On October 29, 2026, Almaty Hub hosted Demo Day for the fifth cohort of the AI’preneurs program. Fifteen startups presented the results of three months of work on their AI products, showcased their achievements, and shared their plans for further development. The program is implemented with the support of the Almaty City Administration.
The fifth AI’preneurs cohort attracted record interest from technology teams, with organizers receiving 572 applications from 12 countries.
Held in the run-up to Halloween, Demo Day featured a distinctive seasonal theme. Almaty Hub brought together technology pitches, business networking, and a festive atmosphere. Themed decorations and interactive activities made the event both a platform for startup presentations and a memorable gathering for the technology community.
Over three months, participants worked with startup mentors and industry practitioners to test business hypotheses, refine their products, explore potential customers’ needs, develop business models, and learn how to bring AI solutions to market.
Startups in the fifth cohort are developing solutions across a range of industries, from AI platforms for retail, finance, and education to tools for logistics, advertising, corporate management, and digital product development.
“Today, it is essential to go beyond building AI skills and create the conditions for new technology companies to emerge. This is precisely what AI’preneurs aims to do. During the program, participants formed teams, progressed from initial ideas to developing their own AI products, and presented their results at Demo Day.
“For us, this demonstrates Almaty’s strong potential for AI entrepreneurship. Our role is to help realize that potential so that promising ideas become competitive technology products capable of entering international markets,” said Aida Dusova, Director of the Almaty Hub Branch.
Roxy: AI That Helps Independent Retailers Grow into Major Chains
One of the projects in the fifth cohort was Roxy, an AI-powered retail decision-making system.
Independent retailers have hundreds of thousands of dollars tied up in inventory and lose up to a third of that amount to markdowns each season. They make decisions without a clear picture of their business, with data scattered across stores, marketplaces, and 1C software. Roxy provides a real-time view of the entire business, identifies problems before they lead to markdowns, and proactively recommends what to do and how much additional revenue those actions could generate.
Each dollar invested in inventory delivers 10% more profit. Money previously tied up in warehouse stock can then support growth through new stores, expansion into new cities, and additional sales channels. Roxy helps local retailers grow into chains capable of competing with major players.
During the program, the team led by Assel Yessen achieved the following results:
-
$5,500 in revenue;
-
Four paying clients: Adili, Shoqan Suits, CHIA, and Erdem;
-
Approximately 3,000 companies in its sales pipeline;
-
A place in the Astana Hub Battle semifinals at Digital Bridge 2026;
-
A prize from Yandex at Pizza Pitch by Almaty Hub.
Over two months, the team tested and discarded 10–15 hypotheses before choosing independent fashion retail chains as its initial target market. Roxy is now raising a $100,000 pre-seed round to expand into Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
“AI’preneurs helped me return to the startup community and reaffirm that this is where I belong. We gained not only knowledge and experience but also support that kept us moving forward, even during the most challenging moments. Most importantly, I met like-minded people in the cohort who share my goals and values,” said Assel Yessen, Co-founder and CEO of Roxy.
Mentum Guru: From Idea to App Launch
For Gennady Zakharov, founder of Mentum Guru, AI’preneurs provided an opportunity to focus on product development, test hypotheses with real users, and gain practical sales experience.
During his three months in the program, he launched his own app on the App Store, where it ranked among the region’s top 100. Gennady also highlighted the important role of Almaty Hub’s startup mentors, whose support and expertise helped him build confidence and continue developing the project.
“The program helped me stay focused on product development, test hypotheses with real users, and gain the confidence to take my product to market and start selling. Within three months, I launched my own app on the App Store, where it reached the region’s top 100. This was made possible in part by the support and professional expertise of Almaty Hub’s startup mentors, who helped me believe in my abilities and keep moving forward,” said Gennady Zakharov, founder of Mentum Guru.
