Begun

Historical player in Russian contextual advertising, now integrated into Rambler Media

Begun was founded in 2002 as one of Russia's first contextual advertising networks, providing search and content-based advertising solutions primarily for the Russian-speaking market. The company offered services similar to Google AdSense and AdWords, including keyword-based advertising, contextual ad placement, and search monetization tools for publishers and advertisers. In 2008, Begun was acquired by Rambler Media, one of Russia's major internet companies, and was subsequently integrated into Rambler's broader digital advertising ecosystem. The platform played a significant role in developing the Russian AdTech market during the 2000s, competing with Yandex.Direct and other regional advertising networks. Over time, Begun's services were consolidated into Rambler's advertising offerings, and the brand became less prominent as a standalone entity.