Ukrainian mobile marketing service Jeapie has received a $50,000 seed investment from the investment company Digital Future. The money obtained startup plans to spend on product development, optimization of business processes and sales channels building. Also, the startup is planning to conquer European and South Asian markets. Earlier, startup has won a grant in the amount of 240,000 UAH from the fund GTF. At present tome, the startup is participating in the program of acceleration from GrowthUp. Digital Future refused to tell more about the transaction details.

Jeapie is a service delivery of mobile push-notifications. For companies that do not have yet mobile applications, but want to save on SMS-mailing, Jeapie provides an application constructor for receiving notifications. For those who have existing mobile applications, Jeapie offers a software library (SDK) for the implementation of “smart” notifications with cross-platform delivery, statistics, lists, audience segmentation and visual designer of messages. Service was created on the basis of API-first and allows you to quickly integrate into any existing ecosystem, reduce the cost of developing and maintaining proprietary solutions of such class. Jeapie supports not only all the basic types of push-notifications major platforms, but some combined ones, and special types (interactive notification, silent push for iOS, notifications for Baidu Android).

Initially, the startup team consisted of four people, but after some time two people left to develop the project – CEO Alexander Mikhaylenko and CTO Artem Shananin. Also, the project changed positioning. If earlier Jeapie was collecting analytics, now startup took on the role of infrastructure delivery.

“The potential of push-notification is still largely underestimated, even though for us it is obvious that they will prosper in the future. Certainly they cannot completely replace the “classic” channels, but their premeditated spam and hype protection will lead business and customer communication to a new level”, says Jeapie‘s co-founder Alexander Mikhaylenko.

The source – AIN.UA.

Recently, the largest startup conference in Eastern Europe IDCEE was held in Kyiv. From now on, the venture fund TA Venture and Victoria Tigipko organize the conference jointly with the U-Start. The event attracted more than 2,000 participants from 31 countries, although many eminent speakers and investors did not dare to visit a country where battle actions are in progress. This year, a hackathon of social entrepreneurship was held at the conference and a new interactive zone Tech Area appeared where robots, drones, wearable devices, gadgets, etc. were displayed. AIN.UA asked participants to share their impressions of IDCEE and requested investors to tell about the most interesting new names among the startups that participated in the conference.

Victoria Tigipko, managing director of TA Venture

For IDCEE, 2014 was a real challenge, but neither I nor the team had any doubts that the conference should be held. We believe in the potential and cohesion of Ukrainian IT community, and the fifth anniversary IDCEE has confirmed that. This year, the Ukrainian audience has grown in absolute terms. Startup Alley was filled with the projects – we had received much more applications than expected. The level of Ukrainian startups is also increasing year by year.

At this year’s conference, we learned about the project Luciding – it’s a bandage on a head, which determines the lucid dream and plunges a man into it. As a result, a man entirely controls their sleep and can change it according to their desires. This project has received a lot of attention from both the press and investors. For example, a conference guest and well-known investor Florian Schweitzer was one of those who pre-ordered the device directly from the stand on our Startup Alley.

Also, we have discovered the project Force that developed a special sleeve for the hand by which it became possible to determine the movement of the hand of man. Conference participants were amazed by presentation of the project, when a startup creator was switching slides by conducting her hand in the air in the desired direction. As a result, the team has received one of the prizes from Startup Toaster.

The third exciting project worth mentioning is Zen Assets, which finished the incubation program Seedcamp London. Startup solves the problem of user’s portfolio management by means of transferring management rights to the best brokers and receiving the best investment strategies in the market. At very our conference, startup creators have shown their belonging to Ukraine. Among team members are top analysts from Goldman Sachs and other experts of the financial market. Eventually, the project received an award as the best Ukrainian startup from our partner Apex Ventures.

Oleksii Vitchenko, founder of the investment company Digital Future

I want to say that IDCEE is a good opportunity to establish effective networking. Although, frankly speaking, on the first day, it was overcrowded that led to some problems and inconveniences. Therefore, to communicate more constructively was possible only on the second day. In general, during two days of the conference, I managed to meet with major players of the Ukrainian venture scene. With partners and business colleagues, we discussed current problems in the national market and the possibilities of access to global markets. Currently, investors are interested in the projects that are focused on the global market and have some uniqueness. Another important topic of our conversation was the co-investment in projects. Personally, I am willing to share the risks.

