10 founders of IT schools who are developing technological education in Kazakhstan

The demand for IT specialists continues to grow, and along with it, the market for technological education is developing. In Kazakhstan, dozens of schools and academies operate, teaching programming, AI, analytics, robotics, and digital professions. This article features 10 founders who contribute to the development of IT education in the country.

Adina Magavina
CEO of Alem.ai Foundation — a subsidiary fund of Astana Hub focused on developing education in the field of artificial intelligence. Under the foundation's leadership operate the International Artificial Intelligence Center alem.ai, the free TUMO Center Astana for teenagers, and Tomorrow School — the first free peer-to-peer AI school for adults in Kazakhstan, created in collaboration with the French platform 01 Edu.

Sanzhar Shalkarbekov
Founder of Robotek — a school of educational and sports robotics in Astana for children aged 5 to 17. As part of the school, the RoboTechnoGirls project is also implemented — an educational program for teaching girls robotics and artificial intelligence.

Arman Suleimenov
Founder of nFactorial School and nFactorial AI School — intensive programs in programming and artificial intelligence. He also develops bootcamps nFactorial Start, Frontend, Backend, and AI Engineer, and through nFactorial Incubator supports young startup teams at the early stage.

Yerkebulan Saparov
Founder of Product Masters — an IT course focused on product management that helps become a competent professional in IT. Since 2022, the school has trained over 400 students, and some programs are implemented in partnership with Tech Orda.

Ekaterina Rekhert
CEO of DataBoom — an online school of data analysis that she founded. The school teaches in-demand digital skills — working with Power BI, SQL, and Excel — in the format of video lessons with an emphasis on practice and real business cases. Students receive support from mentors, compile a portfolio of projects, and upon completion of the course receive a certificate that is valued in the markets of Kazakhstan and the CIS.

Asylbek Murzakhmet
Founder and head of USTEM Foundation — a public foundation that since 2020 has been developing robotics, engineering thinking, and STEM education among children and youth in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. With the support of the foundation, the Kazakhstan robotics team won the FIRST Global Challenge world championship four times, and today its ecosystem unites more than 20,000 schoolchildren and over 1,700 teams in 21 regions of the country.

Bakytzhan Zhakazhanov
CEO and founder of ProductBee — an accredited IT academy in Kazakhstan focused on product management, officially recognized as an IT school by the Tech Orda program and meeting its quality standards, as well as being part of the International Technopark Astana Hub.

Ilyas Zhuanyshhev
CEO and founder of BITLAB Academy — an educational center in Almaty specializing in teaching programming, web development, and UX/UI design. The academy has been operating since 2015 and positions itself as one of the prominent private IT schools in Kazakhstan, offering programs for both beginners and those who want to deepen their professional skills.

Dmitry Korchevskyy
Founder of STEP IT Academy — an international network of IT schools through which 250,000 students have already passed in 26 countries. IT Step Academy Kazakhstan teaches programming, design, and other digital professions — both in-person and in the format of live online learning with the same lesson structure and proportion of practice as in offline classes.

Fedor Stashin
CEO of JustCode — a private IT academy in Almaty specializing in teaching programming, data analytics, UX/UI design, and cybersecurity. The academy emphasizes practical training, portfolio creation, and preparing students for employment.