Sara: From an Entrepreneurial Idea to a Founding Team
Another project presented during the program was Sara, Kazakhstan’s first OpenAI-compatible serverless LLM platform, designed to support the development and use of large language models.
For the project’s founder, Azamat Kuzdibayev, AI’preneurs became the starting point for his entrepreneurial journey. Before joining the program, he had an idea for a startup but lacked a clear understanding of where to begin or how to build the business.
During the accelerator, Azamat found a co-founder with whom he continues to develop the project, explored launching educational courses, and secured paid consulting engagements. The team also demonstrated its solution to potential customers and is now in discussions with representatives of ministries, quasi-public sector organizations, the city administration, and universities.
“Before joining AI’preneurs, I dreamed of creating my own startup, but I had no clear understanding of where to begin or how to turn an idea into a functioning business. One of the program’s most important outcomes for me was finding a co-founder. We are now developing the project together.
“Working with startup mentors helped me move beyond familiar ways of thinking, reconsider my approach to developing the project, and recognize that many tasks that initially seemed difficult or even impossible were achievable. AI’preneurs gave me the starting point I needed to stop putting off my dream and begin taking action,” said Azamat Kuzdibayev, founder of Sara.
The Next Stage: Scaling Up
The results of the fifth AI’preneurs cohort demonstrate that building a technology startup requires more than a strong idea and technical capabilities. It also demands market insight, customer engagement, hypothesis testing, and the ability to turn technology into products that meet real demand.
For some teams, the program provided an opportunity to launch an app and attract their first users. For others, it helped them find a co-founder, build a team, validate a business model, or connect with their first potential customers.
Demo Day connected startups with investors, experts, and members of the technology community. It also gave participants an opportunity to demonstrate the potential of their AI solutions, find partners, and take the next step toward scaling their businesses.
Implemented with the support of the Almaty City Administration, AI’preneurs contributes to technology entrepreneurship, fosters an environment for innovation, and strengthens Almaty’s position as one of Central Asia’s hubs for AI development and startup growth.
On October 29, 2026, Almaty Hub hosted Demo Day for the fifth cohort of the AI’preneurs program. Fifteen startups presented the results of three months of work on their AI products, showcased their achievements, and shared their plans for further development. The program is implemented with the support of the Almaty City Administration.
The fifth AI’preneurs cohort attracted record interest from technology teams, with organizers receiving 572 applications from 12 countries.
Held in the run-up to Halloween, Demo Day featured a distinctive seasonal theme. Almaty Hub brought together technology pitches, business networking, and a festive atmosphere. Themed decorations and interactive activities made the event both a platform for startup presentations and a memorable gathering for the technology community.
Over three months, participants worked with startup mentors and industry practitioners to test business hypotheses, refine their products, explore potential customers’ needs, develop business models, and learn how to bring AI solutions to market.
Startups in the fifth cohort are developing solutions across a range of industries, from AI platforms for retail, finance, and education to tools for logistics, advertising, corporate management, and digital product development.
“Today, it is essential to go beyond building AI skills and create the conditions for new technology companies to emerge. This is precisely what AI’preneurs aims to do. During the program, participants formed teams, progressed from initial ideas to developing their own AI products, and presented their results at Demo Day.
“For us, this demonstrates Almaty’s strong potential for AI entrepreneurship. Our role is to help realize that potential so that promising ideas become competitive technology products capable of entering international markets,” said Aida Dusova, Director of the Almaty Hub Branch.
Roxy: AI That Helps Independent Retailers Grow into Major Chains
One of the projects in the fifth cohort was Roxy, an AI-powered retail decision-making system.
Independent retailers have hundreds of thousands of dollars tied up in inventory and lose up to a third of that amount to markdowns each season. They make decisions without a clear picture of their business, with data scattered across stores, marketplaces, and 1C software. Roxy provides a real-time view of the entire business, identifies problems before they lead to markdowns, and proactively recommends what to do and how much additional revenue those actions could generate.
