As part of the international AI & Digital Bridge 2026 forum, Astana Hub, in partnership with Draper University, held the Draper Founders Challenge, a pitch competition for technology startups from Kazakhstan. Ten selected teams presented their solutions to an expert jury. Following the competition, the top teams received opportunities to participate in Draper University programs in Silicon Valley, including the Hero Training acceleration program.
“For Kazakhstani startups, participating in the Draper Founders Challenge is an opportunity to gain international experience and take the next step toward the global market. Today, founders need not only to build a strong product but also to be able to scale it beyond Kazakhstan and connect with international partners and investors. The opportunity to participate in Hero Training and immerse themselves in the Silicon Valley ecosystem will enable the winners to expand their professional networks, gain new experience, and present their solutions to the international community. For Astana Hub, it is important to create such opportunities for Kazakhstani technology companies and support their growth on the global stage,” said Tanat Uskembayev, Managing Director of Astana Hub.
The Draper Founders Challenge was aimed at supporting Kazakhstani technology entrepreneurs, strengthening international connections, and creating new opportunities for startups to scale globally.
Ten startups took part in the competition:
- Scano — Aruzhan Akhmedova, Co-founder and COO;
- HubTalk AI — Vitalii Akulov, CEO;
- Basira Intelligence — Galymzhan Zhantore, CTO;
- BEST Vision — Alexey Vladimirov, Founder;
- ARLAN BIOTECH — Bolat Sultankulov, CEO;
- Tumar One — Bekarys Kabi, Founder and CEO;
- Flection.ai — Alex Pak, Founder and CEO;
- Cortex AI — Assylzhan Abdullayev, CEO;
- SOTA Sport — Tahi Omarov, Founder and CEO;
- SKILLPASS — Davletbek Karimov, Co-founder.
Each team was given three minutes to pitch its project, followed by two minutes of Q&A with the jury. The startups presented their products and outlined their business models, market potential, and plans for further scaling.
The projects were evaluated by Chris Joannou, VP Venture Ecosystem at Draper University; Tanat Uskembayev, Managing Director of Astana Hub; Aidana Bergazdenova, CEO of Astana Hub Ventures; and Meirzhan Yesimkhanov, CEO of Activat VC.
“We saw strong teams that are thinking not only about developing their products but also about how to scale them internationally. For startups, it is especially important to test their solutions for global competitiveness as early as possible and engage with customers and investors beyond their home market. Competitions like this give founders an opportunity to receive valuable feedback and understand what steps they need to take to reach the next stage of growth,” said Chris Joannou, VP Venture Ecosystem at Draper University.
“When evaluating the projects, we looked not only at the technology itself, but also at how well each team understands the problem it is solving, its customers, and the market. For investors, validated demand, scalability, and a team’s ability to grow quickly are key. Several of the projects presented demonstrated a strong combination of these factors and the potential to expand into international markets,” said Aidana Bergazdenova, CEO of Astana Hub Ventures.
Following the Draper Founders Challenge, BEST Vision was named the overall winner and received the opportunity to participate in Draper University’s Hero Training acceleration program. Three other startups — ARLAN BIOTECH, Cortex AI, and HubTalk AI — received the opportunity to take part in a two-week short-term program at Draper University in Silicon Valley.
The programs will enable participants to immerse themselves in the Silicon Valley ecosystem, connect with the international startup community, and expand their professional networks.
“Winning the Draper Founders Challenge and receiving the opportunity to participate in Hero Training is an important step in the development of BEST Vision. We plan to leverage Silicon Valley’s experience and expertise to strengthen our product, expand our international connections, and prepare for entry into new markets,” said Alexey Vladimirov, Founder of BEST Vision.
“The Draper Founders Challenge gave us an opportunity to present our product to international experts and gain valuable insights into its potential. This experience will help us identify the next steps for scaling the company,” said Bolat Sultankulov, CEO of ARLAN BIOTECH.
“Entering the global market requires not only strong technology but also international expertise. The Draper Founders Challenge gave us an opportunity to expand our professional network and take the next step in developing our product,” said Assylzhan Abdullayev, CEO of Cortex AI.
The Draper Founders Challenge was open to technology startups from Kazakhstan with their own product or solution at the MVP stage or beyond. The competition covered a range of sectors, including Physical AI, robotics and C-UAS, biotech and life sciences, quantum computing, SpaceTech, DefenseTech, aviation and aerospace, FinTech, MedTech, HealthTech and SportTech, industrial and biomanufacturing, logistics, transport, and infrastructure.
One of the selection criteria was evidence of validated market demand, including early users or customers, pilot projects, revenue, pre-orders, letters of intent (LOIs), or other proof of demand for the product.
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 made possible 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.
