Beware of Russian Venture Capitalists, Thanks to China: FBI

choi

Kyle Alspach and Michael B Farrell, FBI Warns of Russian Investors; Tells state tech firms that Venture capitalists may seek to give sensitive data to military. Boston Globe, Apr 8, 2014.
betaboston.com/news/2014/04/07/fbi-says-russians-out-to-steal-technology-from-boston-firms-but-evidence-is-thin/

Quote:

“The bureau said it has sent notices to local [tech] companies and research facilities such as universities, and on Friday published a Boston Business Journal op-ed by an agent in the FBI’s Boston office.

“The FBI singled out the Skolkovo Foundation, founded by Russia’s prime minister, Dmitry Medvedev, that in 2011 enlisted the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to start an elite technical college in Russia modeled after the Cambridge school.

“Lucia Ziobro, assistant special agent at the FBI’s Boston’s office, wrote in the op-ed piece. * * * Ziobro said Monday that the FBI does not have any evidence that this has occurred. Instead, the warning grew out of a proliferation of intellectual property theft from US companies by Chinese firms over the past decade. Like China, Russia has lax intellectual property protections, Ziobro said, and a documented history of corruption that could lead to similar thefts of American technology.

“Though the FBI did not single out Russian venture capital firms by name, two of the best-known in the technology community are RVC, which has a US office in Boston, and RUSNANO USA, which is based in Silicon Valley and has invested in several Massachusetts companies. The head of RUSNANO USA said he was dumbfounded by the FBI’s warning. ‘I actually thought it was an April Fool’s joke,’ said Dmitry Akhanov, RUSNANO USA chief executive. ‘I had to check the date [of publication].’

Note:
(a) The report refers to
Lucia Ziobro, FBI's Boston Office Warns Businesses of Venture Capital Scams. Boston Business Journal, Apr 4, 2014 (op-ed).
www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/ ... ses-of-venture.html
(i) Lucia is a female given name: Latin lux light.
(ii) There is no need to read the op-ed.
(b) Boston Business Journal is little known in Boston. Maybe known among businessmen?