VimpelCom shows its support for Amsterdam entrepreneurs via its partnership with StartupAmsterdam

AMSTERDAM, 8-5-2015 — /EuropaWire/ — “VimpelCom Ltd.” (“VimpelCom”, “Company” or “Group”) (NASDAQ:VIP), a leading global provider of telecommunications services operating in 14 countries and headquartered in Amsterdam, shows its support for local entrepreneurs via its partnership with StartupAmsterdam, a public-private initiative focused on developing an ecosystem to make Amsterdam one of the top three startup locations in Europe. The two parties recently  hosted one of the TNW (The New Web) LaunchPad Meetups, an initiative that connects startups with the corporate world.

This flagship event, hosted at VimpelCom’s Amsterdam HQ, saw senior business leaders and 30 entrepreneurs discussing areas for collaboration on future mobile technologies and the business models that will take the digital world forward.

Commenting on the initiative, Augie Fabela, Co-Founder, VimpelCom Ltd., says: “Supporting the development of entrepreneurs  in the Netherlands is a key focus for us, given Amsterdam is our home market. The StartupAmsterdam initiative, in particular, is very close to VimpelCom’s DNA – we began as an entrepreneurial startup with only 13 employees and have now grown to a 56 thousand strong global team. Today we are an Amsterdam-based international company serving over 222 million customers around the globe. We are looking forward to working with StartupAmsterdam to cultivate the innovative thinking taking places in our own backyard as we move forward into a more digitally driven world.“

Ruben Nieuwenhuis, Program Director, StartupAmsterdam says: “We are excited to be partnering  with VimpelCom alongside other major Dutch companies such as  Philips, KLM and TomTom. VimpelCom’s position as a global mobile player , spread across 14 countries, brings great depth and expertise to the programme.  We see this week’s flagship event as the start of a great relationship between VimpelCom and the startup community in The Netherlands.“

The partnership with Startup Amsterdam forms part of  VimpelCom’s Make Your Mark program. Make Your Mark is a key element of VimpelCom’s corporate responsibility strategy, with the objective of ‘helping people shape their future’.  Make Your Mark aims to provide individuals with technology tools, support and mentoring, and in some cases access to basic education, to help them tackle these challenges at an individual, community and national level.

About VimpelCom
VimpelCom, an international telecoms company operating in 14 countries and headquartered in Amsterdam, is one of the world’s largest integrated telecommunications services operators providing voice and data services through a range of traditional and broadband mobile and fixed technologies in Russia, Italy, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Algeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe. VimpelCom’s operations around the globe cover territory with a total population of approximately 740 million people. VimpelCom provides services under the “Beeline”, “Kyivstar”, “WIND”, “Infostrada” “Mobilink”, “banglalink”, “Telecel”, and “Djezzy” brands. As of December 31, 2014, VimpelCom had 222 million mobile customers on a combined basis. VimpelCom is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol (VIP). For more information visit: http://www.vimpelcom.com

Contact information

Investor Relations
VimpelCom Ltd.
Gerbrand Nijman/Remco Vergeer
ir@vimpelcom.com
Tel: +31 20 79 77 200 (Amsterdam)

Media and Public Relations
VimpelCom Ltd.
Artem Minaev/Rozzyn Boy
pr@vimpelcom.com
Tel: +31 20 79 77 200 (Amsterdam)