The Astana Times provides news and information from Kazakhstan and around the world. ASTANA – Kazakhstan’s startup ecosystem is moving from a period of rapid expansion toward a more demanding stage focused on revenue, international customers and global growth, according to the first national study of the country’s startup landscape. Photo credit: Shutterstock The Kazakhstan Startup Landscape 2026 report was presented Oct. 3 at the AI & Digital Bridge 2026 forum. The study maps more than 1,500 startups and technology companies and examines how businesses develop from their first sales to international expansion. It was prepared by RISE Research & Advisory with Astana Hub and Sapa Group with the support of the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development. The findings show an ecosystem that has grown considerably in just a few years. The number of startups in the study’s database increased from around 300 in 2020 to more than 1,500 in 2026. Nearly 60% of active startups were founded between 2023 and 2026, highlighting how young the ecosystem remains. From $20 million to more than $460 million One of the clearest signs of the ecosystem’s development is the growth of venture financing. According to the study, venture funding increased more than 23-fold from 2020, when it stood at around $20 million. RISE forecasts that venture investment in Kazakhstan could exceed $460 million in 2026. More than 200 companies in the database have attracted venture funding, while 45 have raised more than $1 million. The growth reflects a broader transformation of Kazakhstan’s technology sector. In 2022, startups connected with Astana Hub attracted $130 million in investment, while digitally delivered services exported through the ecosystem reached $165 million. By 2025, IT service exports through Astana Hub had reached 328 billion tenge (US$681 million), with 537 companies exporting IT services to 111 countries. The country’s startup ambitions also received a major boost with the emergence of its first unicorn. Higgsfield AI, a generative AI video company, surpassed a $1 billion valuation in September 2025, becoming Kazakhstan’s first startup to reach unicorn status. The achievement marked a significant shift from earlier ambitions. In 2025, Kazakhstan was still working toward creating its first unicorn by 2027. AI is becoming part of the startup model Artificial intelligence has quickly moved from being a specialized technology to becoming a core part of Kazakhstan’s startup landscape. The new study found that 82% of surveyed companies use or position AI as part of their product. This trend is consistent with the broader development of Kazakhstan’s AI sector. A RISE report published earlier in 2026 found that the country had more than 100 AI startups, while venture investment in AI increased from approximately $14 million in 2023 to $73 million in 2025. AI accounted for more than half of all venture investment in Kazakhstan last year. The growing number of AI companies is also reflected in accelerator programs. In 2025, the Astana Hub Battle featured startups working on AI platforms, rehabilitation technologies, marketing and business automation. The next challenge is making money While the number of startups and investment deals is growing, the research suggests that the ecosystem’s next challenge is not simply creating more companies but helping them build sustainable businesses. For startups that generate revenue, the path to the first sale can be relatively short: 76% reported reaching their first revenue within a year. However, international expansion remains more difficult. Among scaling companies, 40% already have paying customers abroad, compared with 16% of early-stage companies. In other words, startups become significantly more likely to convert international ambitions into actual sales as they mature. The research indicates that almost half of surveyed startups see foreign markets as a key direction, but interest does not automatically translate into international revenue. This is where Kazakhstan’s growing network of accelerators and international programs becomes particularly important. Programs such as Silkway Accelerator have helped local companies establish connections outside Kazakhstan. By 2023, 49 startups that had participated in the program had entered international markets, collectively reaching a valuation of $250 million and raising $8.1 million during the fourth accelerator stream. More recently, Kazakh startups have expanded into markets such as the United States. For example, smart parking company Parqour expanded to 25 countries and secured long-term contracts with parking operators in San Francisco. Efforts to facilitate this expansion are continuing. In April 2026, Astana Hub and IT Park Uzbekistan announced plans to establish an international technology hub in Malaysia, intended to help Central Asian startups enter Southeast Asian markets including Malaysia and Singapore. Who is building Kazakhstan’s startups? The study also provides a picture of the people behind the companies. Around 42% of founders are between 31 and 40 years old, while 82% have higher education. More than half, or 56%, had previously launched a business. Women account for 21% of founders, above the 15% global benchmark cited in the study. These figures suggest that Kazakhstan’s startup community is not made up exclusively of young first-time entrepreneurs. A significant share of founders combines formal education with previous business experience, potentially giving them an advantage when navigating investment, hiring and international expansion. At the same time, the relatively young age of the ecosystem means that many companies are still moving through the earliest stages of development. Building an ecosystem beyond the capital The growth of startups is also accompanied by efforts to expand access to technology infrastructure and entrepreneurial support beyond Astana and Almaty. Regional IT hubs have been established across Kazakhstan to provide entrepreneurs with access to education, mentorship and startup support. In 2024, the opening of the Ulytau Hub brought the number of regional innovation centers to 17. The broader Central Asian environment is also becoming more favorable for technology companies. The 2026 Global Startup Ecosystem Index ranked Central Asia as the fastest-growing startup subregion in the world, with Kazakhstan among the countries contributing to the region’s momentum. Kazakhstan ranked 71st globally, with its startup ecosystem growing 26.5% annually. From growth to global competitiveness The study ultimately points to a change in the central question facing the country’s startup ecosystem. A few years ago, the priority was building the infrastructure necessary for startups to emerge. Today, Kazakhstan has more than 1,500 startups in the research database, hundreds of companies that have attracted venture investment and its first unicorn. The next stage will depend on whether these companies can consistently generate revenue, attract international customers and scale beyond the domestic market. The country’s growing venture market, expanding AI sector and international accelerator programs provide a foundation for that transition. But the study suggests that the measure of the ecosystem’s maturity will increasingly be determined not by how many startups Kazakhstan has, but by how many can become sustainable global businesses. 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