Candy Flip Robots

Candy Flip Robots is the developer of the Sense Machine software system, designed to assess emotions by facial expressions, facial movements, etc. through the analysis of the video stream. With this solution, you can analyze the emotions of a contact with marketing materials, a user of online services or a potential buyer at points of sale. The startup was founded by the former top manager of Gazprom-Media Vladimir Margolin.

History

2025: The fund, whose investor is Potanin's Interros, has invested in an emotion recognition software developer

As TAdviser discovered in June 2025, the Voskhod venture fund, whose anchor investor is Vladimir Potanin's Interros group, became a member of the co-founders of Candy Flip Robots. According to the database of legal entities Kontur.Fokus, "through the Voskhod management company, the fund received a share in the authorized capital of the company of about 13%.

The shares of all other founders - Vladimir Margolin Sergei Korenkov and LLC ("Haiv" venture capital company "") - VimpelCom have decreased. The largest co-founder of Candy Flip Robots remains Vladimir Margolin with a share of about 36% in the authorized capital.

Candy Flip Robots and Sunrise did not publicly announce the deal, and at the time of publication of the TAdviser material, they could not comment on it. The next day, after the news was released on the TAdviser portal, Voskhod reported that the project attracted 100 million rubles during a new round of investments. The lead investor was the Voskhod Foundation, and the High Foundation and the foundations of the project took part in it. The funds of the round will be aimed at further development of technology (R&D) and expanding the presence, including the coverage of new markets.

Candy Flip Robots is developing a Sense Machine software system designed to analyze the video stream through an assessment of emotions by facial expressions, facial expressions and eye movements. The company's website lists among its clients large companies such as X5 Group, Sportmaster, O'STIN, Cian.ru.

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Фото: "Candy Flip Robots"

Also, for example, in order to understand the needs of users more deeply, the Alfa-Bank Alfa Research Center studies how people interact with the bank's products and services and what they lack in this interaction. To do this, the bank attracted Sense Machine and installed cameras that capture the expression of the respondents^[1]

According to Kontur. Focus, in 2024, the revenue of Candy Flip Robots amounted to about 122 million rubles, practically not increasing in relation to 2023. The company received a net loss of 49.6 million rubles. It was unprofitable in the previous two years.

The Voskhod website notes that the fund's portfolio includes more than 30 companies with a focus on deeptech, including the developer of industrial robots, the developer of head neuroimlants for brain-computer rehabilitation and communication, the developer of ultralight-class launch vehicles, etc. The total amount of funds under management is 18 billion rubles.

According to the Moscow Innovation Agency, Voskhod became the most active venture capital fund in Russia in the first half of 2024, concluding five transactions. The fund focused on^[2] Venture^[3].

Note that in 2023 Interros sold the management company of the Voskhod venture fund to the top management^[4]But in the news, including about the latest investments of Voskhod, where Voskhod Management Company is involved in the transaction, it is said about investments from Voskhod.

2024: VimpelCom owns 25.5% of Candy Flip Robots

On September 23, 2024, it became known that VimpelCom"" through its subsidiary structure, LLC "Haiv" acquired about 25.5% in Candy Flip Robots LLC. Information on the value of the transaction as of the specified date has not been disclosed.

Candy Flip Robots is the developer of the artificial intelligence-based Sense Machine software system. It combines several self-learning neural networks to analyze the video stream. Sense Machine is able to recognize emotions by a variety of parameters, such as pupil dilation, cheekbone position, facial expressions, etc. The system can also determine the direction of view of users at the time of viewing the content. The data obtained is converted into a convenient and understandable report for making business decisions.

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Фото: Freepik

As part of the transaction, Haiv LLC increased its stake in Candy Flip Robots from 19.3% to 25.46%, that is, to a blocking stake. At the same time, two other co-owners of the company also increased their shares: Vladimir Margolin from 32.3% to 42.61%, and Sergey Korenkov from 24.2% to 31.93%. The assets were acquired from Alexei Ovcharov, who left Candy Flip Robots.

Denis Kuskov, general director of the TelecomDaily news agency, does not exclude that in the future VimpelCom can adapt Candy Flip Robots technologies to analyze customer emotions in its own communication salons.^[5]

2023: VimpelCom bought 13.3% of Candy Flip Robots

At the end of November 2023, it became known about the sale of 13.3% of Candy Flip Robots to VimpelCom. Its participants did not disclose the financial and other terms of the transaction.

As "" writes Kommersant with reference to the data of the system, SPARK-Interfax"" VimpelCom "invested in the developer of a solution in the field of analyzing the emotional response of the audience through a subsidiary LLC". " Hyve The latter bought a share of several percent from each of the three owners of Candy Flip Robots.

it became known about the sale of 13.3% of Candy Flip Robots to VimpelCom

According to SPARK-Interfax, which the publication cites on November 25, 2023, 34.7% of Candy Flip Robots belongs to the former head of the Internet division of Gazprom-Media Vladimir Margolin, who also owns 100% in Brain Rus, a developer of technologies for interactive video advertising; 26% each for Sergei Korenkov and Alexei Ovcharov, and 13.3% for Haiv.

Finam Group analyst Leonid Delitsyn estimated 100% of the service at 220-270 million rubles, according to him, a share of 13.3% could cost Haiv 30 million rubles. It is expected that in the future VimpelCom may supplement its own products with technologies developed by Candy Flip Robots.

Vladimir Margolin, in a conversation with Kommersant, noted that thanks to the investment, the company "plans to accelerate development, optimize algorithms" and increase the team.

"Haiv" is interesting to us not only as an investor, but also as the structure of VimpelCom, which has great expertise and resources in marketing communications and knowledge about the audience of a telecom operator, he added.[6]

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