In the first month of 2016 we have witnessed quite a few investment and acquisition deals in Eastern Europe. Poland has seen an especially high dealflow, so I’ll publish it separately to increase my chances of you finishing this read 🙂
Russia
Personal Recommendation service E-Contenta raised $250 000 from Untitled Retail Lab
Venture fund the Untitled Retail Lab invests into Russian startup E-Contenta for further development of the product. Based on the unique hybrid mechanism for analyzing user behavior on the internet, the service suggests specific issues to read/listen/watch or buy on the web. Recommendations can appear on banners or customers’ platforms. Founders expect the service to become an asset for content businesses and on-line retailers.
Several leading Russian media outlets are already among the customers of the service.More on the story on Rusbase (in Russian).
Ukraine
Snapchat shuts down Looksery filters shop
In-app store Lens Shop in Snapchat was opened 2 months ago and has been offering filters based on Looksery technology at $0.99. The service was in demand as dozens of thousands of filters were sold daily. Snapchat acquired the technology by buying the Ukrainian startup Looksery at $150 million.
Now Snapchat retargets the tool to cater to the advertising business. The core monetization model is selling filters to brands. Lenses become free for users, but costly for brands: one day of Branded Lenses placing will cost them around $300,000-$700,000. More on Snapchat’s sponsored Lenses on Fortune.
Digital Future invests $200K into a Ukrainian startup promising to track all aspects of human life
Image credit, CC BY 2.0
Ukrainian startup PDNA is specialized in the field of symbiotic artificial intelligence. It has recently raised $200K from the Ukrainian investment company Digital Future for further development of its LifeTracker.io app. The application automatically monitors mood changes and emotions and helps with “managing ‘unmanageable’ stuff like family, time with kids, an hour with a new book, or just a short walk alone to decompress a little bit,” the startup claims. It also provides personalized recommendations, such as “read a book while you are commuting”, or “take your family out to spend some quality time”.
The service is also able to offer a kind of technological “alter ego”. The app filters user’s communications and digital distractors of any kind. Learn more on UADN.
Also, check out our post on the investment boom on the Russian taxi service market.
Hungary: Streaming service Ustream got acquired by IBM for $130M
Ustream reaches more that 80 million consumers and lists Sony’s PlayStation 4, Panasonic, Samsung, Logitech, CBS News, and other large media brands among its clients. The startup has previously received $11.1 million in Series A from DCM (Doll Capital Management), Labrador Ventures and Band of Angels.
Cofounded by a Hungarian and two Americans, Ustream is headquartered in San Francisco, California. Source
Citrix buys IP rights to software developed by Comptrade from Slovenia
Comtrade System Software & Tools (Comtrade) is a leading provider of IT infrastructure and application management and monitoring solutions. Hundreds of customers deploy its Citrix management packs, which are acquired by Citrix, the long-term partner of the developer.
In-house control over the pack lets Citrix provide the customers with comprehensive, end-to-end monitoring, delivering visibility of the entire Citrix desktop virtualization, network, and mobility environment. They’re also able to ensure performance across market-leading products, such as XenDesktop, XenApp, XenMobile, and NetScaler. Learn more from the press-release.
Image source: Techcrunch.
