NUR-SULTAN – The Astana Hub recently launched Roadshow 2019, a programme to promote start-up projects internationally. The programme will help start-ups grow and secure international funding and will promote tech entrepreneurship, reports Bnews.kz.
Roadshow Astana Hub. Photo credit: The Steppe.
The programme includes complex coaching for start-up project entrepreneurs and bringing them to the world’s largest tech events. Upcoming events roadshow participants will attend include Techcrunch Disrupt in San Francisco (October 2 to 4), Gitex in Dubai (October 6 to 9), Websummit in Lisbon (November 4 to 7) and Slush in Helsinki (November 21 to 22).
Requirements for start-ups seeking to take part in the programme are having a minimum viable product (MVP), having initial sales and investment attraction experience, having a ready strategy and being ready to start working internationally, and having at least one English speaker among the project members. Astana Hub project members have a priority at the selection stage, while non-members are encouraged to join the Astana Hub.
The programme also intends to promote the Astana Hub itself in the international arena and to popularise the information and communication technology sector in Kazakhstan, as well as to promote individual start-ups in foreign markets and help Technopark start-up teams attract international partners and foreign investments and make their way into foreign markets.
The Astana Hub team provides full support to start-up teams with a return flight and accommodation for one representative of each team. It also organises a boot camp in the form of online webinars and offline consultations regarding trip planning and preparing for meetings with potential investors and foreign partners. As a part of the Astana Hub Programme, it organises the participation of local start-ups in 10 leading technological events around the world. Five technology events in five countries – Singapore, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, China – have already been visited by roadshow participants.
Eleven start-up projects represented the Astana Hub at iForum in Kyiv, the Echelon Asia Summit in Singapore, Startup Village in Moscow, EMERGE in Minsk and the Mobile World Congress in Shanghai. Representatives of the Astana Hub signed a memorandum of understanding with leading foreign innovative companies and representatives of the start-up ecosystem. Start-ups may still register to take part in the programme through July 20.
