Quintura

History

2005: Creation of service

The Quintura search engine was created in the summer of 2005, invested ABRT fund in it. The searcher was positioned as the first-ever search system helping to look for images and video by means of an interactive cloud of hints.

2006: Mangrove arrival

Spring of 2006 the Mangrove Capital Partners fund became the investor to Quintura also. Before its secession of shareholders in 2011 more than 50% of Quintura Inc. (the company is registered in the USA) Mangrove belonged, founders had about 30% (Yakov Sadchikov, Alexander Yershov, Rustam Gafurov), the rest — at ABRT.

2011: Idea of the national searcher

In March, 2011 it became known that the state does not refuse the idea of creation of national search engine which emergence is discussed nearly three years. As Kommersant knew^[1], the project in partnership with Sirius concern under control of Russian Technologies can be implemented based on Quintura search engine. The list of co-owners of Quintura left his non-resident shareholder — Mangrove Capital Partners fund, now the searcher can be reoriented on rendering state services and, perhaps, filtering of an inappropriate content.

The idea of national search engine is alive, "works are continued, it is a question of identity", the president Dmitry Medvedev said. The project in a work stage, a technology platform for national search engine can become Quintura search engine, the top manager of the large Internet company told Kommersant. The idea was discussed earlier, but everything rested against existence among shareholders of foreign co-owners, now this issue is resolved, he claims.

The CEO of Quintura Yakov Sadchikov confirmed to Kommersant that founders of the searcher in equal shares redeemed a share of Mangrove Capital Partners fund in the company. According to him, the transaction was closed in March, 2011, assessment of the company occurred by an expensive method. "All more than $7 million were invested in the company, we earn a little now — about $20 thousand a month" — mister Sadchikov told Kommersant. Thus, transaction amount could be more than $3.5 million. The partner of Mangrove Capital Partners fund David Varokye confirmed the transaction fact, but refused to disclose details.

According to mister Sadchikov, Quintura can become a technology platform for national search engine. "The company has no non-resident shareholders therefore this idea is discussed any more, but the final decision is not made yet. We have a technology platform created from scratch. It is clear only that this expensive action as creation about ten data centers and investments into indexation of Runet is required. These are not less than $100 million" — he estimates. Most likely, the separate company to which Quintura will be transferred and in which the state in this or that type invests money will be created, mister Sadchikov explains. With whom exactly negotiations and who supervises the project are conducted, he does not comment.

One more source in large Internet holding confirms that it heard about negotiations on creation of national search engine too: "As far as I know, negotiations are conducted between shareholders of Quintura and Armada IT company". The shareholder and the chairman of the board of directors of Armada Alexey Kuzovkin reported yesterday that "so far nothing is solved, we just communicate on this subject".

Mister Kuzovkin is considered also the co-owner of the developer of software of Alt Linux, the share in which through Sirius concern was purchased by Russian Technologies, including for project implementation on creation of the national operating system. One of interlocutors of Kommersant believes that the state corporation can take part also in creation of national search engine. In Russian Technologies refused comments yesterday, the source in Sirius reported that "the question is now studied".

Participants of the Internet market told that the idea to create the national search engine loyal to the state, appeared in 2008 in Presidential Administration. It occurred on a wave of speculation that "unreliable" searchers made up for traffic on oppositional online media during war of Russia and Georgia. In addition to filtering of an inappropriate content, the project is necessary for state needs, in particular, for rendering state services to the population.

In 2010 it was talked that Rostelecom can become the general contractor of the project, it will be helped by the Ashmanov and Partners company specializing in internet marketing and the developer of the electronic editions "Kirill and Mefodiy", and the general budget will make $100 million. In an interview of Kommersant the head of Rostelecom Alexander Provotorov claimed that the company "in this project of participation does not accept". Has no relation to national search engine and Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications, the head Igor Shchegolev claimed it. The Ministry of Telecom and Mass Communications has no relation to this project and now, approve sources of Kommersant in the Internet market.

Creation of national search engine is discussed, confirmed the source close to Presidential Administration recently. But there is no task to compete with the leader of search in Runet "Yandex" which "golden share" the state owns: first, it is unreal, secondly, the state has no task "bite off a piece of pie at the successful self-sufficient company".

Notes