How the startup Doro AI managed to get an invitation to an incubation program in Germany

Dara Tumenbaeva, Founder and CEO of Doro AI, @_okdara_

About herself and the startup

I am the founder and CEO of Doro AI — Your Path to Healthy Skin. My co-founders in the team are Benazir Toleubekova, CMO, and AI engineer Christine Ti.

Initially, the idea was to purchase cosmetics at a lower price due to their proximity to expiration dates — 6 to 24 months — and then list them on a website where customers could buy what they needed. The idea came after Digital Bridge in Astana: inspired and after talking with people, I thought about it on the flight back to Almaty. Upon arrival, I made my first sale, and that’s when the work began to shape the idea into a product.

In March, we finally decided that this would be what you see today. Artificial intelligence became an addition, as many customers asked for personalized skincare recommendations. Out of 100 customers for whom we selected skincare, only one encountered difficulties, but this case has already been resolved.

About the Synthesis Incubation program

I started Doro AI with a team. Then we began applying to various programs — at this stage, Benazir got involved. She found information about Synthesis Incubation from Constructor Group in Germany, and we passed the first selection round. We were chosen from over 400 applications, mainly due to the social aspect of the project — by preventing cosmetics from becoming waste, we directly help the planet.

The Synthesis Incubation program by Constructor Group is aimed at supporting and developing startups and innovative projects. It provides participants with access to resources, expertise, and infrastructure necessary for the successful creation and growth of innovative businesses. The cost of the program itself is €150,000, but we received it for free.

The selection process was online, through an application form where we had to submit a pitch deck and information about the startup. In the second round, we had a video call with representatives of the program, where we needed to tell more about the project.

A typical day for a program participant begins with sessions with industry professionals who share their experience across various electives. For example, there was recently a session on investments, where we were divided into groups, and each person took on the role of investor/startup founder — we had to negotiate the best terms based on metrics such as company valuation, conditions, and so on.

I recommend that startups from Central Asia interested in the European market apply to this program to learn how everything works here.

During interviews for such programs, it’s important to remember that there are many of them, and if you don’t succeed with one program, there are thousands of others. Relax, enjoy the process, even if you think you’ve failed.

Plans

Currently, I am in Europe, and the program is coming to an end. We have learned a lot, and now our valuation will be different. In September, we will fly to present the project to investors, as pitching to them is usually the climax of such programs.

The most important thing is your customer; everything else is unnecessary noise. Try to bring value to your customer’s life with your project, and it will pay off handsomely.