Almaz Capital Partners: Bridging the Gap between Eastern Europe and Silicon Valley
Founded in 2008, Almaz Capital Partners is a venture capital firm that specializes in early-stage startups in the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) regions. The company was initially backed by Cisco Systems and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), with the intention to build a bridge between investee companies from the newly independent countries of the former Soviet Union to resources and connections in Silicon Valley. To achieve this goal, Almaz Capital opened its first offices in Silicon Valley and Moscow.
Over the years, Almaz Capital has supported many startups with origins in Russia, such as QIK (acquired by Skype), Yandex (NASDAQ: YNDX), and Parallels (acquired by Corel). However, in March 2014, following the annexation of Crimea by Russia, the firm stopped investing in companies with any ties to Russia. In 2017, Almaz Capital shifted its focus from the countries of the CIS to the CEE region and moved its European operations to Berlin.
Almaz Capital has also ceased investing in Belarus, another former Soviet state, following the crackdowns in Minsk in 2020. Despite the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the firm remains committed to helping Ukraine-based startups survive the war ravaging the country. Almaz Capital has been one of the largest investors in Ukraine over the last five years and is actively involved at the governance level at the Ukrainian Venture Capital Association (UVCA).
To date, Almaz Capital has invested over $50 million in more than 15 companies with Ukrainian founders or teams, including Adjoy, Arcycle, Content Analytics, DMarket, Hover, Jelastic, Mobalytics, Maketime, Petcube, Speedsize, Starwind, and 3Dlook. These startup teams have demonstrated remarkable resiliency amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and the country remains a favorite investment destination for the firm.
Almaz Capital Partners is headquartered at 3274 Alpine Road, Portola Valley, California 94028, US. As a venture capital firm, the company's primary focus is on Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals. For more information about Almaz Capital and its investment activities, you can visit their website at https://almazcapital.com/.