Russia
Posted Wed, 01/09/2010 - 23:33
Russia's Digital Sky Technologies (DST) has taken complete ownership of Odnoklassniki.ru, acquiring the remaining 20% in the social networking site it did not already own. The stake was acquired from Albert Popkov, the site's founder.
Posted Thu, 26/08/2010 - 11:07
Group purchasing giant Groupon has stuck its foot in the Russian door by acquiring Darberry.ru, a web
Posted Thu, 19/08/2010 - 09:20
Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation released its financial report for the 2009/2010 fiscal year late last week, containing statements which imply the possibility that the company may try to sell subsidiaries Fox Mobile and News Outdoor. The report has given rise to speculation that VTB Capital and Alfa Group may be interested in a News Outdoor acquisition.
Posted Fri, 13/08/2010 - 12:47
Britain's Plastic Logic is raising eyebrows in the U.K. business community after it was revealed the company was engaged in advanced-stage talks with Russia's sate-owned Rusnano. The talks are believed to be aimed at a cash infusion which would give Rusnano a controlling stake in Plastic Logic.
Posted Thu, 12/08/2010 - 23:21
Russia's Sistema has announced a deal to acquire M2M Telematics, a Russian fleet management technology firm. The deal gives Sistema a 51% stake at a price of USD 20 million.
Posted Thu, 12/08/2010 - 23:09
Germany's eVenture Capital Partners has teamed up with Russia's Direct Group to invest in the fledgling Sapatu.ru, an online shoe retailer just getting under way. The investment, which is believed to be in the neighbourhood of USD 1 million, is part of the partner's goal to build Russia's number one online shoe store in the midst of a market estimated to be worth USD $15 billion annually.
Posted Fri, 30/07/2010 - 23:36
With Russian online travel sales expected to increase to as much as 30% of the total travel sales market, online travel sites stand to benefit greatly in coming years. The good outlook may be one of the things that has motivated New York-based Tiger Global Management to invest in Russia's Anydayanyway.com. Tiger global has acquired a 40% share of the company for nearly USD 10 million, adding it to a Russian portfolio which also includes the Yandex search portal.
Posted Fri, 23/07/2010 - 22:15
South Africa's Naspers Limited has announced an agreement to acquire a 28.7% stake in Digital Sky Technologies (DST) through a combination of two strategic investments. Through subsidiary Myriad International Holdings, Naspers will give DST its current 39.9% stake in Mail.ru as well as invest USD $388 million in cash. Other Mail.ru minority investors will also convert their shares to DST.
Posted Fri, 23/07/2010 - 22:08
Two senior members of the Almaz Capital Partners team have come together to establish a new venture capital fund for Russian start-ups. Runa Capital, the new USD $30 million fund started by Alexander Galitsky and Serguei Beloussov, will target early stage companies active in the internet and software sectors.
Posted Thu, 22/07/2010 - 17:20
Russian internet investor Finam Capital has announced the acquisition of minority stake in one of Russia's leading value-added banking companies. The minority stake in Banki.ru gives Finam a Board presence and an opportunity to bring its financial resources to the table in helping establish Banki.ru as a profitable business.
Posted Thu, 22/07/2010 - 17:05
Russian Venture Company's (RVC) new fund has reached overseas with a recently announced investment in an American solar energy firm. Russian Venture Capital I LP is investing USD 10 million in California-based BrightSource Energy as part of that company's series D funding.
Posted Thu, 22/07/2010 - 16:53
Suffering from the fallout of the sustained global economic crisis, CapMan has announced the closing of its CapMan Buyout IX fund at a level well below the original target. With institutional investors pulling back investments in private equity, a loss of nearly 80% in 2009, the CapMan fund only managed to secure € 294.6 million of the €450 million they had hoped for.
Posted Sun, 11/07/2010 - 22:18
Russian fleet management specialist Russian Navigation Technologies (RNT) has wrapped up a fairly successful IPO carried on the MICEX Exchange. Listed on the Innovation and Growth Companies sector, the company managed to sell 3,520,000 newly issued shares at a price of RUR 85.23 each, for a total of RUR 300 million.
Posted Fri, 28/05/2010 - 11:13
The EBRD has announced plans to be an anchor investor in a new fund-of-funds aimed at investing in existing funds in Russia, Turkey, and CIS nations. The USD 300 million fund will be managed by Alpha Associates Group under the name Alpha Russia & CIS Secondary L.P., and will help to replace the private equity funding that has been lost as a result of the global financial crisis.
Posted Fri, 28/05/2010 - 10:28
Russia's VTB Capital is continuing its strategy of investing in private companies with the recent acquisition of a minority stake in EPAM Systems, an American firm which employs over 90% of its people in Russia and Belarus. VTB sees EPAM Systems as one of the most experienced companies in their market with great potential for expansion both in Russia and around the world. The acquisition provides some evidence that Eastern European IT companies are gaining respect among international investors.
Posted Sat, 15/05/2010 - 20:41
Gimv is a company involved with many mid-sized growth companies since 1996. Gimv has been involved with KBC Private Equity since early 2008, but this partnership was cancelled by KBC at the end of 2009.
Posted Fri, 30/04/2010 - 11:07
After almost four months of negotiations with AOL, Digital Sky Technologies announced on 28 April they have reached a deal with the online to giant acquire ICQ for USD 187.5 million. As the leader in instant messaging in Russia, ICQ represents an opportunity for DST to strengthen its market position by providing a large new customer base for companies already in the DST portfolio.
Posted Thu, 29/04/2010 - 22:48
Bentus Laboratories, the Russian personal hygiene products maker, has finalized a deal which will provide financing for company expansion and marketing goals. The funding comes from VTB Asset Management via its RUB 800 million Moscow Regional Venture Fund II, with VTB providing USD 4 million in exchange for a 30% share.
Posted Mon, 26/04/2010 - 01:03
Moscow-based UFG Private Equity Fund II has made another investment in the Russian telecomm market with the acquisition of 15% of Prestige Internet; a company operating under the brand name Enforta. The shares were acquired from Sumitomo Corporation whose stake is now reduced to 15%. Other investors in parent company Enforta B.V. include Baring Vostok Capital Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, the EBRD, and company management.
Posted Sat, 24/04/2010 - 00:00
RusNano, the Russian nanotechnology investor established in 2007, has decided to infuse RUB 155 million into a new program aimed at developing tagged neutron detection systems. DViN, the applicant for approval of the project by the Supervisory Council of the Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies, will contribute undisclosed intellectual property. The scientific base will come from Russia's Joint Institute for Nuclear Research which has also conducted the project's initial research.
