IT families: Dias Zhumagaliyev and Arna Kairatkyny

Dias Zhumagaliyev, city — Astana, CEO AI Crew Connect, Instagram

Arna Kairatkyzy, city — Astana, data scientist at Tele2, Instagram

About Us

Arna. I am a data scientist and the author of a Data Analytics course. I graduated from KazNU (Kazakh British Technical University) with a degree in Mathematical and Computer Modeling. After university, I worked at three quasi-state companies: Kazatomprom, KazMunayGas, and Kazakhtelecom. Later, I joined Tele2, where I currently work as a data scientist.

We met at the Digital Bridge forum: Dias was presenting his startup, while I was interviewing participants for a KazCloud report.

Dias. I am an AI architect, mobile developer, and entrepreneur who grew up between Kazakhstan and four other countries. Over the past 10 years, I have tried my hand in various business sectors: I opened a hostel, a printing house, and a language school. Although they were not entirely successful, I do not regret it—I gained valuable experience. After that, I moved to Spain, where I began my journey in IT and became a QA engineer at a startup. That is how it all started. Currently, I lead an outsourcing studio for mobile and web development, as well as an offline AI school in Astana.

How We Entered the IT Field

Arna. I started my career as a data analyst. Working with my mentor, Stanislav Streltsov—head of a department at Tele2 and a lecturer at Yandex School of Data Analysis—gave me a strong boost. Without his support, transitioning into Data Science would have taken much longer.

Dias. During the pandemic, I was forced to leave Spain. At that time, I started learning FlutterFlow and decided to record videos for YouTube about how I was developing an app. These videos quickly gained popularity, and my first orders came from there. I began freelancing, and later, when I could no longer keep up on my own, I assembled a team of 30 people and opened an IT company.

We strive to work only online: operating in 10 countries over three years has proven that an office is just a location, not a mandatory requirement. It is now hard to imagine myself working in an office from morning till evening.

Division of Responsibilities

Arna. We have a nanny who comes every day. I work from home together with her and my son, combining content creation and marketing.

Dias is responsible for teaching, recording courses, mentoring students, and automating the learning process.

In our free time, we go to the gym, meet with friends and relatives, and also make time for ourselves.

Family Traditions

Dias. Once a week, we have a family day without gadgets and spend time together as a trio. We love having breakfast at a café, discussing work matters and joint plans over morning coffee.

Balancing Home Life and Work

Arna. When a husband and wife run a joint business, you need to be able to quickly switch between the role of spouse and the role of business partner, and vice versa. Currently, this is not easy for me. But thanks to our shared venture, we understand that you shouldn't argue for long over trivial matters—this helps and strengthens our union.

Recommendations for a Happy Family Life

Dias and Arna. We have been married for only two years, so it is too early to give global advice. But here is a small recommendation: before arguing, eat, get enough sleep, and lie down cuddling. If, after these three steps, you still have something to say—then start the conversation.

How IT Families Differ from Others

Dias and Arna. We are both spontaneous and mobile. Two years ago, when we decided to spend the winter abroad, we made that decision in two hours, and packed our backpacks in one. In our family, there are no "wife's duties" or "husband's duties"—we do everything together, remaining partners both at work and at home.