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Silkway Accelerator

The Google for Startups program is not just about leveling up your startup with the best experts and mentors, it is a program in which we help You convert your expended resource into results. 

This program will be held offline in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, for companies based in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and Mongolia.

 

Apply now

 

About the program

Successful entry into global markets requires experience, partnerships, and best practices, which is exactly what we offer in our Silkway Accelerator program, developed in partnership with Google for Startups.

The program is thoroughly designed for startups at PMF (product market fit) and Scale (projects at scale and export stage). Program participants will be assisted in creating effective business processes, scaling, meeting like-minded people, and preparing for investments.

 

 

 

Program Benefits:

 Accommodation 

Accommodation for 2 team members is free for 3 months, within walking distance of the Astana Hub.

 Coworking

Free workspaces at the Astana Hub along with many other IT startups/companies.

Seed Money

A chance to get Seed Money funding up to $55,000.

PR support

Interesting and successful startup cases will have the opportunity to be featured in interviews, live broadcasts, to be published on the official Google for Startups and Astana Hub page, as well as on social networks.

Invest Day

Access to Invest Day events that connect startups with investors.

Networking

Great opportunities for connections in the center of the innovation cluster Nur-Sultan.

 

Take your startup to the next level with Google for Startups!

Boost your startup

 

Program includes:

 

TRACKING

Each project is assigned an individual tracker - a specialist who helps the teams: implement management methods, track the dynamics of business performance, facilitate meetings with partner companies, etc.

 

INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS

Mentorship and one-on-one consultations are available every day from Google for Startups and Astana Hub experts in various areas such as marketing, finance, business model development, pitching, etc.

 

GROUP MEETINGS

Board meetings, sales meetings, and masterminds will be held for the exchange of results, experience, cross-selling, cooperation, formation of horizontal ties between participants, etc.

 

WORKSHOPS

Online and offline workshops from Google for Startups and Astana Hub, as well as guest lectures with investors, expert founders of IT companies, etc.

 

Additional bonuses from Silkway Accelerator partners

  • 01

    AWS Activate combines access to the tools you need, support from experts, and a grant of $5,000 or more to use AWS computing power and other services for 12 months.

  • 02

    GoHost provides free six-month access to hosting and Cloud VPS service.

  • 03

    Grant up to 2 400 000 tenge for 6 months on the platform Yandex.Cloud, as well as assistance in promotion and more.

  • 04

    Helping companies take a cloud-native approach to maximize the benefits of cloud technology using key DevOps/DataOps/ML Ops practices.

Selection Process

  • August 21 - until 23:59 (+6 GMT, Nur-Sultan time)

    Application deadline

    After the submission period, a selection and diagnosis (interview) of the received applications will be conducted by experts from Google for Startups and Astana Hub.

     

  • August 29

    Announcement of the participant list

    At the end of the selection stages, the final list of program participants will be announced.

     

     

  • August 28 - September 5

    Preparatory work

    Accepted applicants will be required to sign Agreements to participate in the Program; Non-Kazakhstani participants will be assisted with getting necessary procedures.

  • August 29

    Start of occupancy

    Participants in need of accommodation will be able to move-in to the housing provided by Astana Hub.

  • September 2

    Start of the program

    The program officially launches on September 2.

 

Don't miss the opportunity to boost your startup!

Apply

Meet the trackers

Alisher Khasanov

Alisher Khasanov is a consultant in the creation, development, and market launch of products, services, and companies, co-founder of «Гдематериал». He works and has been involved with ФРИИ, Rutube, Рамблер, Яндекс, Yandex.Turkey, Digital October, NPTV, Gip.is, Tsentsiper ˣ, iSpring Solutions, IIDF, BioCarbon Engineering, 3205.

Andrey Kryukov

Andrey Kryukov is an expert and tracker at Astana Hub. Previously he worked in the Startup Center of Samara State Aerospace University named after academician S.P. Korolyov (national research university), and was a tracker in the programs of Skolkovo, PwC, Yellow Rockets, etc. 

Tatiana Khasanova

Tatiana Khasanova - qualified by the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development in: Strategy Marketing, Organizational Design, Operational Management. She has implemented programs to support aspiring and present entrepreneurs: "Marathon of Success", "Women in Microbusiness", etc.

Maxim Bezhenar

Maxim Bezhenar is a certified coach of the International Coach Association ICU. The focus of specialization is product packaging, sales building, and Unit Economics. He works with startups on the "Scale" stage and provides consulting in the sales field. Working with existing sales teams, on automation of SMEs and big businesses

Leonid Larshin

Leonid Larshin is an IT expert with more than 20 years of experience in this field. Tracker of the Year 2020. Expert and tracker in the ФРИИ acceleration, Skolkovo - Moscow School of Management, business coach in GVA. Worked in Yandex, Связной, Lycos, CENTURY 21. Key expertise - project management, product creation, team organization, and agile methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Kanban, Lean).

Kirill Onopriychuk

Kirill Onopriychuk is the former director of the Moscow office of one of the largest Chinese accelerators (TechCode) and the Moscow branch of the largest community of entrepreneurs in the world (Startup Grind). 8+ years of experience in international sales, business development, and bringing technology companies to foreign markets. Successful experience of building distribution networks in China, Europe, and Latin America markets.

Evgeny Frolov

Evgeny Frolov - has international experience working with projects in Russia, Kazakhstan, Central, and Eastern Europe region, with his own experience of 10 years. He was a representative of the international Seedstarts competition in the Czech Republic and now works with several startup accelerators in Europe. A certified startup tracker, who completed the program at the Internet Initiatives Development Fund. 