As part of the international AI & Digital Bridge 2026 forum, Astana Hub, in partnership with Draper University, held the Draper Founders Challenge, a pitch competition for technology startups from Kazakhstan. Ten selected teams presented their solutions to an expert jury. Following the competition, the top teams received opportunities to participate in Draper University programs in Silicon Valley, including the Hero Training acceleration program.
“For Kazakhstani startups, participating in the Draper Founders Challenge is an opportunity to gain international experience and take the next step toward the global market. Today, founders need not only to build a strong product but also to be able to scale it beyond Kazakhstan and connect with international partners and investors. The opportunity to participate in Hero Training and immerse themselves in the Silicon Valley ecosystem will enable the winners to expand their professional networks, gain new experience, and present their solutions to the international community. For Astana Hub, it is important to create such opportunities for Kazakhstani technology companies and support their growth on the global stage,” said Tanat Uskembayev, Managing Director of Astana Hub.
The Draper Founders Challenge was aimed at supporting Kazakhstani technology entrepreneurs, strengthening international connections, and creating new opportunities for startups to scale globally.
Ten startups took part in the competition:
- Scano — Aruzhan Akhmedova, Co-founder and COO;
- HubTalk AI — Vitalii Akulov, CEO;
- Basira Intelligence — Galymzhan Zhantore, CTO;
- BEST Vision — Alexey Vladimirov, Founder;
- ARLAN BIOTECH — Bolat Sultankulov, CEO;
- Tumar One — Bekarys Kabi, Founder and CEO;
- Flection.ai — Alex Pak, Founder and CEO;
- Cortex AI — Assylzhan Abdullayev, CEO;
- SOTA Sport — Tahi Omarov, Founder and CEO;
- SKILLPASS — Davletbek Karimov, Co-founder.
Each team was given three minutes to pitch its project, followed by two minutes of Q&A with the jury. The startups presented their products and outlined their business models, market potential, and plans for further scaling.
The projects were evaluated by Chris Joannou, VP Venture Ecosystem at Draper University; Tanat Uskembayev, Managing Director of Astana Hub; Aidana Bergazdenova, CEO of Astana Hub Ventures; and Meirzhan Yesimkhanov, CEO of Activat VC.
“We saw strong teams that are thinking not only about developing their products but also about how to scale them internationally. For startups, it is especially important to test their solutions for global competitiveness as early as possible and engage with customers and investors beyond their home market. Competitions like this give founders an opportunity to receive valuable feedback and understand what steps they need to take to reach the next stage of growth,” said Chris Joannou, VP Venture Ecosystem at Draper University.
“When evaluating the projects, we looked not only at the technology itself, but also at how well each team understands the problem it is solving, its customers, and the market. For investors, validated demand, scalability, and a team’s ability to grow quickly are key. Several of the projects presented demonstrated a strong combination of these factors and the potential to expand into international markets,” said Aidana Bergazdenova, CEO of Astana Hub Ventures.
Following the Draper Founders Challenge, BEST Vision was named the overall winner and received the opportunity to participate in Draper University’s Hero Training acceleration program. Three other startups — ARLAN BIOTECH, Cortex AI, and HubTalk AI — received the opportunity to take part in a two-week short-term program at Draper University in Silicon Valley.
The programs will enable participants to immerse themselves in the Silicon Valley ecosystem, connect with the international startup community, and expand their professional networks.
“Winning the Draper Founders Challenge and receiving the opportunity to participate in Hero Training is an important step in the development of BEST Vision. We plan to leverage Silicon Valley’s experience and expertise to strengthen our product, expand our international connections, and prepare for entry into new markets,” said Alexey Vladimirov, Founder of BEST Vision.
“The Draper Founders Challenge gave us an opportunity to present our product to international experts and gain valuable insights into its potential. This experience will help us identify the next steps for scaling the company,” said Bolat Sultankulov, CEO of ARLAN BIOTECH.
“Entering the global market requires not only strong technology but also international expertise. The Draper Founders Challenge gave us an opportunity to expand our professional network and take the next step in developing our product,” said Assylzhan Abdullayev, CEO of Cortex AI.
The Draper Founders Challenge was open to technology startups from Kazakhstan with their own product or solution at the MVP stage or beyond. The competition covered a range of sectors, including Physical AI, robotics and C-UAS, biotech and life sciences, quantum computing, SpaceTech, DefenseTech, aviation and aerospace, FinTech, MedTech, HealthTech and SportTech, industrial and biomanufacturing, logistics, transport, and infrastructure.
One of the selection criteria was evidence of validated market demand, including early users or customers, pilot projects, revenue, pre-orders, letters of intent (LOIs), or other proof of demand for the product.
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 made possible 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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