Runet (Runet Media)

History

2021: Renamed Runet

In 2021, the name was updated from TheRunet to Runet.

2016: IRI becomes the main shareholder of the publication

In April 2016, it became known that the Institute for Internet Development (IRI) became the main shareholder of the publication TheRunet.com. As follows from the data of the Unified State Register of Legal Entities, the company Runet Media, created on February 1, 2016, became the owner of the publication, IRI owns 60% of the authorized capital, and Runet Media Holding owns 40%. Arseniy Shcheltsin became the general director of the new company, the director of project activities of IRI^[1].

The head of the IRI German Klimenko and Sergey Grebennikov confirmed the Roem.ru fact of the transaction. German Klimenko clarified that TheRunet.com need IRI as an expert platform, IRI does not plan to receive any significant financial benefits from participation in the capital of the publication.

Sergei Grebennikov clarified that the deal was cash-strapped:

"The project needs to move forward, IRI is an excellent platform and partner for the development of the project. theRunet will still be a platform about the Internet, but with advanced capabilities. "

2014: Benyumov appointed first chief editor

According to Izvestia, in March 2014, the ex-head of the Internet and Media section Konstantin Benyumov began a new job, now he heads the online publication Therunet.com, owned by the non-profit organization Russian Association of Electronic Communications (RAEK). The portal has never had an editor-in-chief, and Benyumov in this position should lead it among publications that write about the Internet and IT technologies, says RAEK executive director Sergei Grebennikov.

- There are many people who want to read about the Internet, IT technologies and business. We know that the Digit portal will soon cease to exist, which means that Therunet.com will be able to take a significant place in the market of the media that write about it, "Grebennikov believes.

2012: Launch of the edition

On December 1, 2012, it became known that the director of the Russian Association of Electronic Communications (RAEC) Sergei Plugotarenko and his deputy Sergei Grebennikov were launching their Internet media TheRunet, an analogue of the popular American IT blog TechCrunch, on December 3, 2012. According to their idea, this publication should be the first Russian media to write only news about the Runet. Sergei Grebennikov announced the launch of the Izvestia project.

- It will be professional media about the Internet, which does not exist today, - he explains. - There are resources that write insides, rumors and so on. There is practically no analytics, no articles, no editorial materials anywhere. And this will be a large publication dedicated to the Internet.

In December 2011, Serey Plugotarenko and Serey Grebennikov created the company "Runet Media Holding" with equal share participation, the director of which was Grebennikov. As Izvestia found out, on October 2, 2012, the partners registered an Internet media TheRunet.com with their company, which, according to registration data, will be published in Russian, English and German.

The IT edition TheRunet.com existed before, but it broadcast exclusively to a foreign English and German-speaking audience. Recently, management decided to change the concept and design. Initially, the site will employ six people. Since December 1, 2012, Maxim Makarenkov has been appointed editor, who during his career in mass media worked as a correspondent for the Hi-tech section in the Itogi magazine, deputy editor-in-chief of the Russian version of ComputerBild, chief reactor of Enter magazine and in a number of other technological publications, and from October 2010 to October 2012 he was an employee of Ashmanov & Partners. According to Vitaly Akimov, director and founder of the Startup Point portal, investments in the new project will amount to about $200 thousand per year.

It is assumed that TheRunet will publish news, expert and analytical notes, infographics and special projects, cover such events as, for example, the introduction of the law on blacklists. In addition, a section dedicated to investors and startups is expected to launch after a while.

At the time of the launch of the TheRunet.com (December 2012), Russia already has relatively successful resources dedicated to the Internet: Roem, Siliconrus (known as "Zuckerberg will call"), HabraHabr, etc. However, according to Grebennikov, there is currently no professional media that write only about Runet.

- Today there is no single entry point through which you can learn something about the Internet. For example, in the West there is TechCrunch, The Verge. Russian projects have one of the headings dedicated to the Internet, says Grebennikov. - We want a high-quality audience that will read and comment on us. The main task of the resource is to report really problematic information about what is happening on the Russian Internet^[2].

2011: Launch of English and German TheRunet.com

TheRunet.com was created in 2011, initially the project was aimed at a foreign audience and published texts in English and German.

See also

Media about IT and telecom (Russian market)

Notes