The semifinals of Astana Hub Battle were held as part of the AI & Digital Bridge 2026 international technology forum. Fifty startups presented their projects, with the jury selecting 14 teams to compete in the finals. The competition has a total prize pool of $100,000. The finals will take place on October 3.
The projects were evaluated by an international jury comprising:
- Yagiz Karadeniz, Managing Partner at Domino VC;
- Lyazzat Borankulova, Founder and CEO of Khan Tengri Innovation Hub;
- Marlen Sikhayev, Advisor to the President of Freedom Finance Global PLC;
- Aidana Bergazdenova, CEO of Astana Hub Ventures;
- Yedige Davletgaliyev, CEO of Blockchair;
- Askar Belisbekov, CEO of Alem Capital Management;
- Aslan Sultanov, Co-founder and Managing Partner at White Hill Capital;
- Abdulakhad Kuchkarov, Advisor to the CEO of IT Park Uzbekistan.
Following the pitches, the jury selected 14 finalists who will continue competing for victory in Astana Hub Battle 2026.
Astana Hub Battle 2026 finalists:
- CYBERPACK.AI — an ecosystem for project-based and competitive learning designed to foster a new generation of scientists and engineers.
- Aman — a security startup capable of detecting and preventing a threat within eight seconds.
- MYupgrade — a real-time AI-powered interpretation service that delivers translated speeches directly to each participant’s smartphone.
- Hi Doctor — an AI-powered medical education platform featuring virtual patients that helps future doctors develop clinical reasoning and decision-making skills.
- Astana Dynamics — a developer of robots designed to detect defects at industrial facilities before they lead to accidents.
- BEST Vision — an AI platform that transforms real-world data into actionable analytics, enabling real-time decision-making.
- Spacelab — a developer of satellite communication antennas and modems for infrastructure monitoring and early warning of floods and wildfires, including in areas without cellular coverage.
- Welcome Video AI — a solution that turns hotel televisions into information channels and helps guests discover the city.
- NCSpeech — a platform that collects AI training data through super apps in emerging markets.
- Pulsar AI — an AI scanner embedded in a speed bump that inspects a vehicle’s undercarriage and exterior within three seconds and generates reports for banks, insurance companies, and automotive marketplaces.
- AuaSense — an intelligent air quality monitoring platform that transforms sensor data into analytics, forecasts, and solutions for urban environment management.
- M3TRIQ — an AI platform for designing proteins and molecules for biomanufacturing.
- Behype — an AI-native platform for running and scaling campaigns with influencers and content creators.
- Resti — an AI-powered restaurant management solution.
A special prize from Khan Tengri Innovation Hub was also awarded during the semifinals: participation in the AI Capacity Building Training Program, which will take place in Shanghai from October 25 to November 7, 2026. The prize covers training and accommodation for two participants and has a total value of KZT 5.5 million. Jury member Lyazzat Borankulova presented the award. M3TRIQ and Spacelab were named the recipients of the special prize.
The finalists will compete in four categories:
- Impact Maker — the startup with the greatest impact;
- Market Shaper — the startup transforming its market;
- Growth Engine — the startup with the strongest growth potential;
- Investor’s Choice — the most attractive startup from an investment perspective.
The competition partners will provide additional opportunities for the development and scaling of the projects. Kazakhtelecom JSC will provide GPU resources worth $25,000, while Yandex Qazaqstan will provide cloud resources worth KZT 10 million.
The Astana Hub Battle 2026 finals will take place on October 3, bringing together the 14 startups selected during the semifinals. Each team will have three minutes to present its project, followed by a two-minute Q&A session with the jury.
The finalists will be evaluated by 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; Timur Turlov, CEO of Freedom Holding Corp.; and Murat Abdrakhmanov, Founder of MA7.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was held as part of Kazakhstan’s Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence and became the flagship 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 contributions with the support of 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 semifinals of Astana Hub Battle were held as part of the AI & Digital Bridge 2026 international technology forum. Fifty startups presented their projects, with the jury selecting 14 teams to compete in the finals. The competition has a total prize pool of $100,000. The finals will take place on October 3.
The projects were evaluated by an international jury comprising:
- Yagiz Karadeniz, Managing Partner at Domino VC;
- Lyazzat Borankulova, Founder and CEO of Khan Tengri Innovation Hub;
- Marlen Sikhayev, Advisor to the President of Freedom Finance Global PLC;
- Aidana Bergazdenova, CEO of Astana Hub Ventures;
- Yedige Davletgaliyev, CEO of Blockchair;
- Askar Belisbekov, CEO of Alem Capital Management;
- Aslan Sultanov, Co-founder and Managing Partner at White Hill Capital;
- Abdulakhad Kuchkarov, Advisor to the CEO of IT Park Uzbekistan.
Following the pitches, the jury selected 14 finalists who will continue competing for victory in Astana Hub Battle 2026.
Astana Hub Battle 2026 finalists:
- CYBERPACK.AI — an ecosystem for project-based and competitive learning designed to foster a new generation of scientists and engineers.
- Aman — a security startup capable of detecting and preventing a threat within eight seconds.
- MYupgrade — a real-time AI-powered interpretation service that delivers translated speeches directly to each participant’s smartphone.
- Hi Doctor — an AI-powered medical education platform featuring virtual patients that helps future doctors develop clinical reasoning and decision-making skills.
- Astana Dynamics — a developer of robots designed to detect defects at industrial facilities before they lead to accidents.
- BEST Vision — an AI platform that transforms real-world data into actionable analytics, enabling real-time decision-making.
- Spacelab — a developer of satellite communication antennas and modems for infrastructure monitoring and early warning of floods and wildfires, including in areas without cellular coverage.
- Welcome Video AI — a solution that turns hotel televisions into information channels and helps guests discover the city.
- NCSpeech — a platform that collects AI training data through super apps in emerging markets.
- Pulsar AI — an AI scanner embedded in a speed bump that inspects a vehicle’s undercarriage and exterior within three seconds and generates reports for banks, insurance companies, and automotive marketplaces.
- AuaSense — an intelligent air quality monitoring platform that transforms sensor data into analytics, forecasts, and solutions for urban environment management.
- M3TRIQ — an AI platform for designing proteins and molecules for biomanufacturing.
- Behype — an AI-native platform for running and scaling campaigns with influencers and content creators.
- Resti — an AI-powered restaurant management solution.
A special prize from Khan Tengri Innovation Hub was also awarded during the semifinals: participation in the AI Capacity Building Training Program, which will take place in Shanghai from October 25 to November 7, 2026. The prize covers training and accommodation for two participants and has a total value of KZT 5.5 million. Jury member Lyazzat Borankulova presented the award. M3TRIQ and Spacelab were named the recipients of the special prize.
The finalists will compete in four categories:
- Impact Maker — the startup with the greatest impact;
- Market Shaper — the startup transforming its market;
- Growth Engine — the startup with the strongest growth potential;
- Investor’s Choice — the most attractive startup from an investment perspective.
The competition partners will provide additional opportunities for the development and scaling of the projects. Kazakhtelecom JSC will provide GPU resources worth $25,000, while Yandex Qazaqstan will provide cloud resources worth KZT 10 million.
The Astana Hub Battle 2026 finals will take place on October 3, bringing together the 14 startups selected during the semifinals. Each team will have three minutes to present its project, followed by a two-minute Q&A session with the jury.
The finalists will be evaluated by 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; Timur Turlov, CEO of Freedom Holding Corp.; and Murat Abdrakhmanov, Founder of MA7.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 was held as part of Kazakhstan’s Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence and became the flagship 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 contributions with the support of 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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