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mail.ru

Facebook's Russian uber-investor explains strategy

SAN FRANCISCO--Few in Silicon Valley had heard of Russian investor Yuri Milner when, in spring 2009, his investment firm Digital Sky Technologies bought a $200 million stake in Facebook and announced plans to buy more through employee stock buybacks.

Now, with stakes in Zynga and Groupon as well as the acquisition of the ICQ messaging client from AOL, Digital Sky Technologies and its sister company Mail.ru have become impossible to ignore in the industry. DST's stake in Facebook is rumored to approach 10 percent. The firm has itself gone public. It's pioneered a new kind of investment … Read more

Facebook investor Mail.ru announces IPO pricing

Russia-based Mail.ru Group, a company that has invested in both Facebook and social-gaming company Zynga, has announced per-share pricing for its initial public offering on the London Stock Exchange.

According to the company, it plans to offer its shares for $23.70 to $27.70. At that price, Mail.ru will have an equity value between $4.86 billion to $5.71 billion after its shares are issued.

Proceeds from its IPO will be used to fund its acquisition of an additional 7.5 percent of Russian social network vKontakte for $112.5 million.

Mail.ru's portfolio of … Read more

Russia-based Facebook investor changes name

Digital Sky Technologies, a large Russian Internet company and a major investor in Facebook, has changed its name to Mail.ru Group.

Along with international media group Naspers, Mail.ru Group has been co-owner of Mail.ru, a Russian firm that offers e-mail, social-networking, gaming, and entertainment services. The switch in name from Digital Sky Technologies to Mail.ru Group reflects the changing nature and focus of its business, the company said late yesterday.

Mail.ru Group has already made a name for itself by pouring huge investment dollars into U.S. Internet companies, such as Facebook, Groupon, and Zynga. … Read more