How did the Central Eurasian Venture Forum go in Almaty

On June 5, the largest venture forum in Central Eurasia — the Central Eurasian Venture Forum — took place in Almaty. The forum was organized by MOST Holding, with Astana Hub as the title partner. This year, the forum brought together up to 1,000 participants, including investors, startup founders, and corporations from more than 20 countries. There was a noticeable increase in the number of investors, reflecting growing interest in the event.

The main theme of the forum was the "Venture Renaissance" and strengthening Kazakhstan's position as a center for technological expansion in Eurasia, along with growing interest from international investors in the region.

The highlight of the event was the Startup Battle, one of the qualifying stages of the MOST Accelerator Fund program. Participants competed for $2,000,000. The prize was shared among 10 winners: AVM.AI, Prometei, MoonAI, Hi Doctor, Meteoro.ai, Call2action.ai, MetaBI, Athena AI, Blink AI, and PanDev.

MOST Holding announced plans to create a $200 million private equity fund in Singapore, targeting Central Asian markets. As part of the forum, a large delegation of Singaporean investors — more than 20 representatives of key financial institutions in the region — visited Almaty.

The company is consistently developing its own financial infrastructure to enhance entrepreneurs' access to capital. Last year, a microfinance services division was introduced within the ecosystem, and this year the company plans to launch new financial instruments — a closed placement of bonds worth 2.5 billion tenge. This will allow companies to grow without diluting their equity capital.

Also, during the session, MOST Holding, together with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, announced the launch of a joint educational program for angel investors called Venture Start. As organizers emphasize, it is important not only to invest capital but also to invest in education, in the development of founders, and in the people who create and support companies. This approach helps build a sustainable and mature ecosystem where value is created not only through financial injections but also through knowledge, experience, and mentoring support.

At the Central Eurasian Venture Forum, The Tech Media was recognized as the Best Tech Media of 2025. This award confirms the significance of our publication in covering technological trends, innovations, and digital transformation in the region.

Pavel Koktyshyev, CEO of MOST Holding
The Venture Renaissance is not just about an increase in the number of deals. It involves engaging new types of investors, extending their participation horizons, and systematically developing infrastructure. The IT market in Almaty is growing at an explosive pace: the volume of IT services has increased from 200 billion to 579 billion tenge over three years — more than 2.5 times. Kazakhstan's IT services exports have grown from $50 million to $529 million, and Almaty currently generates 53% of all IT services in the country. All of this creates a strong foundation for growth; however, the venture market is developing more slowly: its volume is only $71 million, despite a 35% increase. To keep pace with the growth of the technology sector, we need active involvement from both venture and more traditional investors.