Over the past several months, startups from across Kazakhstan competed for the opportunity to reach the national stage and compete for a prize fund of KZT 19 million. The Digital Qazaqstan Battle final became a platform where 20 of the country’s best projects demonstrated real, market-validated technological solutions and their potential for scaling both nationally and internationally.
Participants showcased startups in areas such as AI, smart cities, business process automation, educational technologies, and other domains of digital transformation. The finalists included JolScan, aitomaton, Lady Taxi, SanEduPortal, Kasibi Taxi, LoyaBonus, Okushy, CortexAI, Proji, zhihaz.kz, SmetaHub, gro.now, Reco, AR Sana, Qalam, Ai-mektep, Mathlab, Help Hand, KenDala, and Numerus.
The final projects were evaluated by a jury consisting of representatives from government, investors, and the tech community. The panel included Kazakh serial entrepreneur and one of Central Asia’s leading business angels Murat Abdrakhmanov; Chief Technology Officer of Freedom Holding Corp. Renat Tukanov; international developer Narikbi Maksut; Higgsfield AI VP of Talent Dalida Erkuliyeva; and IT community representative Sultan Ilyasov.
Following an intense final session, the jury selected the winners of Digital Qazaqstan Battle. The grand prize of KZT 10,000,000 went to gro.now (Almaty), second place with KZT 5,000,000 was awarded to Cortex AI (Kyzylorda), and third place with KZT 3,000,000 went to AR Sana (Astana). In addition, the Audience Choice Award of KZT 1,000,000 was given to Qalam AI (Shymkent).
gro.now is a platform for market research and analytics.
Cortex AI is a clinical decision support AI system that predicts the risk of kidney transplant rejection.
AR Sana is a health-tech platform for children’s speech development, creating an integrated gamified ecosystem for parents, children, and speech therapists.
Qalam AI is a smart pen that remembers everything you write on paper, with AI recognizing, analyzing, and structuring notes in a mobile application.
“Reaching the finals is an incredible opportunity to test our concept on a national audience and receive feedback from experts. We hope our project will make a meaningful impact on the industry and help us find new partners for scaling. For us, participation in the Digital Qazaqstan Battle is a chance to demonstrate our team’s potential, showcase our technological solutions, and prove that ideas from the regions can compete at the national level,” said AR Sana CEO Aйнур Нурадил, one of the finalists.
The competition was held in several stages: after applications were submitted, projects were screened for eligibility, followed by regional semifinals that determined the finalists. The jury evaluated startups based on market traction, team quality, scalability, and investment attractiveness.
Organizers emphasized that Digital Qazaqstan Battle is not only about financial support. Finalists gained access to a broad forum audience, attention from investors and ecosystem stakeholders, and an opportunity to strengthen their position in the national innovation landscape.
“Digital Qazaqstan Battle shows that strong technology projects are born not only in major cities but also in the regions. The final became a true platform for knowledge exchange, networking with investors and international experts, and a confirmation of the participants’ high level of competence,” said Ashimbek Abilgazinov, Director of the Astana Hub Business Programs Office.
It should be noted that this year’s Digital Qazaqstan 2026 Forum was made possible thanks to the support of partners and sponsors. All expenses are covered through sponsorship funding.
General Partner: Freedom Bank – a Kazakh digital bank for retail and corporate clients, part of Freedom Holding Corp. The bank was the first in Kazakhstan to fully digitize mortgage, auto, and business loans, and launched the country’s first investor card, INVEST CARD.
Platinum Partner: Alageum Electric – a major electrical engineering group in Kazakhstan uniting more than 30 enterprises in the energy, engineering, and infrastructure construction sectors.
Gold Partner: Kazakhtelecom.
Innovation Partners: WSE, Damumed.
Partner: Visa.
Organizers of the forum are the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Akimat of Shymkent, and the Astana Hub international innovation cluster.
Over the past several months, startups from across Kazakhstan competed for the opportunity to reach the national stage and compete for a prize fund of KZT 19 million. The Digital Qazaqstan Battle final became a platform where 20 of the country’s best projects demonstrated real, market-validated technological solutions and their potential for scaling both nationally and internationally.
Participants showcased startups in areas such as AI, smart cities, business process automation, educational technologies, and other domains of digital transformation. The finalists included JolScan, aitomaton, Lady Taxi, SanEduPortal, Kasibi Taxi, LoyaBonus, Okushy, CortexAI, Proji, zhihaz.kz, SmetaHub, gro.now, Reco, AR Sana, Qalam, Ai-mektep, Mathlab, Help Hand, KenDala, and Numerus.
The final projects were evaluated by a jury consisting of representatives from government, investors, and the tech community. The panel included Kazakh serial entrepreneur and one of Central Asia’s leading business angels Murat Abdrakhmanov; Chief Technology Officer of Freedom Holding Corp. Renat Tukanov; international developer Narikbi Maksut; Higgsfield AI VP of Talent Dalida Erkuliyeva; and IT community representative Sultan Ilyasov.
Following an intense final session, the jury selected the winners of Digital Qazaqstan Battle. The grand prize of KZT 10,000,000 went to gro.now (Almaty), second place with KZT 5,000,000 was awarded to Cortex AI (Kyzylorda), and third place with KZT 3,000,000 went to AR Sana (Astana). In addition, the Audience Choice Award of KZT 1,000,000 was given to Qalam AI (Shymkent).
gro.now is a platform for market research and analytics.
Cortex AI is a clinical decision support AI system that predicts the risk of kidney transplant rejection.
AR Sana is a health-tech platform for children’s speech development, creating an integrated gamified ecosystem for parents, children, and speech therapists.
Qalam AI is a smart pen that remembers everything you write on paper, with AI recognizing, analyzing, and structuring notes in a mobile application.
“Reaching the finals is an incredible opportunity to test our concept on a national audience and receive feedback from experts. We hope our project will make a meaningful impact on the industry and help us find new partners for scaling. For us, participation in the Digital Qazaqstan Battle is a chance to demonstrate our team’s potential, showcase our technological solutions, and prove that ideas from the regions can compete at the national level,” said AR Sana CEO Aйнур Нурадил, one of the finalists.
The competition was held in several stages: after applications were submitted, projects were screened for eligibility, followed by regional semifinals that determined the finalists. The jury evaluated startups based on market traction, team quality, scalability, and investment attractiveness.
Organizers emphasized that Digital Qazaqstan Battle is not only about financial support. Finalists gained access to a broad forum audience, attention from investors and ecosystem stakeholders, and an opportunity to strengthen their position in the national innovation landscape.
“Digital Qazaqstan Battle shows that strong technology projects are born not only in major cities but also in the regions. The final became a true platform for knowledge exchange, networking with investors and international experts, and a confirmation of the participants’ high level of competence,” said Ashimbek Abilgazinov, Director of the Astana Hub Business Programs Office.
It should be noted that this year’s Digital Qazaqstan 2026 Forum was made possible thanks to the support of partners and sponsors. All expenses are covered through sponsorship funding.
General Partner: Freedom Bank – a Kazakh digital bank for retail and corporate clients, part of Freedom Holding Corp. The bank was the first in Kazakhstan to fully digitize mortgage, auto, and business loans, and launched the country’s first investor card, INVEST CARD.
Platinum Partner: Alageum Electric – a major electrical engineering group in Kazakhstan uniting more than 30 enterprises in the energy, engineering, and infrastructure construction sectors.
Gold Partner: Kazakhtelecom.
Innovation Partners: WSE, Damumed.
Partner: Visa.
Organizers of the forum are the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Akimat of Shymkent, and the Astana Hub international innovation cluster.
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