Sturman

What Sturman does

Sturman (Штурман) is a Moscow-based e-commerce retailer of optical instruments founded in 1991, operating for 34 years as one of the longer-standing specialty optical storefronts in the Russian market. The company sells thermal imagers, digital and image-intensifier night vision devices, optical riflescopes, binoculars, spotting scopes, telescopes, microscopes, laser rangefinders, weapon accessories (mounts, muzzle devices, lights), and meteorological instruments, sourced from a broad supplier base across Russia, Belarus, Germany, Japan, and the United States alongside its own-brand Sturman product line (binoculars, riflescopes, collimator sights, rangefinders, and scope mounts).

The business operates on a direct-to-consumer e-commerce model through sturman.ru, complemented by a domestic dealer network and warehouse-based fulfillment with delivery throughout Russia. Products are sold at unit retail prices in Russian rubles including VAT (22% on most goods, 5% on certain hunting accessories such as gun sights), with free delivery when shipping costs do not exceed 10% of order value. The customer base spans individual hunters and sportsmen (primary), scientific laboratories and researchers, and outdoor/travel enthusiasts, with pricing ranging from entry-level binoculars at roughly 8,141 RUB up to high-end thermal and night vision units exceeding 250,000 RUB. Sturman also manufactures its own optical accessories (Weaver bases, mounts, collimators) and participates annually in Russian hunting exhibitions such as 'Weapons and Hunting' (Оружие и Охота) and 'Hunting and Fishing in Russia' (Охота и Рыболовство на Руси). The company is privately held, with no disclosed institutional investors, parent entity, or funding history.

Name

Sturman

Legal name

Sturman

Website

https://sturman.ru

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Sturman is a Moscow-based e-commerce retailer founded in 1991 that sells optical instruments — thermal imagers, night vision, riflescopes, binoculars, telescopes, and microscopes — to Russian hunters, sportsmen, scientific laboratories, and outdoor enthusiasts via sturman.ru and a domestic dealer network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Optical Instruments Retail

NAICS

Optical Goods Retailers (456130), Optical Goods Retailers (45613)

SIC

Optical Instruments & Lenses (3827), Photographic Equipment & Supplies (3861)

akta.pro primary industry

Optics & Sighting Devices Retail (Scopes, Binoculars, Rangefinders) (CRAMAKAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Viewing & Optics (Binoculars, Spotting Scopes) Retail (CRAMAAAK), Binoculars, Scopes & Sport Optics Retail (CRACAHAI)

Keywords

• Optical instruments retail
• Thermal imaging devices
• Night vision scopes
• Hunting optics
• Astronomy equipment

Headquarters

HQ city

Moscow

HQ country

Russia

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail product sales: Direct retail sales of optical instruments (binoculars, thermal imagers, scopes, telescopes, microscopes, night vision devices, rangefinders, weapon accessories) to end consumers and through dealer networks. Products are sold at fixed retail prices including VAT.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Sturman is a Moscow-based internet retail store (operating since 1991) that sells optical instruments including binoculars, thermal imagers, digital and analog night vision devices, optical and digital riflescopes, telescopes, microscopes, laser rangefinders, collimator sights, scope mounts, weapon accessories, and meteorological instruments. The company functions as both a distributor/reseller of third-party optical brands (ATAK, NNPO, LZIRTEK, EATECH/GUIDE, Vector Optics, Veber, Canon, Nikon, BelOMO, etc.) and a manufacturer of its own Sturman-branded binoculars, riflescopes, collimator sights, rangefinders, and mounting systems, with delivery throughout Russia.

Product overview

Sturman is a Moscow-based optical instruments e-commerce retailer founded in 1991, operating as both a distributor/reseller of third-party optical brands and a manufacturer of its own Sturman-branded products. The product portfolio centers on thermal imaging devices (handhelds, rifle scopes, clip-on attachments, and binoculars from ATAK, NNPO, LZIRTEK, EATECH/GUIDE, CONOTECH, Dedal, Dipol, Fahrentec, PARD, SYTONG), digital night vision riflescopes and cameras (ATAK, PARD, Veber), optical riflescopes (Vector Optics Veyron/Tauron/Minotaur/Continental/GRIZZLY/ORION, Veber Wolf Alfa, Dedal, Pilad/VOMZ, BelOMO), night vision devices (BelOMO BDN-9M Gen 3), conventional binoculars (Canon, Hawke, Minox, Nikon, Olympus, Vector Optics, Vixen, Farvizhn, BelOMO, and the Sturman own-brand including the 25×70 ASTRO astronomical model), spotting scopes, telescopes, microscopes, magnifying loupes, rangefinders, weapon accessories (muzzle devices, bead sights from HiViz/Truglo/EST, cleaning kits), hunting accessories, meteorological instruments (Brig, Utes barometers and weather stations), and weapon-mounted flashlights with dedicated mounting systems for a wide range of firearms. Sturman also manufactures its own scope mounts, Weaver rail systems, and collimator sights under the Sturman brand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sturman 25×70 ASTRO Binocular Astronomical binocular with 25× magnification and 70mm objective lenses, rubberized aluminum body, central focusing, and included tripod adapter. Designed for astronomical and long-distance observation by hobbyists and amateur astronomers.
• Sturman Universal Weaver Base

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• ATN Corp: US manufacturer of thermal imaging, night vision, and smart digital optics for hunting. Direct supplier-brand competition to several categories Sturman resells (and is listed as a brand on Sturman.ru).
• Hawke Optics: UK-based established optics brand offering riflescopes, binoculars, and spotting scopes across hunting and outdoor segments. Featured in Sturman's assortment and comparable premium mid-market positioning.
• B&H Photo Video: Large US multi-category electronics and optics retailer with deep binoculars, telescopes, and photography optics assortment. Different scale and geography but analogous broad-line e-commerce retail model.
• Pulsar / Yukon Advanced Optics: Belarusian-rooted global leader in thermal imaging and night vision devices for civilian and professional use. Sells through similar channels; some of its products overlap with categories Sturman distributes.

Emerging players

• Dedal: Russian/Belarusian manufacturer of thermal imagers, night vision and optical sights. Distributed by Sturman and a competing supplier-brand in overlapping hunting/shooting categories.
• Celestron: Major global manufacturer of telescopes, spotting scopes, and optics accessories. Overlaps with Sturman's astronomy/telescope category and shares the multi-brand astronomy retail channel structure.
• Vector Optics: Chinese optics brand whose riflescopes, binoculars, and red dots are a flagship line for Sturman. Competes with own-brand and third-party lines across price tiers, overlapping assortment.

Direct peers

• Opticplanet: US-based online retailer of riflescopes, binoculars, thermal imagers, and night vision from multiple brands. Closest comparable e-commerce-first multi-brand optics specialist, although operating in a different geography.
• Eurooptic: Long-standing US online retailer specializing in hunting, shooting, and tactical optics across premium brands. Comparable multi-brand e-commerce optics retailer with similar assortment breadth.
• Levenhuk: Russian-founded optics company selling telescopes, microscopes, binoculars and accessories, also distributed through Sturman. Same home market, overlapping product categories, and similar Russian retail/wholesale footprint.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sturman

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sturman