Sergeyev Dmitry

Ukrainian Internet entrepreneur. Founder of an image bank of Depositphotos.

Biography

Sergeyev is a native of Yaroslavl. It arrived to Ukraine 12 years ago. Before managed to work in Cyprus, where as he speaks, "traded internettrafiky".

2005-2008: Depositfiles

In Kiev the entrepreneur tested in a shoubusinessa, created several startups, one of which – the large file hosting service of Depositfiles. In due time it broke in top100 the most visited internetsayt in the world according to Alexa.com. At the peak of popularity in 2007-2008 on it 30–40 million unique visitors a month came. Daily they uploaded to the site tens information terabyte. This huge digital beehive the small Kiev command under the leadership of Sergeyev managed. It started Depositfiles in 2005m, but three years later the file hosting service became rather a burden, than business.

Large file exchange service brings to the owner and management many problems – first of all, connected with copyright.

"Daily we had to delete manually thousands of files according to the address of owners", – with shudder Sergeyev remembers. The project was on the verge of payback, appeared in small plus, earning from a paid subscription. In 2008 burst crisis, and Sergeyev had an idea of more perspective and legal business. He began to look for the buyer for Depositfiles actively.

According to the entrepreneur, the large Russian media holding was interested in service, but the transaction broke at the last minute. In 2009m the project was purchased by the Ukrainian investors, their names and Sergeyev does not disclose transaction amount. Says only that the company was estimated at two annual turnovers. Two market participants familiar with terms of transaction tell that Sergeyev received about $10 million.

Sergeyev got rid of Depositfiles in time. In one and a half years universal persecution of file exchange services which joined FBI and the Interpol began. Indicators of Depositfiles were many times reduced, according to the results of the 2011th the daily audience of the website made 14 million unique users – three times less, than at Sergeyev.

Even before Depositfiles sale Sergeyev experimented with kopiketa of different western services – tried to start local social network, the microblogging service, service of onlaynotzyv about brands. After the transaction he decided to concentrate efforts on creation an internetfotobanka in which name the word, already familiar on the previous big project, – Deposit appeared.

2009: Depositphotos

Sergeyev became interested in the market of photodrains even before Depositfiles sale. The mutual friend reduced it with the designer Igor Kalyuzhny who since 2007 sold 3dmodeli both graphics through Shutterstock and other services. Kalyuzhny well knew specifics of microdrains, and Sergeyev had an extensive experience of work with terabytes of information and ability to create the websites maintaining one million visits a day. In the 2009th service began to work. "We faced scepticism and even aggression of community: all considered that the market of microdrains is divided also we superfluous there", – Kalyuzhny remembers.

Depositphotos found, than to involve both sellers, and buyers. Projects at the beginning of zero were created by natives of the circle of photographers and designers. Sergeyev introduced in microstock business the experience with Depositfiles. The website was made more conveniently and more technologically, than at competitors, many functions were borrowed over time by members of "the big five". For example, the Ukrainian team of the first entered an onlaynpodderzhka of clients in real time. But money became the main incentive of the vsetaki. To involve photographers, Depositphotos paid for each photo of 10 cents posted on the website. The action worked until service gained one million units of content – on it about a year^[1] left].

"In discussions on the profile websites photographers said that after the termination of an action the flow of content will decrease, but he only grew up", – Kalyuzhny tells. Today in Depositphotos library – more than 16 million files. Every month it rises at least by half a million new photos and videos. Any of drains cannot brag of such rates.

"In two years the company grew almost by 30 times – such in Runet very little"

Interview

• Depositphotos: The person with the smartphone can earn millions (CNews of 2013)

See Also

Sergeyev's page in LinkedIn

Notes