Nasdaq-listed, Russian-language search engine provider Yandex has invested $15m in Blekko, a US-based hash-tag search tool.
Blekko raised $30m in its round with the other half coming from venture capital firms MLC Private Equity, US Venture Partners, CMEA Capital and PivotNorth Capital.
Arkady Volozh, chief executive of Yandex, will join Blekko’s board and said: "We love Blekko and think it’s a great product – a quality search engine that organically combines search algorithms with expert opinions."
Blekko’s blog said: "Our history with Yandex started at a conference in Moscow earlier this year, where our CTO [chief technology officer] was speaking. Several more meetings and two trips to Moscow later – these guys do their homework – we had a new investor."
Founded in 2007, Blekko reportedly previously raised about $24m.