7 Acceleration Programs for Startups in Central Asian Countries

Acceleration programs help entrepreneurs develop and improve their startups, attract customers and investors. We have gathered several such opportunities in Central Asia.

Startup Academy Program by Astana Hub

The course provides knowledge on the commercialization of IT ideas, launching or improving a startup, team building, and finding competitive ideas.

Lectures cover topics ranging from the process of finding a startup idea to developing a pitch structure.

What you will get from the course:
— 16 video lectures in 2 languages
— LMS platform with assignments and tests
— Invitation to a general chat of the IT community of startuppers from the course and Astana Hub
— Certificate of course completion as an advantage for participating in incubators and accelerators.

More details at this link.

Quick Start

The Quick Start acceleration program helps startups at the MVP stage with validated demand to validate new growth hypotheses, build sales, and scale.

What startups receive:
— Investments up to 3 million tenge
— Individual consultations with a tracker
— Educational program
— Access to a wide pool of mentors
— Access to partners and resources of Nazarbayev University
— Post-acceleration support.

More details at this link.

Investment Readiness Accelerator by MOST Ventures

Investment Readiness Accelerator is the own acceleration program of the MOST Ventures fund for startups from Central Asia. It is conducted regularly in two languages: English and Russian.

More details at this link.

Kazakhstan Digital Accelerator by Quest Ventures

The comprehensive Kazakhstan Digital Accelerator program provides seed funding and supports startups in Kazakhstan, preparing them for successful entry into the global market.

Among successful startups: Cerebra AI, SmartTestPrep, Oilan.io, 1FIT, and many others.

More details at this link.

IT Park Acceleration Program

The program provides access to active development of startup projects through receiving business expertise from top mentors and the opportunity to register intellectual property for the product, receive legal advice, access to investment platforms, and marketing support.

More details at this link.

Accelerate Prosperity

An initiative of the Aga Khan Network for Development in Central and South Asia, offering technical expertise and creative financial solutions for startups, small, and growing businesses.

Support for program participants includes the following aspects:
— Assistance in attracting subsequent investment rounds
— Investments from AP up to $50,000
— Post-investment technical support.

More details at this link.

C.A.T. Science Accelerator 5.0 Acceleration Program

The C.A.T. Science Accelerator program is the first accelerator in Uzbekistan for "scientific" projects and the commercialization of scientific developments.

What startups receive:

— Scientific facilities of the Center for Advanced Technologies
— The acceleration program lasts five months
— Demo day for investors and media
— Investments in successful projects within the framework of the Ministry of Innovative Development competition
— Digital promotion and PR support for accelerator projects
— Lean Startup, Customer Development, Business Model Canvas methodologies. Business plan creation.

More details at this link.