Beksar.qz — a startup that helps businesses automate.

Maksat Bektibayev, 33 years old, city — Astana, co-founder of Beksar.qz startup, @mbektibayev

About me

I have been involved in retail since 2014. I had stores in six cities in Kazakhstan. However, the automation process was difficult: we spent a lot of money on it and tried all popular solutions. It was surprising to me that in the 21st century there is no simple technology for digitizing businesses.

After unsuccessful attempts, we decided to develop the software ourselves. We created a program and automated all our stores in just a couple of days. At that point, we realized that this product had more potential than retail. We decided to leave the trade business and fully focus on the new project.

How we started

There are already companies on the market that provide similar services. However, most of them lack well-thought-out solutions that would make entrepreneurs' work as easy as possible.

We also developed a franchising model: partners in each city can independently install equipment for clients, while our side provides the technology for this. Beksar.qz was the first to implement such packaged solutions.

In a short period, we built a large franchising network that we are proud of: currently, we have 35 successfully operating franchisees.

Target audience

We position ourselves as a solution for small and medium-sized businesses. We focus on fashion retail and trade activities.

Our clients are small stores where the owner is also the seller. We also serve retail chains that may have 30-40 branches. Popular stores also use our solutions, for example, Alibekov Store.

In one program, we provide a cash register, analytics, inventory management, and a loyalty system. This allows owners to control their business and get all the data about their business with a single click.

Our technology also allows the use of marketing tools. For example, sending out notifications about a new promotion to the entire customer base.

Acceleration programs

For the first six months, we did not consider ourselves a startup. Therefore, we developed as a traditional business.

Then, an acquaintance of ours — Doszhan Zhusupov, the founder of the Cerebra startup — recommended that we immerse ourselves in the IT community. We started with acceleration at Astana Hub. We completed the Techpreneurs program, which introduced us to key metrics. We had been calculating them before, but only during the accelerator did we learn their names.

After that, we actively participated in various events: Digital Bridge, Pitch Day. The last time we presented our startup at the international Go Viral conference.

Currently, we are going through the IRA acceleration program from MOST Ventures. Here, we discovered the prospect of expanding abroad. We plan to scale into Arab countries. To do this, we are taking several steps: translating the software into other languages and setting up advertising campaigns.

Challenges

We face challenges every day. Our founding team consists of family people over 30 years old, so any mistake brings pain and losses. Therefore, we try to do everything at 100%.

Achievements

Our main achievement is traction. We connected 2,200 stores in a short period without significant investments — throughout our existence, we have attracted about $50,000.

We are proud of our partners who operate across Kazakhstan. If we combine the entire partner network with our office, it amounts to about 70 people. They automate numerous businesses in different sectors every day, making life easier for entrepreneurs.

Plans

Our plans include entering foreign markets. Last year, we traveled to India to study this market. We see potential there, but working in that market requires significant financial investment.

We visited Saudi Arabia. American competitors are already operating in this country. However, we understand that Beksar.qz software will better meet customer needs, so we want to enter this market as well.

In addition, we analyzed Indonesia and Southeast Asia. But after weighing all the pros and cons, we ruled out this region and focused on MENA countries.