russia
(4)
Skolkovo built a startup city. The real test is the sale.
Russia’s Skolkovo Foundation bundles grants, laboratories and corporate introductions into a national technology project. Its history shows how much a state can build - and how much still depends on a customer saying yes.
Avito sold Russia on secondhand. Now it wants the whole business.
The Russian classifieds platform grew by helping strangers trade. Its next bet is to make the same marketplace useful for buying equipment, hiring staff and keeping a small company running.
VK has the audience. Now comes the arithmetic.
From Mail.ru to video feeds and business software, VK has built a place in millions of Russian daily routines. A costly expansion and a major share issue explain why its next test is turning attention into durable earnings.
Flowwow learned the hard way: a bouquet is a promise
Half the orders in an early holiday test went unfulfilled. Flowwow built a business by closing that gap - then took its local-shop model into cakes, gifts and an international operation now called Udora.