ivi.ru, the leading Russian OTT service, recently surpassed 1 million monthly paying users.  The company’s paid subscription model is growing and already accounts for more than 70% of ivi’s total revenue. Key growth drivers include users’ demand for ivi's exclusive content and a successful launch of its redesigned app across all major platforms. In addition, ivi has announced a strong lineup of new content premiering in 2019, produced in partnership with top-tier studios.

Winter Capital invites university students studying in financial, economic and mathematical specialties to take part in the “Surpass Dreams” partner scholarship programme.

The programme was founded by the partners of Troika Dialog investment company. It has an educational focus, with the aim of supporting talented students, helping them to realise their professional and creative potential.

The training is free and conducted by recognised experts and financial market gurus – business owners and leaders of well-known companies. The best graduates of the Surpass Dreams programme will receive the opportunity to have an internship in partner companies, including Winter Capital.

Application is available from the programme’s website until 5 November 2018 inclusive: https://www.troikastudents.org

Petrovax Pharm has launched production of Grippol® Quadrivalent, the first Russian 4-valent vaccine to prevent flu. Presently it is the most advanced full-cycle flu vaccine manufactured in Russia. The new vaccine is expected to further enhance the quality of the national healthcare system in the area of influenza prevention, and to provide a boost to Russia's pharmaceuticals exports.

Petrovax Pharm has also finished the construction of a RUB 1bn production line for drug substances and finished dosage forms. It will allow the company to increase the production of APIs by more than twofold, suppositories 4-fold, tablets 7-fold and create more than 70 new jobs. This project will spur the company’s growth in the Russian pharma market, expanding its export capacity and creating contract manufacturing expansion prospects, including import substitution opportunities.

Petrovax Pharm’s manufacturing complex has been operating under all applicable GMP and ISO guidelines for 10 years and is currently one of the most advanced high-tech biopharma facilities in Russia.

Home Market recently completed a significant rebranding of its operations. The project, which lasted slightly more than a year, was successfully completed today. More than 100 dollar stores formerly operating under the "ZaOdno" brand were rebranded to become part of the non-food discount retail chain "Home Market". Home Market’s concept offers its customers the possibility to save money when acquiring household items in easily accessible locations. A wide range of non-food goods meets the everyday needs of its customers across Russia.

Home Market operates in 18 Russian regions today, while the company management is actively preparing for a major regional expansion.

In September 2018, UCG successfully completed a significant certification process, receiving a NEK 606 certificate issued by the DNV GL classification society. The certificate confirms full compliance of UCG’s cables with the highest international standards for offshore oil & gas applications, which include resistance to drilling fluids, oils, ultraviolet and other aggressive environments.

While UCG’s presence in the offshore oil & gas industry was previously limited to projects in Russia and CIS, receipt of a NEK 606 certificate paves the way for the company to extend its product offering to the global market.

Winter Capital and McKinsey announce the launch of a startup competition “Pervaya Vysota”, which will be held this year for a 3^rd time. The winner of the contest will receive $200,000 in equity funding from Winter Capital and a 6-month intensive mentorship program from Winter Capital and McKinsey professionals.

In the first two seasons of Pervaya Vysota more than 400 startups from various fields of the Russian economy have taken part in the competition. Young entrepreneurs have showcased their business ideas in a wide range of online and offline industries - from specialized retail to e-commerce, machine learning, service marketplaces and many others. Four winners of the competition – Particle, Eristica, Gavels and Heedbook – received funding of over $400,000 from Winter Capital.

Pervaya Vysota will accept applications from startups until August 12; the final round of 2018 competition will be held at the McKinsey Moscow office on September 28.

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In April 2018, Greg Stevens was appointed as the CEO of KidZania US. Prior to joining the team he held the role of CEO of GameWorks Entertainment, where he worked from 2012. In addition, Greg held various earlier positions at JBC Entertainment, Blackstreet Capital and Jillian's Entertainment Holdings. He will oversee the development of the first US-based KidZania parks in Dallas and Chicago.

