The final of Astana Hub Battle 2026 took place in Astana as part of the international technology forum AI & Digital Bridge 2026. This year, 50 startups from across Central Eurasia competed for a $100,000 prize pool. Winners were selected in four categories.
“Astana Hub Battle is one of the most anticipated events of the forum, attracting technology entrepreneurs from different countries every year. In 2026, the competition received 292 applications from the United States, the UAE, Türkiye, Switzerland, Malaysia, and other countries. Today, we see startups developing competitive solutions in artificial intelligence, healthcare, education, fintech, and other sectors. Such projects contribute to the knowledge economy, create jobs, and help turn innovative ideas into in-demand products,” said Magzhan Madiyev, CEO of Astana Hub.
The total prize pool of Astana Hub Battle 2026 amounted to $100,000. In addition, competition partners provided participants with additional technology resources: Kazakhtelecom provided $25,000 worth of GPU resources, while Yandex Kazakhstan provided KZT 10 million worth of cloud resources to support the further development and scaling of the projects.
The final jury included Zhaslan Madiyev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Alex Mashrabov, CEO of Higgsfield AI; Bagdat Mussin, Chairman of the Management Board of Kazakhtelecom JSC; Shervin Pishevar, SpaceX investor and Founder of Sofreh Capital; and Murat Abdrakhmanov, Founder of the MA7 Ventures venture ecosystem.
Fifty projects advanced to the semifinals, with 14 selected for the final: CYBERPACK.AI, Aman, MYupgrade, Hi Doctor, Astana Dynamics, BEST Vision, Spacelab, Welcome Video AI, NCSpeech, Pulsar AI, AuaSense, M3TRIQ, Behype, and Resti.
Following the final pitches, four startups were named winners of Astana Hub Battle 2026, with each receiving $25,000: CYBERPACK.AI won the Impact Maker category, NCSpeech won Market Shaper, Astana Dynamics won Growth Engine, and Aman won Investor’s Choice.
In addition, Aman received an additional $200,000 grant from MA7 Ventures. Competition partners also provided technology resources to selected teams: Pulsar AI received KZT 10 million worth of cloud resources from Yandex Kazakhstan, while M3TRIQ received $25,000 worth of GPU resources from Kazakhtelecom.
“For our team, this victory confirms that we are building a product that addresses a real and important challenge. Astana Hub Battle gave us an opportunity to present our solution to a wider audience, receive feedback from experts, and identify new opportunities for its development. Our next step is to scale the product and expand its application,” said Sabyrzhan Mustafin, Founder of CYBERPACK.AI, winner of the Impact Maker category.
“Participating in Astana Hub Battle allowed us to look at our product from a new perspective, engage with experts and potential partners, and better understand the opportunities for its further development. This victory motivates us to move faster, advance our technology, and bring new solutions to the market,” said Dmitry Sandzhiev, Founder of NCSpeech, winner of the Market Shaper category.
“For us, this victory marks an important milestone in the development of the project. We are currently focused on growth, attracting new customers, and entering new markets. The opportunities and connections we gained through Astana Hub Battle will help us accelerate this process and take the next step in scaling the company,” said Kanat Tazhikhan, Founder of Astana Dynamics, winner of the Growth Engine category.
“Astana Hub Battle gave us an opportunity to present our project to investors, receive professional feedback, and establish new business connections. For a startup, it is especially important to find partners who believe in the product’s potential and are ready to develop it together with the team. We intend to use the opportunities we have gained to drive further growth and expand into international markets,” said Aruzhan Mede, Founder of Aman, winner of the Investor’s Choice category.
Astana Hub Battle is designed for startups with a ready product at the MVP or PMF stage. In 2026, the competition attracted 292 applications from 14 countries, including startups from the United States, the UAE, Türkiye, Switzerland, Malaysia, and other countries.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was held as part of Kazakhstan’s Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence and became the central international event of AI MONTH — a month-long series of events bringing together initiatives in artificial intelligence, digital technologies, entrepreneurship, and human capital development.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was organized by the Astana Hub International Innovation Cluster jointly with the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Akimat of Astana.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was funded through sponsorship support from the forum’s partners.
Gold Partners: Freedom Bank, Kaspi Bank, Samruk-Kazyna JSC, Kazakhtelecom JSC.
Silver Partner: Halyk Bank.
Business Partner: Beeline Kazakhstan.
Bronze Partner: Yandex Qazaqstan.
Telecom Partner: Freedom Telecom Operations.
Technology Partner: Transtelecom JSC.
Official Airline Partner: Air Astana.
