Crunchbase and East-West Digital News are teaming up to cover key tech and venture trends from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, with a column by EWDN Chief Editor Adrien Henni that highlights the most notable industry facts and trends across the region.
Highlights in Ukraine:
- GitLab, Grammarly and People.ai were not the only Ukraine-founded tech companies to shine in the West. Throughout the year, impressive investment or acquisition deals involved airSlate, Creatio, Depositphotos, Preply, Revenue Grid and a few other comopanies established abroad.
- Domestic deals were far more modest in size. For example, ComeBack Mobility, which develops smart crutch tips, raised $1 million, while Effa, a startup that creates nature-friendly toothbrushes, and cloud platform Onlizer, each received $500,000.
- A series of equity-free funding deals involved the state-backed Ukrainian Startup Fund.
- In April 2021, the French carpooling giant BlaBlaCar acquired Octobus, a Ukrainian tech firm that develops software for bus operators, while Kazakhstani Kaspi Pay, in July, took control of online payment major Portmone. Playrix, a global Russian-founded gaming giant, bought Boolat Games in March.
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