delivers in Moscow and across Russia.

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]]> http://blog.quintura.com/2011/12/19/christmas-time-is-here-sochi-2014-online-shop-opens-for-business/feed/ 0 http://blog.quintura.com/2011/12/19/christmas-time-is-here-sochi-2014-online-shop-opens-for-business/ Siberian startup Questli to raise Swiss VC money from Redalpine http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/quintura/comblog/~3/CvDF5X-OY4o/ http://blog.quintura.com/2011/12/16/siberian-startup-questli-to-raise-swiss-vc-money-from-redalpine/#comments Fri, 16 Dec 2011 10:01:42 +0000 admin http://blog.quintura.com/?p=12855 The Russian startup Questli, which offers iPhone and Android app and browser-based quest games, has raised a new funding from Zurich-based venture capital firm Redalpine and private investors from Switzerland and Germany.

Questli was founded by CEO Danila Kozyatnikov in April 2011 with Redalpine‘s funding of CHF 200,000. Quest.li has a software development team in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk, Russia and marketing team in San Francisco. Dan Kozyatnikov first met Redalpine partner Nicolas Berg via Le Web in Paris in December 2010.

By downloading Questli games to their smartphones, users can play quests along and against others to win prizes.

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]]> http://blog.quintura.com/2011/12/16/siberian-startup-questli-to-raise-swiss-vc-money-from-redalpine/feed/ 0 http://blog.quintura.com/2011/12/16/siberian-startup-questli-to-raise-swiss-vc-money-from-redalpine/ Online Shopping App Creator Ecwid Raises $1.5 Million From Runa Capital http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/quintura/comblog/~3/Y4Cj7liLf5g/ http://blog.quintura.com/2011/12/14/online-shopping-app-creator-ecwid-raises-1-5-million-from-runa-capital/#comments Wed, 14 Dec 2011 21:44:28 +0000 admin http://blog.quintura.com/?p=12827 The Russian early-stage venture capital firm of Serguei Beloussov, Runa Capital has invested $1.5 million in Ecwid, according to both companies (via Yandex.News). Ecwid offers an online shopping application to sell goods on your own web-site or social network.

Launched in September 2009, Ecwid has over 100,000 registered accounts. Ecwid (E-Commerce Widgets) offers SaaS-based online shopping cart creation. Ulyanovsk-based Ecwid is headed by CEO Ruslan Fazlyev.

Moscow-based Runa Capital recently invested in BigTime and Travelmenu.


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