We also shared some results of work with the projects. In general, we agreed that many teams lack a business flair. People make projects for projects. I advise them to do the first sale, earn some money and make a profit. Also, foreign investors attended the event. I met with venture capitalists from Israel, who came to make contacts and learn about the market situation from the inside, and investors from the US, which have equities in some Ukrainian projects. Foreign projects were presented by the Polish teams. I had not noticed startups and investors from Russia.

With some startups, we met in person for the first time. Previously, we have received applications from projects and conducted an e-mail-correspondence with them, but we didn’t have a possibility to meet with some teams. On IDCEE, without exaggeration, were almost all. During the conference, communication with startups had its own peculiarities. When I heard about the project for the first time, in average I spoke with them about 5-10 minutes (I didn’t have more time), learn the essence of the project and requested to send us e-mail. With the familiar startups that sent applications to our company, I could spend for half an hour (for example, the startup Goodhotels from Odessa).

Andrey Kolodyuk, managing partner of Aventures Capital

At the conference, I liked a startup Luciding and a problem they solve. I think that the product has the potential to become a “mass.” Almost all people have the desire to control their dreams, it occurs in the subconscious. Of course, there are special “techniques” described in Castaneda’s books, but only few people I know were able to master them. Luciding is a product for the lazy and those who want to get fast results and new sensations. The market for this project is huge – for 99% of those who are suffering in the morning because of nightmares, Luciding could be an alternative if the product works effectively.

Also, I am glad that the iblazr creator has presented a new product – Stabylizr. I believe in these guys. The project GiveMeALift was exciting to me as well. I basically believe in projects of Shareconomy, and this product is in this niche. I reckon it has good prospects.

Project 3dnearme is a kind of marketplace for 3D-printing market. The prospects of this trend proves the fact that the winner (Kwamb.io) is a representative of the same field. I am pleased that the products have started to appear in the sphere of Smart.TV – Handy Smart tv. Project’s goal is to combine the use of a smartphone to navigate and find content for Smart.TV and devices with Android.TV. Today, the project team stake on monetization through advertising model. I think that the search for alternative ways of earning will lead to success this and other similar projects.

Kirill Bigai, founder of Preply.com 

In general, I can say that IDCEE was both a long working party and beneficial event to me. I talked a lot about marketing and business with experienced entrepreneurs and got a lot of new information to consider about. I met a number (about 5 target people) of investors interesting to me. I strengthen contacts, shared ideas and made an update of the progress of those investors whom I hadn’t met for a long time. To compare with the last year, this time, there were much less investors and participants, but for me it was not a negative fact. IDCEE was very homely and amicable. Perhaps due to the fact that I already knew a lot of people.

This is the chronology of how I spent IDCEE:
-On Wednesday, BVU group organized Tech Party # 4, which contained most of the technological hangout. There were new useful contacts and pleasant meetings.
-Then we were invited to Hashtag Bar, where twenty of us went to the afterparty.
-IDCEE was the next day. This time, it was quite informal and for me it was a continuation of good networking with the right people. In the evening, we had a party. Now it was held at Buddha Bar, where there were a couple of useful contacts.
-Next day of IDCEE brought me again the new pleasant meetings. Then we again had a party at Buddha Bar. I met a very useful investor and rested very well.

Iana Yukhimenko, project manager of DA Course UA 

In my opinion, one of the most entertaining zones at the conference was a technical area, where Ukrainian hardware companies were located – from quadrocopters and 3D-printers to robots and micromotors for bioengineering. Also, there were devices which allowed controlling objects with the power of thought! I would like to highlight that the most successful Ukrainian startups iBlazr and Petcube are technological ones, so keep moving in this direction and you will win.

I can’t help but mentioning great speakers invited this year. Their performances were truly invaluable, but, unfortunately, the topics couldn’t always be applied to the Ukrainian realities. When the report referred to the capture of business on four continents, involuntarily started feeling sad about the unfulfilled possibilities and unattainable distances. One more tip to conclude is if you missed the conference, check the tags and see who has added whom to friends and what they are writing about. You can always subscribe to these people and establish contacts with them, or at least learn the news from them about the following events.

