Astana Hub: Welcome to the International Tech Park of IT startups Astana Hub! (c) Magzhan Madiyev
Astana Hub CEO Magzhan Madiyev
Welcome to the International Tech Park of IT startups Astana Hub!
My name is Magzhan Madiyev, I am the founding CEO of Astana Hub.
Today Astana Hub is one of the most dynamically developing IT Tech Parks in the world. The residents of the Hub include 620 Kazakhstani and foreign IT startups with over 12,000 employees. Only by the end of 2021, our participants have generated $350 million.
Astana Hub creates an innovative ecosystem for IT companies at different stages of development. Our programs include financing opportunities, incubation, acceleration, training of IT specialists and investors as well as cooperation with world-famous BigTech companies.
In addition, we have created conditions for comfortable IT business that include tax benefits, simplified visa regime for expats, modern infrastructure, investment protected by the English law from the Astana International Financial Center (AIFC), and the opportunity to attract local IT talents to your team.
Tech Park adheres to the principle of extraterritoriality thanks to which companies can enjoy preferences and carry out their activities anywhere in Kazakhstan.
Learn more about the possibilities of cooperation with Astana Hub and become part of the largest ecosystem of IT startups in Central Asia!
Why Kazakhstan 🇰🇿? World Economic Forum’s 56th place!
Kazakhstan is a country that has the potential to become a world leader in technological innovation, by taking advantage of the 56th spot it holds in the Global Competitiveness Index. As one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, Kazakhstan has an opportunity to leverage its resources and position within the global economy to facilitate the introduction and advancement of new technologies, such as Gloc.al. Investing time into Gloc.al’s automated international SEO platform could open up new and exciting opportunities for businesses in Kazakhstan, as well as in many other parts of the world.
Technologies · 67
Management · 57
People · 54
Influence · 52
Network Readiness Index 2020 · WEF
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Vitali Valianiuk “10 reasons” Belarusian IT companies and startups should look not only at Lithuania and Poland but also at Kazakhstan.
“10 Why?” Belarusian IT companies and startups should look not only at Lithuania and Poland, but also at Kazakhstan.
Over the last couple of years, IT businesses from Belarus have opened and increased offices in different countries. These are mainly Lithuania, Poland, and Georgia.
Since I have a lot of IT friends and acquaintances who are thinking about business diversification, and since many of them have never been to Kazakhstan and have not looked in that direction, I made (after living here for almost a year) a list of 10 reasons why Kazakhstan can be recommended to IT business.
Let’s go:
The Astana Hub Technology Park has optimal tax conditions. Individual income tax for employees of Hub resident companies – 0%. Social tax for foreign employees, non-residents of Kazakhstan – 0%. Applications to join Astana Hub are considered in real time. There is no need to wait. Every week the Hub accepts new residents. They are already more than 1,000. Among them are EPAM, Playrix, InDrive and others.
An umbrella of English law has been created in the country – in MFCA (International Financial Center Astana). This is not only an opportunity to be structured under English law, but also an English court to resolve disputes and English judges. The court of the MFCA is not part of the judicial system of Kazakhstan, it is autonomous, which is important.
Despite the fact that Kazakhstan is a member of post-Soviet integration structures, the country pursues a balanced foreign policy. It is not quarreling with anyone. It maintains good relations with the entire civilized world. In recent months, the Pope, Xi Jinping, and U.S. Secretary of State Blinken have visited Kazakhstan.
Barrier-free language environment.
The cost of living is lower than in Europe (although apartments have gone up in price over the last year. To rent a decent two-bedroom apartment in Almaty now costs from $600-700. The prices are lower in Astana, it is possible to find a good variant and for 500. And the housing stock in Astana is newer. But Almaty is awesome:). And warm. Although someone likes modern Astana better). Medicine, spa, other services, cafes, stores – the prices are such that for the salary of an average Belarusian developer in Kazakhstan can live excellent.
It is profitable to open a development center in Kazakhstan and hire and develop local guys here, if the company works for major Western customers. Salaries of IT specialists in the market are still lower than in Belarus (according to the Bureau of National Statistics and hh.kz, last year the average salary in the industry was in the range of $1.1 – 1.2 thousand). And there are a lot of good hungry guys who would like to get experience in international projects (since most of the IT sector in Kazakhstan is still focused on the domestic market). It is clear that salaries are growing in IT in Kazakhstan and will continue to grow. But still the market is far from being overheated.
There are several venture funds in Kazakhstan (MOST Ventures, My Ventures, Tumar etc.). The volume of each of these funds is from $10 to $50 mln. They are run by smart guys, many of whom have studied in the West. They understand well how the food chain of the global startup industry works. The checks that startups raise at the pre-seed and seed stages here range from $50,000 to $500,000. Already operating projects with a validated business model can raise even more for scaling. Kazakhstan is definitely a good jurisdiction for start-up (venture capital industry here is already much more developed than in Belarus, even at the best of times + IFCA, English law). And there are no sanctions. These are all 7 hard factors. There are also “soft” reasons why one of the development centers may be in Kazakhstan. These are, of course,
Stunning Kazakh nature: mountains, canyons, Turanga Grove, Balkhash, pink flamingos and snow leopards – almost all Hollywood movies could be shot in Kazakhstan. For real.
The cuisine here is very diverse. In addition to Kazakh (it, like Belarusian – dense, lots of meat 🙂 but the meat is more dietary: beef, horse meat, lamb. Pork and bacon, if anything, can be bought without problems, and Belarusian sausages are sold in many supermarkets + there are specialty stores “Belarusian products”), in Almaty, there are also many institutions Georgian, Korean, Turkish, European, Uyghur cuisine. Everything is tasty and varied. There are good expensive restaurants and very budgetary, but decent diners with homemade food. And a huge number of different bars. Barmaglot and Bla-bla-bar will give you a head start even in Zybitskaya (those Belarussians who were here will not lie) 😉
People. This I would put at the top of the list. Friendly and very hospitable. But most importantly – I have already written about this – Kazakh society is historically multinational and tolerant of different peoples. Here with a blue passport you do not feel like an immigrant.
We met with the head of the Astana hub Magzhan Madiyev at the same time I got an excursion, I was inside for the first time (strange, but it is so). Let’s be friends! Having visited dozens of startup hubs around the world, I can say that Astana is very worthy. Now there are more than 1000 companies in it, a place of attraction in the region. The peculiarity is this: it is universal: companies from different countries and industries land. there is a blockchain block (as it sounds sounds, and), joint programs with Google, Binance and other world leaders. But most of all I liked chess in the best place in the building, where the most beautiful view. This is an important sign for me. In Stockholm, for example, a meditation room works with such a special detail :->
Marat Izhanov: But most of all I liked chess in the best place in the building, where the most beautiful view.Marat Izhanov
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