Hero Training. How the program works and who can become a participant

Aigerim Aubakirova, city — Astana, Manager of International Relations and Investments at Astana Hub

About me

I am a Manager of International Relations and Investments at Astana Hub. I started my career as an intern. After completing the internship, I received an offer and have been officially working in the manager position for a year now. I am one of the curators of the Hero Training program for international startup acceleration. Currently, we are preparing to launch the fourth cohort of the program.

About the Hero Training program

Hero Training is an international acceleration program implemented by Astana Hub in collaboration with Draper University, an educational institution for entrepreneurs and startup founders in Silicon Valley. Over five weeks, participants undergo intensive sessions and classes, develop entrepreneurial and communication skills, receive training from Silicon Valley experts, and immerse themselves in the global startup market.

The program’s concept is based on the idea that a startup’s success begins with its founder. Therefore, Hero Training focuses on the holistic development of the founder: from shaping the right mindset and overcoming entrepreneurial challenges to improving networking skills and the ability to effectively grow the project. Tim Draper, founder of Draper University, calls this program a “Human Accelerator,” emphasizing that it focuses primarily on the personality of the entrepreneur, and through their growth, on the development of the startup itself.

You can apply even if the founder is outside Kazakhstan, provided the company is registered in Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan. Registration in Astana Hub is not mandatory, but it allows participation in the program at a discounted price of $2,990, which includes five weeks of training and accommodation at the Draper University campus in San Mateo. For non-residents of the tech park, the cost is $10,000.

Hero Training is implemented not only through Astana Hub — the program has its own independent cohorts. The joint initiative with Astana Hub began in 2023 after signing a memorandum with the Ministry of Digital Development and Draper University. IT Park Uzbekistan also became a partner, enabling companies registered in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to participate. In the future, plans include expanding the number of cohorts, developing international cooperation, and supporting startups from Central Eurasia in entering the US and other markets, with the goal of forming regional unicorns among the program’s graduates.

Participation in the program

Startups from all over the world can participate in the program, regardless of whether the project is considered a participant of Astana Hub. The program is held twice a year, and once a year, in partnership with Astana Hub, 10–15 projects from Central Asia are selected. To be eligible, you must have a startup at the MVP stage or later, and a key decision-maker in the team — a founder or CEO. Only one person per startup participates.

Requirements:
— presence of a registered legal entity in Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan
— valid US visa
— high level of English proficiency
— willingness to independently cover travel and accommodation expenses.

Applications for Hero Training are accepted until August 13. All applications are submitted through the official platform, checked for completeness and compliance with requirements. Incorrectly completed applications are returned for revision. After the application period ends, monitoring takes place, and suitable startups are invited to an online diagnostic interview with a tracker, where the founder presents the project, shares goals and expectations. The interview results are evaluated by an expert commission, which forms a shortlist and longlist of participants.

Selection begins in advance, as the program itself starts on October 27. This allows participants to purchase tickets in advance and allocate five weeks for training. Selection results are planned to be announced in mid-September.

A founder can submit multiple projects, but can participate in the program with only one of them. If two different projects with different people plan to participate, each company must have a separate legal registration. If both companies are registered under one person, one project must be chosen for participation.

After selection, participants go through a five-week program:

The first week is introductory and team-building: getting to know participants from different countries, about 100 people, team activities, and a formal breakfast with Tim Draper. One symbolic event is the pool jump, which reflects the founder’s readiness for risk and decisive action.

The second week is Survival Week, led by former US Navy SEALs. Participants live in tents in the forest, without communication and internet, prepare their own food, and complete tasks in conditions simulating stressful startup market situations. Before this, they complete practical assignments in San Mateo on project presentation and fundraising, which they then use to purchase provisions.

The third week focuses on developing pitching and fundraising skills: seminars, practical exercises, and meetings with international experts help build presentations and investment attraction strategies.

The fourth week covers legal and administrative aspects of running a business, including immigration issues, company formation, and HR. Ask Me Anything and Fireside Chat formats allow participants to communicate with speakers in an informal setting, ask questions, and receive practical advice.

The fifth week concludes with a demo day featuring Tim Draper, investors, and entrepreneurs. Founders present their projects and share results obtained during the training. The program ends with an official award ceremony and dinner.

Successful examples and results

Currently, the launch of the fourth cohort of the program is planned, and applications are already open. Over the previous three cohorts, 39 startups from five countries — Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Mongolia, and Turkey — participated in Hero Training. Among the most notable graduates are Citix, Smartestprep, and Alaqan from the first cohort, TrustMe from the second cohort, and Outpeer. At the Demo Day, the startup Citix attracted $1 million in investments from Tim Draper. Additionally, three startups from the first cohort — Smartestprep, Beep, and beyne.ai — each received $30,000 from MyVentures. In the last cohort, the startup BeyimTech was recognized as the best participant of 2024 in the Draper University ecosystem.

Many projects find partners and sign agreements with local companies and universities. For example, a participant of the third cohort, pwron.ai, started its first sales in Miami already during the program.

About 100 applications are submitted each year, and the most popular areas are FinTech, EdTech, SaaS, and B2B. However, the program is sector-agnostic and accepts startups from any field provided they have an MVP, traction, and initial sales.

Recommendations

Do not be afraid to take risks and launch the product as early as possible to test hypotheses and understand what works in the market. It is also important to consider international markets, as a product that is not in demand in Kazakhstan may be successful in the US or other regions. 

All current information about Hero Training is published on the Astana Hub platform and in the program’s official Telegram channel, where you can follow deadlines, news, and selection stages, as well as ask questions to the team.

Additionally, you can listen to an episode of the Hub Talks podcast, where participants of the third cohort share their experiences and talk about Survival Week and program assignments.