Applications are open until August 26, 2025 on the astanahub.com platform.

The accelerator targets professionals with diverse backgrounds – from development and engineering to business and creative industries. Participants include developers, engineers, analysts, business developers, entrepreneurs, PR and marketing specialists, designers, as well as product, project, and sales managers. Over the course of three months, they form teams and progress from an idea to a fully developed AI product.

The program consists of three key stages. The first stage, lasting three weeks, focuses on networking, finding partners, and forming teams through a series of organized events. The second stage, lasting four weeks, involves validating startup ideas and pitching them to the investment committee for selection into the final phase. The third stage is a five-week product development sprint with ongoing access to experts, culminating in Demo Day, where teams present their solutions to venture funds and corporations.

“The results of the second AI’preneurs cohort exceeded expectations and set new benchmarks for AI startups. Out of 360 applications, 54 participants were selected and formed 20 teams. Thirteen successfully completed the program and launched their own startups with strong MVPs. The total sales and pre-sales volume reached 153 million tenge, and two projects received soft commitments for investment from Astana Hub Ventures amounting to $75,000. Among the solutions presented were CoFounder AI for automating client acquisition, STIKER.AI for streamlining the work of tax consultants, the travel platform TabiLens, the U-Drone system for recording traffic accidents using drones, and other innovations,” said Yerbol Akhmetov, Director of the Business Programs Office at Astana Hub.

The program is held offline in Astana and includes educational events, one-on-one consultations with industry experts, and hands-on project work. Participants from other cities and countries are provided with accommodation for the entire duration. Each team is assigned a personal tracker who monitors progress, conducts weekly board meetings, and helps establish effective workflows. The program’s trackers are Evgeniy Frolov and Nikolai Tian.

As part of AI’preneurs, teams gain access to cloud storage, GPU resources, and no-code/low-code platforms for rapid hypothesis testing and prototyping. The best projects receive seed investments under a standard SAFE agreement. Additionally, participants benefit from the Astana Hub Perks partner program, which includes over thirty technology companies offering cloud services, marketplaces, and other startup resources.

For more information about the program and to apply, please visit the link.