UCG has launched production of rubber cables at its facility in Podolsk, Moscow region. The new production area is equipped with state-of-the-art extrusion lines supplied by Troester, Germany. With the launch of rubber cable production UCG is able to offer a full range of specialty cables for naval and civil shipbuilding, offshore oil&gas and other demanding industrial applications.

Petrovax has successfully finalized clinical trials of Grippol® Quadrivalent – the first Russian influenza vaccine that protects against 4 strains of influenza virus.

Quadrivalent influenza vaccines have been recommended by the WHO since 2012. Currently, only five countries in the world manufacture quadrivalent vaccines, namely Australia, USA, Canada, Germany, and France. Russia will be the sixth country to independently manufacture such vaccine.

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Winter Capital continues to increase its ownership in Auto1, the leading European used-car marketplace currently operating in 30 countries.

During its latest round of financing Auto1 was valued at approximately $2.8 billion. Investors in this round included Baillie Gifford & Co, Princeville Global and Target Global. The company valuation has more than doubled since it was valued at approximately $1 billion in a funding round in 2015. Auto1 aims to achieve a 10% market share in mainland Europe in the medium to long term.

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Russian dollar store chain, ZaOdno, launched a new discount format under the “Home Market” brand. 10 pilot stores were opened in the Moscow, Tula and Orel regions in August 2017.

The new concept aims to provide customers with a variety of inexpensive non-food merchandise in easily accessible locations. Each store is around 250-350 m².

To improve shopping experience Home Market offers a large variety of product categories at low prices.

The new stores are different from traditional ZaOdno stores not only in their product range and pricing policy but also in their design and presentation.

More on homemrkt.ru

Winter Capital and McKinsey launched the startup competition “Pervaya Vysota” for the second time. This year one winner will receive $200,000 as an investment and mentorship from both Winter Capital and McKinsey professionals. The final round of the competition will take place at Red October on September 22.

In Pervaya Vysota 2016 the three winners were Particle (data searching and analysis platform), Eristica (social betting mobile application) and Gavels (online auctions for residential real estate). Each project received $75,000 as an investment and mentorship.

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DocPlanner, one of the largest European SaaS and lead generation platforms for healthcare services, has closed a €15mn Series D funding round, which was led by Target Global, Enern Investments and One Peak Partners. The new funding round follows the merger with Doctoralia, a Spain-based company operating in more than 20 countries, and brings the total amount raised by DocPlanner to €46mn. The company plans to use the new capital to develop offices in Brazil and Mexico, reinforce its marketing and sales operations in core markets as well as improve its product offering to doctors.

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Winter Capital has invested into Innova Partners, an operator of KidZania parks which provide children aged 4-14 with an opportunity to engage in real life role play experience which blends learning with entertainment. The company launched a park in Moscow in January 2016 and plans to expand its operations into the US, France and Canada. The first US park is expected to be launched in Dallas in 2018. KidZania, launched in 1999, has 24 locations in 19 countries, with another seven locations currently under development.

UCG, one of the leading manufacturers of shipbuilding cable across Russia and CIS, signed its first contract with an Indian customer. The company will supply power cables for 7 ships which are being constructed by Larsen & Toubro, one of the largest shipbuilders in India. This contract marks the beginning of UCG’s international expansion as the company plans to bring its expertise and solutions to markets outside of Russia and CIS.

In October 2016 the Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) following the audit approved the issuance of a GMP certificate for Petrovax to manufacture the veterinary medicines AZOXIVET and Vetolaza. The Company has taken the lead as the 1^st Russian manufacturer of veterinary drugs that complies with the GMP standards approved in Russia.

