On February 4, 2020, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, after a meeting with representatives of Rakuten, has announced that Rakuten Viber will open an R&D center in Kyiv. The press service of Rakuten told the editor of AIN.UA details of the future project.
Why did the company choose Ukraine?
“There are many opportunities for the development of IT talents in Ukraine. We would also like to use the opportunities of the high level of Viber penetration in the Ukrainian market – 96% among smartphone users,” the company said.
When will the center be launched?
The company plans to launch its R&D center in early Q2 2020 in Kyiv. The location of the office will be announced soon. The center will be launched “from scratch,” the company has no plans on partnership or acquisition of local teams for launch.
How many people will work in the office?
The company does not mention the exact number of employees, indicating that at first, it will be a small team with growth potential in 2020.
What kind of specialists will be hired?
The company will mainly look for IT engineers in several fields: they will work on Rakuten’s services, including Rakuten Viber, Rakuten Marketing, and Rakuten Intelligence.