Evgen Musienko, founder of Frevend.com 

At IDCEE 2014, we presented a startup Frevend.com. We were located at Startup Alley, where more than 120 projects were exhibited. Participants were different, and each one was interesting in their own way. Due to the high cost of entry for the general public ($ 160), there were no onlookers. All the people have come with the specific objectives. Most of the visitors were representatives of IT services (consulting, marketing, recruiting) and the geeks interested in a Ukraine’s start-up industry. During two days, we managed to establish contacts with 5 investors and several venture capital funds.

That time was enough to understand how to present a startup. And what is more important – how people react. This can be called a kind of startup crash-test. Meanwhile, speakers were talking on three stages. I can pick out only a few interesting presentations from the main stage. Really cool guys were on the tech stage. There, you could spend half of a day, looking at robots, reality simulators, 3D-printer, and lots of other cool stuff.

After 18:00, Networking-party started, where you could talk to interesting people over a glass of wine. In general, during the conference, we have established many contacts with other startups, found potential investors and a new member to join our team. If you have a startup, you should definitely take part in the conference IDCEE.

Source – AIN.UA.

A new Ukrainian investment company was founded not long ago, which has already invested into a Kyiv-based project Easy Ads. The company's founder Oleksii Vitchenko has told us about the Digital Future investment strategy.

– Tell us a little about yourself. What projects did you run before Digital Future?

– As a student, I got interested in marketing and realized that everything in the company should be customer-focused. In those days, I evaluated the effectiveness of the fact that the business is migrating online and that doing business online is possible from anywhere in the world. The world is becoming globalized: you can run a business, for instance, from Bangladesh or Thailand – if only it is the proper product, and one is able to organize support for this product. When it came to building a business, I found this knowledge very useful. I've been in the business for 10 years already. I’ve successfully implemented a number of global projects in the field of e-commerce. It's what I like and what I am good at.

– How was Digital Future founded? Was it a relatively new idea or a well-thought-out decision?

– The idea is not new and I’ve been thinking of that a long time. Money should work, so I try to reinvest them. The company was founded when the right time came. In other words, we started thinking seriously about foundation of a company when we felt a real necessity in doing of this. It is not a secret that many foreign investors are now closing their projects and are stopping investing in our country. Therefore, we feel there is a double responsibility we take.

– Did you attract any additional funding or spend your own money?

– We operate the funds earned with our own business. But we are open to offers from third parties. Why not to share the risks?

– In what projects does Digital Future invest?

– We invest in unique projects, technological start-ups, and companies that are aimed at the online environment and the global markets. We're definitely not going to invest in another startup dedicated to a discount system. We have recently received around 10 such offers, but we consider this trend unpromising. We also do not invest in offline.

– Your company has already invested in a startup called Easy Ads. Describe how the transaction was closed.

– We had a number of meetings to get to know the team and their project better. We also asked narrowly focused specialists for their expertise. In this way, we assessed the risks and saw the real prospects of investing. We gave the guys 4 months to prepare a prototype and make sales. Then we made them an offer and set up a deal.

– Tell us a little about your investment strategy.

– First of all, we invest in the startups that we understand and that fit our expertise. We specialize in projects in the fields of e-commerce, digital marketing, mobile technology and other high-tech solutions for businesses and consumers. We have already received about 200 applications from projects and arranged a large amount of personal meetings. I can say that there are many talented teams with interesting ideas, but most of them do not know how to build a real, successful business. For instance, there was a team with a ready prototype, but it was unable to make a sale. We considered their project promising and created a custom business case for the startup, which will help them attract customers and investment in the future. In my opinion, each particular project requires an individual approach. We follow this principle in our company.

– What should startup be like to get investment from Digital Future?

– There are a few basic criteria of the startup assessment at early stage: 1) the team, 2) what project has already done, 3) how a startup is supposed to make money, 4) the project achievements: traffic, registrations rate, income. If a startup already has a history, it is important to see whether the team has managed to make money from the product / service. If that did not happen in a year or two, it means something has gone wrong. Primarily, startup should be a business.

– Are you currently considering any other Ukrainian projects? What sum of money do you plan to invest in them and what could you offer apart from money?

