AI’preneurs was created as an ecosystem in which developers, researchers, and entrepreneurs from different fields can go beyond simply learning artificial intelligence and turn their ideas into technology companies. The new cohort continues this mission, covering the full journey from team formation to MVP development and market entry.
The program consists of two key stages. The first is a four-week intensive for individual participants. At this stage, participants join without teams and go through hands-on entrepreneurial training, develop an entrepreneurial mindset, test ideas, and find future co-founders. The second stage is a ten-week Core Accelerator for already formed teams, where the focus shifts to hypothesis validation, product development, first sales, and scaling preparation. The program concludes with a Demo Day, where the best teams present their solutions to venture capital funds, angel investors, and corporate partners.
During the opening, Managing Director of Astana Hub Tanat Uskembayev emphasized that AI’preneurs has now become a full-fledged mechanism for launching AI companies.
“Over three cohorts, AI’preneurs has shown that there is strong demand for AI entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan. We received 960 applications, formed 35 startup teams, and today graduates of the program have already generated $590,000 in sales and pre-sales. Our task is to create an environment where global AI companies emerge. Astana Hub provides participants with access to infrastructure, an international network, experts, and tools that enable them to go from idea to scalable business,” said Tanat Uskembayev.
During the presentation of the new cohort, Director of the Business Programs Office at Astana Hub, Ashimbek Abilgazinov, provided a detailed overview of the structure of AI’preneurs and the opportunities available to participants. One of the central parts of the Opening Day was a panel session with program alumni, moderated by Aigerim Nurgaliyeva, where Zakirzhan Aisabayev, Madi Nurmanov, Amir Zhakyshyev, and Azat Bekmagambetov shared their experience in building AI startups and gave practical advice to the new cohort on startup development and team building.
During its existence, the program has already produced projects operating across various segments of the AI market, from industrial safety and recruitment to content generation and gaming technologies. Alumni include YERAI with an AI platform for university admissions abroad, ELECTI for recruitment automation, STIKER AI for automated customer communications, RE:CREATE developing viral content creation tools for social media, KAFTAN (an ethnogame in a Telegram mini-app format), BOTABLE.DEV (simplifying AI solution development and deployment in business), CORELIS AI (an intelligent industrial safety platform for the oil and gas sector), SOLIDROCK (an engineering AI solution for translation, localization, and video game integration), and the startup AVM.
The approach to working with startup teams was outlined by program lead tracker Arkadiy Seleznev. According to him, the key objective of AI’preneurs is to help teams move at high speed, rapidly test hypotheses, and reach the real market.
One of the key advantages of the program remains its ecosystem-based approach. Participants from outside the city are provided with accommodation in Astana, while teams receive dedicated workspaces for collaboration. Each startup is assigned a dedicated tracker who supports the team throughout the program, conducts regular board meetings, and helps maintain development momentum. In addition, teams can use AlemPlus, a digital platform for AI development with cloud infrastructure, GPU resources, and tools for rapid MVP prototyping. Graduates will also gain access to international scaling opportunities through Astana Hub hubs in Dubai, Shanghai, and the United States, including soft landing support and local market entry assistance. The best projects may also qualify for pre-seed investment under a SAFE model.
AI’preneurs is developing as one of the key instruments of the international Center for Artificial Intelligence alem.ai ecosystem, which is being formed in Kazakhstan as a platform for AI technology development, startups, and talent. Participants of the new cohort will work directly at the center, gaining access to infrastructure, the AI community, and the broader technological ecosystem.
AI’preneurs was created as an ecosystem in which developers, researchers, and entrepreneurs from different fields can go beyond simply learning artificial intelligence and turn their ideas into technology companies. The new cohort continues this mission, covering the full journey from team formation to MVP development and market entry.
The program consists of two key stages. The first is a four-week intensive for individual participants. At this stage, participants join without teams and go through hands-on entrepreneurial training, develop an entrepreneurial mindset, test ideas, and find future co-founders. The second stage is a ten-week Core Accelerator for already formed teams, where the focus shifts to hypothesis validation, product development, first sales, and scaling preparation. The program concludes with a Demo Day, where the best teams present their solutions to venture capital funds, angel investors, and corporate partners.
During the opening, Managing Director of Astana Hub Tanat Uskembayev emphasized that AI’preneurs has now become a full-fledged mechanism for launching AI companies.
“Over three cohorts, AI’preneurs has shown that there is strong demand for AI entrepreneurship in Kazakhstan. We received 960 applications, formed 35 startup teams, and today graduates of the program have already generated $590,000 in sales and pre-sales. Our task is to create an environment where global AI companies emerge. Astana Hub provides participants with access to infrastructure, an international network, experts, and tools that enable them to go from idea to scalable business,” said Tanat Uskembayev.
During the presentation of the new cohort, Director of the Business Programs Office at Astana Hub, Ashimbek Abilgazinov, provided a detailed overview of the structure of AI’preneurs and the opportunities available to participants. One of the central parts of the Opening Day was a panel session with program alumni, moderated by Aigerim Nurgaliyeva, where Zakirzhan Aisabayev, Madi Nurmanov, Amir Zhakyshyev, and Azat Bekmagambetov shared their experience in building AI startups and gave practical advice to the new cohort on startup development and team building.
During its existence, the program has already produced projects operating across various segments of the AI market, from industrial safety and recruitment to content generation and gaming technologies. Alumni include YERAI with an AI platform for university admissions abroad, ELECTI for recruitment automation, STIKER AI for automated customer communications, RE:CREATE developing viral content creation tools for social media, KAFTAN (an ethnogame in a Telegram mini-app format), BOTABLE.DEV (simplifying AI solution development and deployment in business), CORELIS AI (an intelligent industrial safety platform for the oil and gas sector), SOLIDROCK (an engineering AI solution for translation, localization, and video game integration), and the startup AVM.
The approach to working with startup teams was outlined by program lead tracker Arkadiy Seleznev. According to him, the key objective of AI’preneurs is to help teams move at high speed, rapidly test hypotheses, and reach the real market.
One of the key advantages of the program remains its ecosystem-based approach. Participants from outside the city are provided with accommodation in Astana, while teams receive dedicated workspaces for collaboration. Each startup is assigned a dedicated tracker who supports the team throughout the program, conducts regular board meetings, and helps maintain development momentum. In addition, teams can use AlemPlus, a digital platform for AI development with cloud infrastructure, GPU resources, and tools for rapid MVP prototyping. Graduates will also gain access to international scaling opportunities through Astana Hub hubs in Dubai, Shanghai, and the United States, including soft landing support and local market entry assistance. The best projects may also qualify for pre-seed investment under a SAFE model.
AI’preneurs is developing as one of the key instruments of the international Center for Artificial Intelligence alem.ai ecosystem, which is being formed in Kazakhstan as a platform for AI technology development, startups, and talent. Participants of the new cohort will work directly at the center, gaining access to infrastructure, the AI community, and the broader technological ecosystem.
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