Chingis Kaldybaev on how he created a startup that attracted clients in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Europe, and the US

Entrepreneur and lawyer Chingiskhan Kaldybaev shared his experience in developing a startup and provided insights on launching the project in foreign markets.

Chingiskhan Kaldybaev, CEO of Zan.Bar, entrepreneur, lawyer

How It All Started

I am an entrepreneur and lawyer with ten years of experience. I began my career as a court clerk at the Specialized Inter-District Court of Astana. Currently, I lead several projects in the IT sector.

The idea for Zan.Bar emerged while I was working within the judicial system. I frequently encountered people's problems in practice. Not everyone could afford highly qualified legal assistance, and the guaranteed volume of free legal aid left much to be desired. This gave me the goal of creating a service for people that would help them obtain high-quality and rapid assistance in resolving legal issues.

I could not present a frankly poor product to the public, so the process from idea to implementation took a certain amount of time. Zan.Bar was launched in 2020 and continues to develop today as the only truly functioning service in this field.

About the Project

Initially, the idea was based on helping citizens resolve legal issues. We formed a pool of 1,500 lawyers in Kazakhstan and, during the business expansion into new markets, connected with Uzbekistan. Today, more than 800 lawyers in that country use the Application.

In 2022, we adjusted our approach to the target audience and shifted to B2B business. By integrating with banks via Open API, we increased our reach by connecting clients of financial institutions who had debts and needed legal assistance. This approach allows us to acquire 7,000–8,000 new clients daily and provide assistance more effectively not only to citizens but also to financial institutions.

Zan.Bar is a small team of big professionals. We do not have physical "locations." Our offices are located in Almaty and Astana. The project involves developers, project managers, support teams, and internal lawyers. There are no more than ten people in total.

About Entering European Markets

Integration with banks is serious and complex work that has borne fruit.

In Kazakhstan, we successfully completed integration with Bereke Bank and Freedom Finance Bank. Active integration with banks and financial institutions in the United Kingdom and the United States is currently underway. The work is not difficult but requires a lot of time, coordinated actions, and faith in your product.

The first stage that all startups go through is understanding how the idea will be implemented. We thought for a long time: How should we present Zan.Bar? What form and content should it have? How can we make the Application not only functional but also user-friendly? As soon as the final concept was formed, we proceeded with the actual development.

I won't say that development was easy, but through trial and error, we brought the Application to the MVP stage and attracted our first clients. The current stage of the service's development is active commercialization of the project. We constantly work on improving the technical aspects of the Application, while on the business development side, we are exploring new opportunities and paths for expansion.

Our service's future plans are directed toward the markets of the United Kingdom and the United States. According to analytical research, these markets meet our requirements:

— a high level of development of the financial and banking system

— a high level of indebtedness

— the possibility of integration from a technical perspective.

What Participation in Silkway Accelerator Provided

I sincerely believe: Nothing can help in work as much as a deep love for what you do. This allows you to tirelessly study something new, exchange experience, and strive for product development.

The accelerator program from Astana Hub and Google for Startups was one of the important "nudges" that allowed us to remember and understand where we are heading and what we are striving for.

Recommendations

Eat breakfast yourself, share lunch with a friend, and give dinner to your enemy. Breakfast represents new knowledge, lunch is the profit from work, a friend is a business partner, and dinner is pride and fear of the unknown.

The main thing is to never be afraid to experiment and not stop at what has been achieved.