– Within the next 2-3 months, we plan to invest in 3-4 Ukrainian startups. While we are still beginners, we do not have budget constraints. The point is that each project is absolutely unique. Thus, we do not limit ourselves to specific amounts. The amounts and the terms on which we are working with projects are also completely different. We try to find the best formula for each project and a win-win combination, where both the startup and we could benefit from. It doesn’t necessarily have to be money. We offer profound expertise in the field of e-commerce and digital marketing. Also, the teams we are interested in are welcomed to share our office space and the equipment they need.

– Do you plan to attract foreign investors into Digital Future?

– Yes, we do. We already have agreements with several partners. We can’t give any names yet, since the negotiations continue.

– How do you assess the current state of the venture capital sphere in Ukraine? What do you think should be done to improve it?

– Of course, the current situation is pretty tough. Many foreign investors withdraw their money from the market, including the venture investors. But we are patriots and we believe in our country and above all, in people. That is why I think we are one of the few who were able to enter this market in these uneasy times and who are willing to invest in Ukrainian startups. I must mention that there is capital in Ukraine, and it is easy to find investment for quality projects. I emphasize: for quality projects. Of course, the investors most of all believe in the IT-industry of Ukraine. Although, the IT-outsourcing growth is expected to slow down this year.

– What climate does currently prevail on the Ukrainian investment market?

– In general, Ukrainian investors are ready to invest. Usually they choose projects that are aimed at foreign markets, the ones that they can understand, and that fit their business profile and strategy. Each company has its own strategy.

– Can the Ukrainian startups compete with dynamic Israeli and American projects? What distinguishes them from western companies? How do you think?

– Of course, in America and Israel, for example, there is a well-developed ecosystem of startups. We are a decade behind them. For American startups it is easy to test their ideas, because they are located in the largest consumer market in the world. For Ukrainians, it is much more complicated. Test results on the domestic market don’t always allow to draw correct conclusions and forecasts. American and Ukrainian mentality are very different. Our market is, of course, not so large. Startups, and thus, the investors could not earn that much from it.

– Could you give some advice to young Ukrainian entrepreneurs?

– Be determined and ambitious, but start with something small. Do not try to conquer the whole world at once.

Never put off what can be done today. Time is money. Generally, it is better to launch even a raw product, but earlier, rather than one with a higher quality, but later.

Nothing is impossible.

Build a business so that it starts making money from the start. Otherwise, it's not a business.

Use kaizen principles in your work.

Investment company Digital Future has funded a startup from Kyiv Easy Ads. This transaction has been closed as part of projects investments in the early stages.

Startup Easy Ads solves the problem of contextual advertising automation, allows reducing costs and, ultimately, using the companies advertising budget in a more efficient way.

Anatolii Skliarov, founder of Easy Ads, explains: “The idea of creating such service was born when I was working for a company selling tickets. When you spend big money on advertising under the conditions of high and ever-growing competition, you inevitably face the problem of optimizing budgets. That was a time when I started thinking about the possibility of using software to solve this problem.”

A new Ukrainian investment company Digital Future was founded by an entrepreneur Oleksii Vitchenko. The company is looking for Ukrainian startups to invest in the early stages. It focuses on the projects in the field of e-commerce, digital-marketing, and mobile technologies. The company recently has announced its collaboration with Denis Dovhopolyi's accelerator GrowthUP aimed at startups market analysis, projects search, and leading them on the global market.

In the next 2-3 months, Digital Future plans to invest in 3-4 Ukrainian startups. The first deal has already been closed – a startup from Kyiv Easy Ads has received company's investment.

Usually, Digital Future invests little money – from $25,000 for 10-15% of a startup (in fact, the founder of the company is the business angel and invests his own funds). “But if there is a startup we are very interested in, we are ready to fight for it and greatly increase the amount of money”, said in the company.

Digital Future can also act as a strategic investor (buy the companies). At present moment, there are 8 Ukrainian projects under company's consideration. Startups that have received investments can use working places in the office, equipment, etc. Startup can apply for Digital Future, for example, through this form.

There are no formal conditions for the cooperation of Digital Future and Denis Dovhopolyi's accelerator, the well-known in the Ukrainian market. As Oleksii Vitchenko told: “Together with GrowthUP, we are looking for technology startups and collaborating in work with them.” The accelerator has many years' experience while the company has the investment and expertise in the field of e-commerce.