Verysell Group History

Esther Dyson was kind of godmother for Verysell. She introduced Mikhail Krasnov – VerySell co-founder to the other co-founders and to Bill Gates. Microsoft was a key partner of Verysell for over 20 years.

Moscow, 1991. The team in front of the first office of JV Merisel.

Moscow, 1999. The first logo of Verysell, after the change of name from Merisel to Verysell.

Few remember now, that in the 90s software distribution meant boxes of floppy disks

What was considered as advanced IT technology in the early days of Verysell.

Celebrating 25th anniversary of Verysell in 2015.

Verysell is headquartered in Nyon, Switzerland since 1990.

SmartDev LLC is located in Da Nang, Vietnam.

The new logo of Verysell has been introduced in 2020.

Verysell Ventures – the in-house incubator – launched in 2020. VeryPay is the first graduate.

SmartDev got the award Fastest Growing Company in 2021

Smart81 accelerates growth for start-ups and scale ups

Applied AI Lab

Verysell AI

Verysell Group

Verysell Middle East (Verysell ME)

1990 - 1998

During this period, we created JV Merisel, a Swiss-American-Soviet joint venture with headquarters in the Swiss town of Nyon and its main operational office in Moscow. We also had subsidiaries in Saint Petersburg, Kiev, and Almaty. Merisel Inc, the largest global distributor of IT hardware and software at the time, was the main shareholder of JV Merisel. Throughout the 1990s, with the support of our strategic investor, JV Merisel became the leading distributor of IT technology products across the former Soviet Union. We brought previously unavailable IT products to millions of people across the region, covering 11 time zones from West to East.

1999-2010

Due to a shift in corporate strategy, Merisel Inc decided to exit all operations in Europe, including the ex-USSR. As a result, JV Merisel was rebranded as Verysell Group and diversified its business beyond basic IT product distribution. Verysell evolved into a full-range IT service firm, providing turn-key IT infrastructure solutions, ERP consulting, and application software development for enterprise clients. From 2004 onwards, Verysell ranked among the top 10 largest IT holdings in Russia, its largest market in the former Soviet Union region. We became a leading value-added partner for many of the largest global IT companies, including Microsoft, HP, IBM, Cisco, and Intel.

2011

Verysell Group sold its core business, Verysell Distribution, to Merlion Group, one of the largest wide-range distributors in Eastern Europe.

2012-2017

Verysell underwent reorganization to adapt to the evolving global IT industry and changing geopolitical landscape. The group continued its operations in industrial automation and IT systems integration until the reorganization was complete, leading to changes in target markets and IT industry segments.
Since 2017, Verysell no longer has operations, subsidiaries, or staff in Russia and Belarus.

2018-2019

Following a revision of its strategy, Verysell retained its headquarters in Switzerland but shifted its geographic focus to Europe, Southeast Asia, and Africa. We adapted our service and product offering to address the pressing needs of IT markets, such as outsourced software development and fintech. To support this new business direction, Verysell acquired the Vietnamese ODC company SmartDev LLC.

2020

Verysell launched Verysell Ventures as its in-house incubator for start-ups. The first project of Verysell Ventures, VeryPay, is a proprietary mobile payments platform designed as the most cost-efficient solution for financial inclusion worldwide, with a focus on the booming digital wallets African market.

2022

Active development and growth have continued across all business lines of the Verysell Group. SmartDev has been recognized as one of the fastest-growing IT companies in Vietnam (SME 100 Award 2021)

Q1 2023

SMART81 became the third project of Verysell Ventures and the group's first office in the US. The company's mission is to advise, collaborate, and build enterprise-level technology for early-stage businesses through a variety of bespoke commercial models

Q2 2023

The fourth project of Verysell Ventures has been launched. The Applied AI Lab's mission is to equip every employee in the group with the best existing commercial AI assistant or custom-created tool. We also offer AI-related consulting services and a suite of bespoke products that incorporate AI capabilities for our clients.

Q1 2025

Verysell Group is excited to announce the formation of Verysell AI, the premier AI consultancy and solutions provider, born from the strategic merger of Smart81 and Applied AI Lab. This new entity brings together the strengths of two industry leaders, amplifying their collective expertise in artificial intelligence to deliver cutting-edge solutions for global clients

Alongside this milestone, we are unveiling the new logo of Verysell Group, symbolizing the strong union of all our brands under one cohesive group. The refreshed logo reflects our commitment to innovation and the alignment of our family of brands, including Verysell AI, as we continue to push the boundaries of technology and AI-driven solutions worldwide

Q3 2025

The Verysell Group is proud to introduce Verysell Middle East (Verysell ME) the exclusive brand dedicated to serving clients across the Middle East, bringing to bear our 35+ years of global expertise in AI, software development, and digital transformation to deliver tailored, impactful solutions in the region.

Verysell Group Companies