Led · Equity · Mar 2021

Kneron designs low-powered, reconfigurable ASICs for AI inferencing that interface with existing systems such as sensors on driverless vehicles. Its chips run models ranging from face and body detection to text generation and are positioned for latency-, security- and cost-sensitive edge applications. The company emphasizes automotive and other autonomous-machine markets while avoiding direct competition with dominant cloud incumbents in the short term. Kneron plans to scale commercial efforts and expand its R&D-heavy headcount. Revenue is in the "double digit millions," and the company serves roughly 30 brands including Garmin, Naver and Quanta. Through its April acquisition of imaging provider Otus, Kneron has automotive partnerships including JVC Kenwood. Kneron develops full-stack hardware and software products aimed at edge AI applications, with reconfigurable solutions designed to address latency, security and cost challenges on edge devices. The company says its technology enables broader deployment of AI across devices. Over the past year Kneron reported significant new customer wins across multiple verticals including smart vehicles, smart homes and smart cities. Named customers in the article include Garmin, Dessmann, Gree, OFILM, AAEON, Advantech and Quanta. Led by CEO Albert Liu, Kneron intends to use the funding to expand operations and broaden its business reach. The company raised $48M in a Series B funding round. Kneron is an AI chipmaker founded in 2015 that develops reconfigurable edge AI semiconductors for devices including ADAS and autonomous-vehicle systems. The company is based in San Diego and Taipei and has released its first automotive-grade chips for ADAS and AV applications. Kneron reports $3–4 million in monthly revenue from about 30 enterprise customers, with 30–40% of revenues coming from the U.S. It is pushing into smart transportation and roadside AI, arguing that L4/L5 autonomy requires roadside perception units, and plans joint development of roadside AI boxes with strategic partners. Its chips are described as 'reconfigurable', combining software flexibility with hardware speed and usable both inside vehicles and on exterior sensors. Kneron has formed partnerships and made acquisitions (including buying Vatics from Vivotek) and counts strategic investors such as Foxconn, Horizon Ventures, Alibaba, Qualcomm and Sequoia. The founder previously said the company expected to turn profitable in 2023 and has discussed a likely U.S. IPO, though management was later more circumspect about listing timing. Kneron develops low-power edge AI semiconductors and proprietary software that enable on-device data processing using neural processing units (NPUs), reducing reliance on cloud compute. Its chips target applications including manufacturing, smart homes, smartphones, robotics, surveillance, payments and autonomous driving. The company is extending into the smart car industry and has partnerships with Foxconn and Otus (a supplier for Honda and Toyota). Kneron agreed to acquire Vatics, an image signal processing provider from Delta Electronics’ Vivotek subsidiary, for $10 million in cash; Vatics executives will join Kneron to lead its surveillance and security camera division. The acquisition and NPUs are intended to let Kneron offer full-stack AI solutions and accelerate go-to-market for surveillance and automotive products. Kneron is headquartered in San Diego with a development force in Taipei. The company has attracted strategic investors including Foxconn, Qualcomm, Sequoia Capital, Alibaba and Horizons Ventures and recently received a $7 million investment from Delta Electronics, boosting total financing to over $100 million to date. Kneron develops AI chips aimed at "smart" consumer devices and unmanned aerial vehicles (drones). The article identifies the company primarily by its hardware product line but provides no technical details about the chips. It reports a planned investment by MTS of about $10 million into Kneron. The piece does not outline Kneron's roadmap, commercialization plans, or financial metrics. Reader comments included in the article expressed skepticism about the technology and sourcing, and noted a lack of technical information in the coverage.

Led · Equity · Sep 2018

YouDo.com is a Moscow-based online service that lets users find professionals to perform private and business-related tasks via its website and mobile apps. The company is led by Alexei Gidirim. Its marketplace covers categories such as cleaning and housekeeping, freight transport, courier delivery and more. The service officially operates in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan and Yekaterinburg; nearly 30% of orders are virtual and can be issued and carried out from anywhere. There are 5 million users registered and over 800 thousand verified ‘doers’ on the platform. YouDo.com has raised funding to expand its services, automate offerings, run a federal-scale advertising campaign and pursue geographic expansion, including foreign markets; total invested to date is $26.5 million. YouDo.com operates an online platform connecting consumers with local contractors to complete a wide range of household tasks and single assignments. Founded in 2012 by Alexey Gidirim and Denis Kutergin, the company is headquartered in Moscow. It completed a $6.2M Series C financing to support its operations. The company plans to use the funds to strengthen its market leadership in Russia and to expand internationally, including into the US, Europe and Asia. Prior financings include a $1M Series A from Flint Capital in 2013 and a follow-on Series B led by Flint Capital with United Capital Partners and Sergey Solonin.

Led · Equity · Sep 2018

YouDo operates a peer-to-peer marketplace for services, originally launched in 2012 with a focus on home repairs and now listing 16 service categories. The platform claims more than 800,000 pre-screened and verified service providers and 5 million registered users. It currently operates in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Kazan and Yekaterinburg, though nearly 30% of orders are virtual and can be executed from anywhere. The company plans to launch new service categories and begin international expansion, with Central and Eastern Europe cited as priority markets. A strategic partnership with PJSC MTS is expected to provide access to MTS's clientele and expertise while YouDo remains independent.

Led · Equity · May 2014

Ozon operates an e-commerce marketplace serving customers and thousands of small and medium-sized merchants across Russia. The company reports around 10,000 SMEs with active sales and roughly 20,000 more in onboarding. Ozon says its platform is growing three times faster than the market pace and that packages can reach about 50% of Russians within 48 hours. The business plans to expand its logistics and technology infrastructure to provide consistent service across Russia’s 11 time zones. Part of the expansion includes opening at least five new fulfillment hubs. Recent financing will support those logistics and tech investments. OZON Holdings Limited is a Russia-based e-commerce group led by CEO Maelle Gavet and comprised of OZON.ru, OZON Travel, O-Courier, Sapato.ru and OZON Solutions. The company operates an online marketplace and related services including travel (OTA) and delivery/courier operations. It completed a $150M funding round in which Sistema JSFC and Mobile TeleSystems OJSC each acquired a 10.8% stake for $75M. OZON intends to use the proceeds to expand delivery infrastructure across Russia, broaden product assortments on OZON.ru and Sapato.ru, and continue growing OZON.travel in the OTA space. The raise is expected to add two representatives from Sistema and MTS to OZON’s board of directors. OZON is also backed by investors including Baring Vostock, Index Ventures, ru-Net, Rakuten, Intel Capital, Holzbrink and Cisco. OZON.ru operates as an online retailer in Russia, offering a broad product assortment and running a travel division called OZON.travel. The company plans to use new funding to develop its fulfilment and distribution operations, expand product assortment, and open new delivery networks in cities across Russia. Management also intends to grow brand awareness to acquire new customers and to launch additional projects. OZON.ru is led by president Bernard Lukey and CEO Maelle Gavet. The company reported a turnover of $137M in 2010.