The final of Astana Hub Battle 2026 took place in Astana as part of the international technology forum AI & Digital Bridge 2026. This year, 50 startups from across Central Eurasia competed for a $100,000 prize pool. Winners were selected in four categories.
“Astana Hub Battle is one of the most anticipated events of the forum, attracting technology entrepreneurs from different countries every year. In 2026, the competition received 292 applications from the United States, the UAE, Türkiye, Switzerland, Malaysia, and other countries. Today, we see startups developing competitive solutions in artificial intelligence, healthcare, education, fintech, and other sectors. Such projects contribute to the knowledge economy, create jobs, and help turn innovative ideas into in-demand products,” said Magzhan Madiyev, CEO of Astana Hub.
The total prize pool of Astana Hub Battle 2026 amounted to $100,000. In addition, competition partners provided participants with additional technology resources: Kazakhtelecom provided $25,000 worth of GPU resources, while Yandex Kazakhstan provided KZT 10 million worth of cloud resources to support the further development and scaling of the projects.
The final jury included Zhaslan Madiyev, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Alex Mashrabov, CEO of Higgsfield AI; Bagdat Mussin, Chairman of the Management Board of Kazakhtelecom JSC; Shervin Pishevar, SpaceX investor and Founder of Sofreh Capital; and Murat Abdrakhmanov, Founder of the MA7 Ventures venture ecosystem.
Fifty projects advanced to the semifinals, with 14 selected for the final: CYBERPACK.AI, Aman, MYupgrade, Hi Doctor, Astana Dynamics, BEST Vision, Spacelab, Welcome Video AI, NCSpeech, Pulsar AI, AuaSense, M3TRIQ, Behype, and Resti.
Following the final pitches, four startups were named winners of Astana Hub Battle 2026, with each receiving $25,000: CYBERPACK.AI won the Impact Maker category, NCSpeech won Market Shaper, Astana Dynamics won Growth Engine, and Aman won Investor’s Choice.
In addition, Aman received an additional $200,000 grant from MA7 Ventures. Competition partners also provided technology resources to selected teams: Pulsar AI received KZT 10 million worth of cloud resources from Yandex Kazakhstan, while M3TRIQ received $25,000 worth of GPU resources from Kazakhtelecom.
“For our team, this victory confirms that we are building a product that addresses a real and important challenge. Astana Hub Battle gave us an opportunity to present our solution to a wider audience, receive feedback from experts, and identify new opportunities for its development. Our next step is to scale the product and expand its application,” said Sabyrzhan Mustafin, Founder of CYBERPACK.AI, winner of the Impact Maker category.
“Participating in Astana Hub Battle allowed us to look at our product from a new perspective, engage with experts and potential partners, and better understand the opportunities for its further development. This victory motivates us to move faster, advance our technology, and bring new solutions to the market,” said Dmitry Sandzhiev, Founder of NCSpeech, winner of the Market Shaper category.
“For us, this victory marks an important milestone in the development of the project. We are currently focused on growth, attracting new customers, and entering new markets. The opportunities and connections we gained through Astana Hub Battle will help us accelerate this process and take the next step in scaling the company,” said Kanat Tazhikhan, Founder of Astana Dynamics, winner of the Growth Engine category.
“Astana Hub Battle gave us an opportunity to present our project to investors, receive professional feedback, and establish new business connections. For a startup, it is especially important to find partners who believe in the product’s potential and are ready to develop it together with the team. We intend to use the opportunities we have gained to drive further growth and expand into international markets,” said Aruzhan Mede, Founder of Aman, winner of the Investor’s Choice category.
Astana Hub Battle is designed for startups with a ready product at the MVP or PMF stage. In 2026, the competition attracted 292 applications from 14 countries, including startups from the United States, the UAE, Türkiye, Switzerland, Malaysia, and other countries.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was held as part of Kazakhstan’s Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence and became the central international event of AI MONTH — a month-long series of events bringing together initiatives in artificial intelligence, digital technologies, entrepreneurship, and human capital development.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was organized by the Astana Hub International Innovation Cluster jointly with the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Akimat of Astana.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was funded through sponsorship support from the forum’s partners.
Gold Partners: Freedom Bank, Kaspi Bank, Samruk-Kazyna JSC, Kazakhtelecom JSC.
Silver Partner: Halyk Bank.
Business Partner: Beeline Kazakhstan.
Bronze Partner: Yandex Qazaqstan.
Telecom Partner: Freedom Telecom Operations.
Technology Partner: Transtelecom JSC.
Official Airline Partner: Air Astana.
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