Russians Mulling Investment in Facebook

Yes, apparently these business rumors may indeed be true - a Russian Internet group, Digital Sky Technologies, has offered to invest $200 million in Facebook in a deal that would value the social networking site at $10 billion, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

Digital Sky Technologies, which owns a stake in Russia's Mail.ru Web site, offered an investment of $200 million in the company's preferred stock, which would value it at $10 billion, and an additional $100 million to $150 million investment in the company's common stock, which would value it at $6.5 billion, the report said.

Acording to the Yahoo Finance article, Facebook last got funding from Microsoft Corp in 2007, when the software company paid $240 million for a 1.6 percent stake in the company. Facebook has more than 200 million active users. The company also ranks as one of the top photo-sharing websites, with more than 15 billion pictures uploaded onto its service.

Moer on the Digital Sky Technologies - its English-language website states that "DST was founded in 2005 when Yuri Milner and Gregory Finger pooled together their individual interests in Mail.ru and funded the first investments in young market leaders in the nascent Russian Internet sector. DST is controlled by its Founding Partners. DST is a leading global Internet holding company that originated in the Russian speaking world. We estimate that our companies comprise well over 70% of all pageviews in the Russian speaking Internet, targeting a potential audience of over 300 million people. Our companies hold the #1 and often also the #2 and #3 positions in all CIS states, including Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Armenia."

More on their international operations: "Between 2005 and 2009 DST raised and invested more than $1 billion in over 30 companies and gained support from Russian and Western funds. In 2008, Alexander Tamas joined DST from Goldman Sachs and established a presence in London to spearhead further international efforts. In recent years DST also expanded into the Baltic region and, through its portfolio companies, also into Eastern and Western Europe, and China."

So, comrades, this is the globalization at its best.