Each dollar invested in inventory delivers 10% more profit. Money previously tied up in warehouse stock can then support growth through new stores, expansion into new cities, and additional sales channels. Roxy helps local retailers grow into chains capable of competing with major players.
During the program, the team led by Assel Yessen achieved the following results:
-
$5,500 in revenue;
-
Four paying clients: Adili, Shoqan Suits, CHIA, and Erdem;
-
Approximately 3,000 companies in its sales pipeline;
-
A place in the Astana Hub Battle semifinals at Digital Bridge 2026;
-
A prize from Yandex at Pizza Pitch by Almaty Hub.
Over two months, the team tested and discarded 10–15 hypotheses before choosing independent fashion retail chains as its initial target market. Roxy is now raising a $100,000 pre-seed round to expand into Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan.
“AI’preneurs helped me return to the startup community and reaffirm that this is where I belong. We gained not only knowledge and experience but also support that kept us moving forward, even during the most challenging moments. Most importantly, I met like-minded people in the cohort who share my goals and values,” said Assel Yessen, Co-founder and CEO of Roxy.
Mentum Guru: From Idea to App Launch
For Gennady Zakharov, founder of Mentum Guru, AI’preneurs provided an opportunity to focus on product development, test hypotheses with real users, and gain practical sales experience.
During his three months in the program, he launched his own app on the App Store, where it ranked among the region’s top 100. Gennady also highlighted the important role of Almaty Hub’s startup mentors, whose support and expertise helped him build confidence and continue developing the project.
“The program helped me stay focused on product development, test hypotheses with real users, and gain the confidence to take my product to market and start selling. Within three months, I launched my own app on the App Store, where it reached the region’s top 100. This was made possible in part by the support and professional expertise of Almaty Hub’s startup mentors, who helped me believe in my abilities and keep moving forward,” said Gennady Zakharov, founder of Mentum Guru.
Sara: From an Entrepreneurial Idea to a Founding Team
Another project presented during the program was Sara, Kazakhstan’s first OpenAI-compatible serverless LLM platform, designed to support the development and use of large language models.
For the project’s founder, Azamat Kuzdibayev, AI’preneurs became the starting point for his entrepreneurial journey. Before joining the program, he had an idea for a startup but lacked a clear understanding of where to begin or how to build the business.
During the accelerator, Azamat found a co-founder with whom he continues to develop the project, explored launching educational courses, and secured paid consulting engagements. The team also demonstrated its solution to potential customers and is now in discussions with representatives of ministries, quasi-public sector organizations, the city administration, and universities.
“Before joining AI’preneurs, I dreamed of creating my own startup, but I had no clear understanding of where to begin or how to turn an idea into a functioning business. One of the program’s most important outcomes for me was finding a co-founder. We are now developing the project together.
“Working with startup mentors helped me move beyond familiar ways of thinking, reconsider my approach to developing the project, and recognize that many tasks that initially seemed difficult or even impossible were achievable. AI’preneurs gave me the starting point I needed to stop putting off my dream and begin taking action,” said Azamat Kuzdibayev, founder of Sara.
The Next Stage: Scaling Up
The results of the fifth AI’preneurs cohort demonstrate that building a technology startup requires more than a strong idea and technical capabilities. It also demands market insight, customer engagement, hypothesis testing, and the ability to turn technology into products that meet real demand.
For some teams, the program provided an opportunity to launch an app and attract their first users. For others, it helped them find a co-founder, build a team, validate a business model, or connect with their first potential customers.
Demo Day connected startups with investors, experts, and members of the technology community. It also gave participants an opportunity to demonstrate the potential of their AI solutions, find partners, and take the next step toward scaling their businesses.
Implemented with the support of the Almaty City Administration, AI’preneurs contributes to technology entrepreneurship, fosters an environment for innovation, and strengthens Almaty’s position as one of Central Asia’s hubs for AI development and startup growth.
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