Nikolay Tyan

Nikolay Tyan - Head of BI-analytics projects in Kazdream Technologies LLP. Nikolay helps aspiring entrepreneurs focus, find points of growth and achieve their goals faster. The main specialization of the tracker - is data analytics. He can assist in market and competitor analysis, defining client segments, and calculating unit economics.

Alexey Dobruskin

Alexey Dobruskin is a certified tracker of the Internet Initiatives Development Fund. Right now he heads a company that operates in Turkey, in the process of entering the UAE market. He has been a tracker since 2017. A business trainer and consultant expert of GenerationS, Upcelerator, and other accelerators.

 

Program Agenda

Weeks 1 to 3

Tracking Program

Individual Traction Meetings

Group Traction Meetings 

Weeks 4 to 11

Tracking Program

Individual Traction Meetings

Individual consultations with Tracker

Group Traction Meetings 

Workshops

 

Week 12

Tracking Program

Individual Traction Meetings

Individual consultations with Tracker

Group Traction Meetings 

Workshops

Demo Day with the participation of investors(issuance of certificates and the possibility of receiving Seed Money)

 



Selection Criteria:

01

For startups 

at PMF (product market fit) and Scale (projects at the scale and export stage) stages with mandatory participation of the company CEO, who makes decisions in it (offline participation).

02

IT-Component

A startup must include an IT component in its structure

03

Electronic Digital Signature(EDS)

All participants must have an electronic digital signature (EDS) to register in the program

*Information for foreign applicants regarding visas and electronic digital signatures is provided below

 

04

Offline Format

Need to be physically present at events in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, for the entire period of the program (3 months)

*Information for foreign applicants regarding visas and electronic digital signatures is provided below

 

05

Language of the program

Fluency in English and Russian is required to master the material provided

06

Only for Central Asian and neighboring countries

The program is designed for startup founders whose citizenship belongs to the following countries: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan and Mongolia.

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Information for foreign applicants (outside of Kazakhstan):

Uzbekistan

Kyrgyzstan

Tajikistan

Turkmenistan

Azerbaijan

Mongolia

Uzbekistan 

— No Visa needed - up to 30 days

— Companies from Uzbekistan can apply for a temporary residence permit to stay for up to 1 or 2 years after receiving the IIN(Individual Identification Number) and EDS(electronic digital signature)

— The basis for obtaining a temporary residence permit is a signed Agreement for participation in Silkway Accelerator.

— More detailed information about obtaining an individual identification number and an electronic digital signature can be found here

 

 

 

 

Feedback from participants of the first cohort of Silkway Accelerator

Azizjon Azimi
СЕО оf zypl.ai

"It was 3 weeks or 2, 2 contracts in 2 markets. Together, what happened is that we have 2 new partners who are going to issue more than $ 30 million in microloans and car loans using our credit scoring software, which happened within the accelerator."

Syrga Tilekova
СЕО оf NB FIT

"I didn't expect such a level of mentors and trackers, because in 2 weeks I realized that we are surrounded by some of the most ambitious and some of the most promising startups, well, trackers and mentors. I think it will be even more interesting next. The rest of the weeks will be even hotter and at the end of this acceleration we will be a completely adult startup."

Madiyar Toleugali
СЕО оf UvU Ridesharing

"Yes, we actually went through a lot of acceleration programs, but this one is different in that here you are constantly under very severe stress, and all startups, despite their even high level there, are under this stress, and this kick, it helps a lot, so the expectations - they were met, the quality speakers are also very cool, invited guests. That's why we're happy so far."

Jasur Hasanov
СЕО оf Tripsome

"Another point is super-super strict tracking, we have tracking meetings where you have to fulfill what you promised at the beginning of the week, which is another tool that pushes us to progress, of all these two that I can mention, it was very useful, and that's just 2 weeks, so we will have something to tell by the end of the program."

FAQ

  • How long will the program last?

    The program will last for 3 months, including the Demo Day.

  • What is the cost of participating in the program?

    The program is fully free of charge for the participants.

  • Does the company's CEO have to be physically in Nursultan to participate in the program?

    Yes, the physical presence of the CEO of the company in Nur-Sultan is mandatory for participation during the three months of the program.

  • Is it mandatory for the CEO of the company to participate in Saturday traction meetings?

    Yes, the participation of the CEO of the company at Saturday traction meetings is mandatory, without exceptions.

  • Can I bring my team members/employees to Nur-Sultan to participate in the program?

    Yes, however we will assist in accommodating the company of up to 2 people.

  • Our group has two ideas. Can we submit two applications?

    We don‘t recommend it. You should pick your favorite idea and apply with that one.

  • As a CEO of my company, can I send someone else in my stead to participate in the program?

    No, the participation of the CEO on the program is obligatory.

  • What is the language of the program?

    The program will be held in a bilingual format both in English and Russian languages.

  • I am a founder of a startup/company and my citizenship is from outside of the Central Asian region. Can I apply?

    We only accept CEOs whose citizenship is from either Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan or Mongolia.

  • Will there be accomodation offered in the city of Nur-Sultan?

    Yes, for those participants that are in need of accomodation we will be able to provide solutions in Nur-Sultan.

  • How do I determine if my startup/company is at PMF, Scale or higher stage?

    There are no clear guidelines on what is considered as the PMF or Scale stage of the startup. Our definition is that PMF - working channel of sales, clear of understanding of growth, good unit economy.

    Scale - putting funds into the channel of sales.

  • Will I be able to get investments or funding when participating in the program?

    Yes, the participants will automatically enter the Seed Money program by Astana Hub, more about the program here.

  • How long will the program last?

    The program will last for 3 months, including the Demo Day.

 

Contact with us:

 

programs@astanahub.com +7 7172 799 777
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