Tech Wrap June 26: the Biggest Tech Campus in Europe, Lithuania’s New Gaming Fund

🚀 New Lithuanian Fund to Focus on Gaming

A new fund in Lithuania will invest in premium indie games for PC and consoles, with a ticket per startup ranging from $110,000 to $550,000. The Gamedev Fund, which brings together game engine developers, business professionals, and mentors, aims to support the gaming industry. [Source: BalticVC]

🌆 Vilnius to Build Europe’s Biggest Tech Campus

Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, will see the construction of Tech Zity, a tech campus worth $110 million. The 55,000-square-meter facility, funded by private investors, is set to open in 2024 and will accommodate 5,000 workers, including freelancers, offices of hi-tech companies and international branches. The campus is designed to support a hybrid work format, combining office and remote modes. [Source: BalticVC]

🌎 Estonian Company Expands to Latin America

Estonian tax and customs technology startup, Eurora, is looking to establish its presence in the Latin American markets. The startup’s platform offers AI-based solutions to automate global trade and compliance processes, including tax collection and payment management. Eurora recognizes significant business opportunities in the region. [Source: BalticVC]

💼 Ukraine, Estonia and Luxembourg Establish IT Coalition

Ukraine, Estonia, and Luxembourg are forming an IT coalition within the framework of Ramstein, a group of countries providing assistance to Ukraine in its fight against Russian aggression. The coalition, proposed by Ukraine’s Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, aims to collaborate on various IT-related initiatives, with specific goals yet to be announced. [Source: Dou.ua]

💻 Google Launches Free Machine Learning Course for Ukrainian Developers

Google has launched a free course on machine learning aimed at Ukrainian developers. The program aims to equip participants with theoretical and practical knowledge of machine learning, facilitating their job search. The course is designed for individuals with an interest in machine learning, proficiency in Python, and a medium or higher level of English. [Source: TechUkraine]

💼 Ukraine’s IT Sector Embraces Newcomers

The IT industry in Ukraine is actively hiring junior professionals, with a 50% increase in vacancies for this category in June compared to January 2023. The growth is particularly significant in data-related positions (up 177% since January) and recruiting roles (up 150%), while coding positions have seen a more modest increase of 7%. [Source: Dou.ua]

🚀 Kazakhstan-Based VC Raison Invests in a US AI Startup

Raison, a venture fund based in Kazakhstan, has invested $1.5 million in Anthropic, a US-based startup founded by former employees of OpenAI. Anthropic specializes in developing an AI assistant that processes a significantly larger amount of information than previous models like GPT-2 and GPT-3. [Source: Digital Business]

💰 Central Asia Holds High Venture Potential, Says Crunchbase Expert

Adrien Henni, co-founder of International Digital News, highlights the significant venture opportunities in Central Asian countries such as Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan. These countries possess relatively low levels of digitalization and a skilled workforce that can be leveraged by technological companies. [Source: Crunchbase] 

🌟 EdTech Startup with Russian Founders Raises $640,000

Educated Online, an EdTech startup based in the United States and founded by Igor Borovikov and Alexander Zheltov, has secured $640,000 in funding from 27 business angels. The startup offers an online platform for distance learning at British, American, and Canadian schools and plans to expand its operations to Latin America and Southeast Asia. [Source: RB]

🏆 Kazakhstan’s Rede Management Consulting Wins SAS Hackathon

Rede Management Consulting, an IT company from Kazakhstan, emerged victorious in the SAS Hackathon 2023 in the Internet of Things (IoT) category. The startup has developed a tool that utilizes machine learning and deep learning to automate the processing of gold ore, improving productivity and reducing costs. [Source: Digital Business]

🚀 HeRo Study, a Kazakh Startup, Raises Investments for Expansion

HeRo Study, a startup from Kazakhstan, has secured $250,000 from Big Sky Capital and an additional $202,000 from an unnamed private investor. The funds will be used to fuel the company’s expansion into Asian and US markets. HeRo Study offers automation solutions for various aspects of high school management and is already being utilized in eight schools in Kazakhstan. [Source: Digital Business]

🚖 Ukrainian Taxi Service Uklon Launches in Uzbekistan

Uklon, a Ukrainian taxi-hailing service, has begun operations in Uzbekistan. Through Uklon’s mobile app, passengers have the option to reduce the price of the service by indicating a willingness to wait longer for a taxi or, conversely, increase the cost for immediate transportation. [Source: Gazeta.uz]

☀️ Energy China Awarded Contract for Photovoltaic Station in Uzbekistan

Energy China has been awarded a contract to construct a photovoltaic power station in Uzbekistan. The project, initiated by Saudi Arabia’s ACWA Power, involves the construction of two facilities—one with a capacity of 400 megawatts and another with 1,000 megawatts—in the coming years. [Source: Spot.uz]

🚗 Kyrgyzstan Witnesses Significant Increase in Car Exports to Russia

Exports of cars from Kyrgyzstan to Russia have surged by 11 times in January-April 2023 compared to the same period the previous year. This rise can be attributed to Russian traders and private buyers who utilize Kyrgyzstan as a transit destination due to restrictions on importing Western-produced cars directly into Russia. [Source: Economist.kg]

🏢 Yandex Opens Second Office in Belgrade

Yandex, the Russian internet giant, is set to open its second office in Belgrade in autumn 2023. The office will become Yandex’s main office in Europe and contribute to the company’s expansion. The hiring process in Serbia aims to increase the workforce to 2,000 staff members, with 10% of Yandex’s employees already located outside of Russia. [Source: Forbes]

🏝️ Russian Coders Launched Property Service YoFlats in Bali

A team of Russian developers has launched YoFlats, a property service that enables users to search for accommodation for rent or purchase on an online map. YoFlats aims to capture a 50-70% market share in Bali and a 15-20% share in other Asian markets by 2023.  [Source: RB]

🛒 Kyrgyzstan Witnesses Growth in Sales through Russian Marketplaces

Kyrgyzstan merchants have experienced a significant increase in sales through Russian marketplaces. Prime Minister Akylbek Zhaparov revealed that export sales through Wildberries have grown four times, while sales through Ozon have increased six times in January-April 2023 compared to the same period last year. [Source: Economist.kg]