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Autonomous cluster fund «Astana Hub»

Oct. 14, 2025 17:00

A Kazakh Entrepreneur Taught Math to Kids in the Regions, Then Launched a Startup With Nearly $5 Million in Annual Revenue

Askar Maksat began his career as a math tutor. He worked with students in Almaty and across the regions of Kazakhstan. When he considered opening his own education center, his longtime acquaintance Aibek Kuatbayev, founder of IT company Bugin Holding, suggested launching online courses to prepare schoolchildren for the UNT, as well as entrance exams to NIS and BIL. This is how the Daryn Online project emerged, where children aged 6 to 18 can study English, physics, computer science and other subjects. Over several years, the EdTech platform attracted hundreds of thousands of users and entered multiple international markets. In addition to Kazakhstan, Daryn Online now operates in Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, and is planning to expand into Turkey. As part of the joint Digital Business and Astana Hub project “100 Startup Stories of Central Asia,” Askar spoke about building a full-fledged online education ecosystem, the intense competition in Kazakhstan’s EdTech market and the key value of Silkway Accelerator for startups.
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Autonomous cluster fund «Astana Hub»

Oct. 13, 2025 16:22

A Kazakh Entrepreneur Automated Pre-Shift Medical Checks at Age 19. His Solution Saves Factories Millions of Tenge

Danil Mukhalev is 19 years old. In school, he was passionate about robotics and once built a medical robot for a competition. The project received recognition and gradually evolved into the startup AMS. Today, the team from Aktau produces compact tablets that help conduct pre-shift screenings for workers and construction staff — measuring their temperature and testing them for alcohol. As part of the joint Digital Business and Astana Hub project “100 Startup Stories of Central Asia,” AMS founder and CEO Danil Mukhalev explained how a school robot idea turned into an in-demand product, how the devices save money for companies and why he plans to enter the French market.
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Autonomous cluster fund «Astana Hub»

Oct. 13, 2025 16:10

Kyrgyz Entrepreneurs Found a Way to Help Women Recover After Childbirth. Now Their Project Is Valued at $7.8 Million

As part of the joint Digital Business and Astana Hub project “100 Startup Stories of Central Asia,” Syrga shared how the story of NB FIT began, why the project temporarily stopped being profitable and what distinguishes the service from other online fitness platforms. We also learned why the team twice turned down investment offers, how the founders manage to agree on difficult decisions and what direction the company plans to follow next.
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Autonomous cluster fund «Astana Hub»

Oct. 13, 2025 15:57

An Entrepreneur Launched an EdTech Startup and Raised $3 Million. How the Project Helps Universities

As part of the joint project “100 Startup Stories of Central Asia” by Digital Business and Astana Hub, managing partner Anton Silenko shared how an idea grew into the “digital nervous system” of universities and why the goal of HeRo Study is to give universities a unique competitive advantage while providing students with a tool for building their careers. Anton also explained why an AI laboratory is needed, when the startup will break even and how the team plans to enter new markets.
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Autonomous cluster fund «Astana Hub»

Oct. 8, 2025 17:19

Digital Bridge 2025: Kazakhstan Leaps into the Era of Artificial Intelligence

The international technology forum Digital Bridge 2025, the premier event of the year in information technology and artificial intelligence, has concluded in Astana. From October 2 to 4, the EXPO International Exhibition Center hosted global leaders in the digital industry, venture capital, science, and education.
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Autonomous cluster fund «Astana Hub»

Oct. 8, 2025 11:37

Alexey Tsoy: Kazakhstan Can Become a New Hub for Medical Innovation

Alexey Tsoy, Head of the Medical Center of the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Kazakhstan, became one of the key speakers at the panel discussion “Healthcare 2030: How Kazakhstan Can Shift from Import Dependence to Exporting Medical Solutions,” held as part of the Digital Bridge international forum.
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Autonomous cluster fund «Astana Hub»

Oct. 8, 2025 10:53

Pavel Durov Personally Supports CYBERPACK.AI Startup

Kazakhstani startup CYBERPACK.AI has received an unexpected prize — 25,000 dollars from Pavel Durov, the founder of Telegram. The project, focused on developing STEM education in schools, caught the entrepreneur’s attention during the final of Astana Hub Battle at the Digital Bridge 2025 international forum.
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Autonomous cluster fund «Astana Hub»

Oct. 7, 2025 17:28

41 Memorandums Signed at Digital Bridge 2025

Kazakhstan has reaffirmed its growing role in the global information technology and innovation community by signing a series of strategic agreements at Digital Bridge 2025. During the forum, government agencies, major companies, international technoparks and other organizations signed 41 documents aimed at advancing IT innovation.
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Autonomous cluster fund «Astana Hub»

Oct. 7, 2025 10:46

Digital Bridge 2025: Industry 4.0 Pitch Battle Winners Announced

At the Digital Bridge 2025 technology forum, the final round of the Industry 4.0 Pitch Battle took place. The competition received 115 applications from teams working on AI technologies and Industry 4.0 solutions for the industrial sector. Twenty-two projects advanced to the semifinals, and only twelve startups earned the right to take the main stage with three-minute pitches.
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Autonomous cluster fund «Astana Hub»

Oct. 6, 2025 15:53

“We invested $200,000 of our own money.” How a startup from Uzbekistan secured $12 million from a major bank

Rustam Khamdamov, Vadim Zakharyan and Dzhakhongir Narzulloev from Tashkent were building their careers in a telecom company when they saw potential in creating an IT platform for retail stores. That moment led the colleagues to launch the startup BILLZ. Today, the company has 5,000 clients in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. And this year, BILLZ closed a deal with the Georgian bank TBC. For $12 million, the startup sold a controlling stake and transformed from a local player into part of a major banking ecosystem.
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