Venture/Private equity - Ukraine Digital News

Ukrainian online tutor platform graduates from Berlin business accelerator with $120,000

September 21, 2015

In a small theater in the middle of Berlin’s Kreuzberg district, a Ukrainian entrepreneur comes on stage to music playing from the American drama series “The Game of Thrones.” Taking place on Sept. 10, it was the culmination of three months of working on product design, marketing and fundraising at the TechStars Berlin business accelerator. …

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‘Ukrainian Uber’ claims 7,000 users, secures angel funding

September 18, 2015

WinTaxi, a Ukrainian copycat of Uber, has received an undisclosed amount of funding from Evgeniya Dubinskaya, reported last week tech blog AIN.UA. The business angel has received a minority stake. The startup, which claims to have registered 400 taxi drivers and 7,000 users since its launch in spring, will use the money to develop new functionalities …

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Czech entrepreneur and startup adviser Pavel Curda: “The best time to invest in Ukrainian startups is now”

September 13, 2015

“The country is probably one of the best mid- and long-term investment opportunities in the world at the moment,” believes Pavel Curda, who follows closely the Central and Eastern European startup scene. Having spent two weeks in Lviv (Lvov) and Odessa in August, the Czech entrepreneur suggests western investors to co-invest with local business angels.

Gillbus secures $1 million from Ukrainian fund CIG

September 9, 2015

Gill Business Systems (Gillbus), a company that develops inventory distribution systems (IDS) for the bus-transportation industry, has just secured $1 million from Ukrainian fund Chernovetskyi Investment Group (CIG), reported tech blog AIN.UA. Launched in Ukraine in 2010, Gillbus aims to make distribution of tickets for buses “as smooth as tickets for airlines.” According to CIG, the company …

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Giant investment firm CIG invests $1 million in Israeli startup Kidoz

August 25, 2015

In early August Chernovetskyi Investment Group (CIG), an investment company backed by businessman and former Kiyv (Kiev) mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi, contributed $1 million in a funding round secured by Israeli startup Kidoz. The round also involved several other investors, according to a CIG announcement reported by the Ukrainian media. However, neither these investors’ identity nor …

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Building a startup nation is a new Ukrainian dream

August 14, 2015

Two months ago I welcomed a delegation of European investors and tech entrepreneurs for an informal 3-day WEF/YGL/GS Ukraine Discovery Tour in Kyiv. I had met them at the World Economic Forum in Davos in January, and invited them to Ukraine despite skeptical views on the “country in war.” These views weren’t surprising because Russian …

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Ukrainian startup secures funding in Silicon Valley in one week to “simplify big data”

August 7, 2015

Illustrating the growing interpenetration of the Ukrainian and US startup ecosystems, Galactic Exchange, a big data startup with activities split between Kharkiv (Kharkov), Eastern Ukraine, and Silicon Valley, recently raised a seed funding round. The negotiation with the Silicon Valley investors took “less than a week,” Galactic Exchange co-founder Konstantin Kladko told Ukrainian tech blog AIN.UA.

50 top tech entrepreneurs and VCs launch non-profit to help Ukrainian startups penetrate Silicon Valley

July 22, 2015

Last week more than 50 of Ukraine’s most renowned tech entrepreneurs and investors launched UA50, a non-profit initiative to help Ukrainian startups enter the US and global markets. By providing mentorship programs, networking opportunities and other guidance, the network aims to “cultivate a new generation of successful Ukrainian companies,” strengthen “Ukraine’s presence in the global tech innovation …

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Horizon Capital invests in leading Ukrainian e-commerce site Rozetka

July 17, 2015

Yesterday the Emerging Europe Growth Fund II (EEGF II), a mid-cap private equity fund managed by Kyiv (Kiev)-based Horizon Capital, announced the acquisition of a stake in Rozetka, a leading Ukrainian e-commerce company. The financial details of the deal were not disclosed, but speculations appeared in the media that Rozetka’s valuation could amount to anything between $200 and $700 million, …

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Ukrainian startup Preply joins TechStars in Berlin, receives $120,000 to accelerate development

July 14, 2015

Preply, a platform to find foreign language tutors for home or Skype lessons, has entered the acceleration program of TechStars in Berlin, which the US accelerator launched earlier this year. The Ukrainian startup, which has received $120,000 from the accelerator, will move its headquarters to the German capital.

Ukrainian business angels invested $1.6 million in 21 deals in H1 2015

July 1, 2015

While celebrating its first anniversary last week, the UAngel association announced that its members have closed no fewer than 60 deals since the association inception in June 2014. Of these deals, 21 took place in the first six month of 2015, totalling more than $1.6 million, reported Ukrainian tech blog AIN.UA.

EcoisMe launches smart energy-management device, over reaches crowdfunding target

June 12, 2015

Ecoisme, a Ukrainian startup which moved its headquarters last year to Poland, has launched its device to “track energy usage of any device, get tips to reduce it and alerts about devices left turned on.” Presented as “the world’s most intelligent home energy monitoring system,” the Ecoisme device is currently available on Indiegogo, where it …

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