Astana Hub launches battle among startup entrepreneurs

A real startup battle is taking place among Kazakh and foreign developers. This opportunity for young innovators was created by the Astana Hub as part of the international innovation forum ‘Digital Bridge’. At present, about 40 startups have made it to the semifinals. According to the Astana Hub CEO, this year, besides Kazakhstan, applications were also received from Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Russia, about 150 in total. The International Innovation Forum ‘Digital Bridge’ is a large-scale annual event that brings together experts, entrepreneurs and scientists of the IT industry.

“This year we launched the competition again. It is aimed at, like, livening up the action, drawing the attention of young people to startups, so we have more projects. It’s a good experience in terms of learning how to pitch a startup idea the right way, to present it to the commission, to the jury, to investors, and to briefly talk about a project. Also, the Astana Hub announced the cash prizes for the battles, so first place winners will get US$10,000, second place winners will be awarded with US$5,000, and US$3,000 will go to third place winners,” said Magzhan Madiyev, CEO, Astana Hub.

Translation by Assem Zhanmukhanova

Editing by Saule Mukhamejanova