Kazakhstani founders raised $21.5 million for an AI startup and are scaling in Silicon Valley

AI startup Nace.AI, founded by individuals from Kazakhstan, has raised $21.5 million from international investors. The round was led by General Catalyst, one of the key players in Silicon Valley.

The deal was closed in less than 36 hours after the first confirmation from the investor. Meanwhile, the fundraising process itself took about two months — during this time, the team held 42 meetings and received 41 rejections.

Dos Bakytzhan, CEO of Nace.AI
We received 41 rejections and only one "yes." This was enough to close the round in 36 hours. We are not about quick hype and short-term use cases — we are building AI that solves complex problems and delivers measurable results.

Nace.AI develops specialized AI models for the corporate sector. Unlike universal solutions, the company focuses on narrow-purpose models that integrate into business processes and deliver measurable results.

The company's first product is an AI agent that performs financial audits. It analyzes large volumes of documents, identifies risks, tests transactions, and generates investor reports. According to the company, using the solution allows reducing task execution time by up to 20 times.

The company initially targeted the US market and is now expanding its presence in Silicon Valley. This choice is explained by access to clients, capital, and a faster decision-making process.

The raised investments will be directed toward team expansion, infrastructure development, and data work. Over the past month, the team has doubled in size and continues to hire engineers, machine learning specialists, and product managers.

In the long term, Nace.AI plans to develop solutions capable of taking over a significant portion of companies' operational processes.

Currently, the company is actively expanding its team and has begun recruiting talent from Kazakhstan. This is a rare opportunity to join a global AI startup at the scaling stage and work on world-class tasks. You can apply on the website.