Fort Ross Holds First-Ever U.S. Pitch Day for Russian Startups

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., May 15, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Fort Ross Ventures, a venture capital firm connecting U.S. technology startups to the Russian market, today announced Global Pitch Russia, a unique event introducing Russia's brightest technology startups to Silicon Valley investors.

On June 14, at GSV Labs in Redwood City, Fort Ross Ventures, alongside Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF), one of the most active early-stage venture funds in Russia with nearly $100 million under management, and Sberbank, Russia's largest company and one of Europe's largest banks, will host 25 of Russia's most promising early-stage companies.

"The sheer number of companies that were under consideration for this event demonstrates that technological innovation is thriving in Russia. The startups that we invited are the best-in-class and are looking forward to the reaction from the Bay Area's finest investors," said Victor Orlovski, founder and managing partner of Fort Ross Ventures. "We have seen the momentum that they are building in their home markets, and are excited to offer each team an opportunity to scale and build their businesses here in the U.S."

"We manage the largest portfolio of hi-tech startups in Russia and Global Pitch Russia is a great opportunity for these companies to get noticed in the U.S. market and garner attention from Silicon Valley investors," said Maxim Chebotarev, co-founder of Techmafia, IIDF's U.S. acceleration program. "We hope that founders will gain valuable experience and develop international strategies to grow their businesses." 

Startups took part in a competition of more than 250 applicants, with finalists being selected by a panel of experts from Russia's technology ecosystem. Categories included VR/AR, robotics, AI, IoT, and Cloud computing.

"We have been impressed by the countless hours that each team has spent preparing for this event," said Valeria Sokolova, project manager at Fort Ross Ventures. "Global Pitch Russia is a great next step for these companies to engage with some of the most successful investors in Silicon Valley."

The event will be hosted by GSVlabs, an innovative catalyst for some of the world's leading startups, at its headquarters in Redwood City and will be attended by more than 20 leading Silicon Valley investment firms and angel investors.

For more information about the companies selected for Global Pitch Russia, please visit the event website: http://globalpitch.vc.

About Fort Ross Ventures
Fort Ross Ventures is the U.S. arm of a venture capital firm that connects U.S. technology startups to the Russian market. For example, Fort Ross helped Uber navigate the Russian market.

Through its initial $100 million fund, Fort Ross has also helped portfolio companies, including GridGain, Moven, eToro, Tufin, NetGuardians, Mobeewave, and IdentityMindGlobal, to achieve revenue growth through its corporate development efforts. Fort Ross's new $200 million fund is focused on fintech, AI and Machine Learning, Cloud, Cyber Security and Marketplaces. For more information, please visit: http://www.fortross.vc.

About IIDF
Internet Initiatives Development Fund (IIDF) is the most active early-stage venture fund in Russia and Europe, according to Dow Jones, with $100 million (USD) under management. Since 2013 IIDF has closed more than 400 deals ranging from $20,000 to $5.5 million (USD). Our investment activity accounts for more than 100 IT startup deals each year, which is 80 percent of the Russian early-stage venture capital market. For more information, please visit: http://iidf.vc.

Media contact:
Consort Partners for Fort Ross Ventures
[email protected]

SOURCE Fort Ross Ventures