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ZaOdno, a leading Russian dollar store operator, has announced the opening of its 100th store, which took place on October 29. Located in Mytishchi, Moscow region, the store occupies 350 square meters of floor space in Krasny Kit, a popular local mall. The store offers a wide range of everyday consumer products, general merchandise and seasonal items. The store’s opening marks another major milestone for the company, which is aiming to become an alternative to traditional retail stores. ZaOdno has been able to significantly broaden its customer base by delivering value on day-to-day purchases, and now has more than 1.5 million monthly visitors. It is expected that the retailer will continue to demonstrate significant growth rates through active expansion into the regions and further diversification of its product range.

More on zaodno.ru

The final round of startup competition “Pervaya Vysota” took place on 12 August at Digital October. The panel of judges (Alexey Bashkirov and Mikhail Tsyferov from Winter Capital Advisors, Dmitry Garanin and Evgeny Yakushkin from McKinsey and Julia Solovieva from Google) have selected 3 winners: Particle (talent search platform), Eristica (social betting mobile application) and Gavels (online auctions for residential real estate). Three winners will receive $75,000 each in exchange for a 10% stake in the company and half-year mentorship from Winter Capital Advisors and McKinsey professionals.

More info on pervaya-vysota.ru

Petrovax and Boehringer Ingelheim, a global pharmaceutical company, have signed an agreement to localize the full-cycle production of the most advanced thrombolytic drugs in Russia. The medicines are used for urgent treatment of infarctions and cerebrovascular accidents. The agreement effected as part of Russia's 2020 Pharmaceutical Industry Development Strategy (Pharma 2020). It is another step towards making essential lifesaving medicines more affordable in Russia.

For Boehringer Ingelheim this is the first localization project of its kind: by the end of 2019 Petrovax plans to complete the transfer of technology, quality controls and launch full-cycle production of thrombolytics at its production facility in the Moscow Region.

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DocPlanner, one of the largest European SaaS and lead generation platforms for healthcare services, announces a merger with Doctoralia, a Spain-based company operating in more than 20 countries. As a result of the merger the combined entity will become one of the leading online platforms in healthcare globally with presence in Europe, South America and Asia. The merger succeeded spring 2016 Series C round led by Target Global in which DocPlanner raised c. $20mn.

More on docplanner.com

Winter Capital and McKinsey have jointly launched startup competition “Pervaya Vysota”. Three winners will receive $75,000 each in exchange for a 10% stake in the company and half-year mentorship from Winter Capital Advisors and McKinsey professionals. The final will take place in Digital October on 12 August.

More on pervaya-vysota.ru

Following a government tender, Petrovax was selected as the sole supplier of the full volume of anti-flu vaccine for the 2016-2017 epidemiological season population of Kazakhstan eligible for free vaccination (including children from six months of age, pregnant women, healthcare workers and people aged 60 and over). This is a well-deserved recognition of the efficacy, safety and high quality standards of Petrovax’s product. Importantly, this is the first time Kazakhstan has purchased a Russian vaccine. Previously, anti-flu vaccines has only been supplied by countries outside of the former Soviet Union

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ZaOdno, one of the fastest-growing dollar store chains in Russia, has received additional financing from Winter Capital Partners. The company will use the majority of the proceeds to further expand its footprint in Central Russia. The remaining funds will be spent on improving logistics, merchandising and CRM capabilities.

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On 19 February 2016, Petrovax, Sobhan Recombinant Protein and Arvin LTD signed a trilateral strategic cooperation agreement to localize the production of Grippol® Plus flu vaccine in Iran. The signing took place at Petrovax's production facility and was attended by representatives of the Deputy Health Minister and Head of the Food and Drug Organization of the Islamic Republic of Iran. As part of the cooperation, Petrovax will transfer its full-cycle production technology for the Russian Grippol® Plus flu vaccine to Sobhan Recombinant Protein (Iran) and train the Iranian company’s staff to replicate all production stages. Currently, Petrovax is the only Russian pharmaceutical company working to localize manufacturing of its innovative medicines in Iran.

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