Intel Capital

AlterGeo previously raised $1 million from Kite Ventures and AddVenture.

AlterGeo (formerly Wi2Geo), like Foursquare, is a Russian location-based mobile platform (geo social service) that makes cities easier to explore. AlterGeo users can “check in” via a smartphone app and share their location with friends while collecting coupons, points and virtual badges. For example, the leading Russian retail bank VTB24 launched a loyalty program “Become a major of VTB24!” with Foursquare in April 2011. Next month VTB24 added AlterGeo to its loyalty program.

Launched as Wi2Geo in Moscow in July 2008, AlterGeo has more than 0.7 million users. AlterGeo was founded by Sergey Kurlovich and Denis Alaev in 2007. Almaz Capital has investment in mobile social network provider Apollo.

Founded in 2007, Foursquare has over 8 million registered users worldwide. Its users make over 2.5 million check-ins per day. Over 250,000 businesses use its merchant platform. Foursquare raised more than $20 million from Union Square Ventures, O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures, Andreessen Horowitz and angel investors.

In 2010, Intel Capital invested $2 million in Rock Flow Dynamics in Russia.

Social game

Update: According to Ventech founder and general partner Alain Caffi, his firm Ventech invested $2.5 million in $5 million round in Pixonic.

In Russia, Ventech of France previously invested in Oktogo and women-centric online portal WomanJournal.ru.

Ventech is also an investor in Crocus Technology that recently agreed a multi-million dollar investment with RUSNANO.

Almaz Capital Russia Fund I

Mobile video software provider Qik was acquired by Skype for over $150 million in January 2011.

Russia’s leading search engine company Yandex went IPO at $8 billion valuation on NASDAQ on May 24. Almaz Capital acquired a stake in Yandex at $1 billion valuation in September 2009.

Almaz Capital Managing Partner Peter Loukianoff was recently on the Board of Directors of Qik and managed Almaz‘s investment in Yandex.

In addition to Qik and Yandex, Almaz Capital invested into ERP software provider Acumatica, casual game publisher Alawar Entertainment, mobile social network provider Apollo, virtuallization software vendor Parallels and online travel agency Travelmenu.

Founded in 2004, DoubleGIS (ДубльГИС) reported sales of ca. $35 million in 2010. Based in Novosibirsk, 2GIS offers digital maps and city guides for more than 100 cities in Russia and Ukraine. The 2GIS maps, which are free to use, are supported by advertisements.

DoubleGIS released its 2GIS app for Android, Windows and Symbian. There is no 2GIS app for iPhone yet.

In 2010, Yandex acquired GIS Technology for Yandex.Maps.

The German Otto Group-backed eVenture Capital invested in Mapia.ua online map service in Ukraine in 2009.

Quintura offers mobile search apps for Android devices including recipe search app Q Cook, web and image search app Q Search and kids-friendly search app Q Kids.

From product description of Q Kids at Verizon Media Store:

“ Q Kids is a safe visual search engine designed specifically for children. Start teaching your children how to use the Internet, search for information and research the topic further.”

The GLONASS-enabled tablet PC will use dual GPS/GLONASS chipset Qualcomm MDM 6600, processor ARM cortex-A8 800 Mhz, 512 Mb RAM, 3D processor ATI Yamato DX V3, battery Li-ion 3500mAh, 3.2 MP camera and 7-inches screen.

The GLONASS tablet PC will run on Android 2.2.

The GLONASS tablet PC is expected to retail for ca. $490 in the second half of 2011.

The first GLONASS phone became available at MTS in April 2011.

Today, one of the Quintura search apps has become #1 app in App Store. Our visual-based recipes search app Quintura Cook is #1 Productivity app for both iPhone and iPad in App Store in three countries: Russia, Kazakhstan and Moldova.

Quintura tops Opera Mini web browser, Dropbox, Evernote, iTranslate, Moleskine, Firefox, AutoCAD WS, Apple’s Mobile Me iDisk, and other productivity apps in App Store.

The other search apps in iTunes App Store include kids’ search app Quintura Kids and web & image search app Quintura Search.

Quintura mobile search apps can be downloaded from iTunes App Store, Amazon appstore for Android, Vodafone 360 Shop and Nokia’s Ovi Store.

Q Kids, Android app of Quintura Kids search engine for kids, has become one of top downloads at Vodafone 360 shop in the U.K.. Q Kids is the only app from Education category in the chart. See the red icon of Q Kids in the screenshot to the right.

Quintura Kids is simple and easy-to-use. This visual-based kids‘ search engine is both safe and interactive. It helps teaching children how to use the Internet, safely search for information on the Web and research the topics.

With Quintura Kids for Android, kids can search and refine searching with a tap of the cloud.

Quintura offers recipe search (Q Cook), web and image search (Q Search) and kids-friendly search (Q Kids) apps for Android devices as well as maternity search app Мой Малыш (My Baby) in Russian.

From product description of Q Cook at Vodafone 360 Shop:

“ Q Cook is Visual Search Engine for Recipes designed for Mobile Phones and Tablets. Tap a word in a search cloud to browse for recipes. We have indexed information from popular cooking web-sites. To begin search, tap a word in Quintura search cloud. To refine searching, tap another word to add it to your query. The cloud and search results will change.”

The smartphone uses both GPS and GLONASS, the Russian global satellite navigation system. Thanks to using both systems, the phone shall have faster navigation start up and better coverage.

The GSM/3G smartphone MTS GLONASS 945, which is running on Android 2.2, has 3.2-inches TFT capacitive touchscreen, 2MP camera, internal memory of 130 MB, WiFi and Bluetooth capacity. The phone is similar to Vodafone 945, except for GLONASS chip.

MTS GLONASS 945 is manufactured by ZTE with a GPS/GLONASS chipset made by Qualcomm.

GLONASS (Global Navigation Satellite System) has a constellation of 23 operational satellites, which cover 100% of Russian territory and 98% of world’s territory.

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Click to download Quintura search apps for iOS, Android and Symbian.

Quintura offers recipe search (Q Cook), web and image search (Q Search) and kids-friendly search (Q Kids) apps for Android devices.

From product description of Q Search on Amazon Appstore:

“Q Search is visual search engine designed for Androids and tablets. With its unique word cloud interface, this search engine helps jostle your mind into thinking up specific queries you’re searching for.

Q Search helps take the guesswork out of your search engine queries. Instead of constantly typing in words to guess the exact term with the best results, glide through Q Search‘s word clouds and find what you’re really looking for.”

Founded in 2008, ZeptoLab is run by Moscow-based brothers Semyon Voinov and Efim Voinov. Prior to founding ZeptoLab together with his brother, Semyon Voinov worked as Lead Artist at game publisher Digital Chocolate in Helsinki, Finland.

Perhaps, ZeptoLab and Rovio successes have the same origin. In January 2006, Rovio acquired Pixelgene, a Helsinki-based developer of 3D mobile games that worked for Digital Chocolate.

Cut The Rope, which was develoled by ZeptoLab and published by Chillingo for iOS, should have reached 4 million downloads last December.

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Click to download Quintura search apps for iOS, Android and Symbian.