Proportunity.kz is a startup that helps people invest in real estate.

With the startup Proportunity.kz, you can invest in real estate without large investments by purchasing it jointly with other deal participants.
The project's CEO shared his story and plans.

Arman Baev, 34 years old, city — Astana, CEO of Proportunity.kz

About launching the startup

I started engaging in entrepreneurship during my student years. In 2014, together with a friend, I created a design and architectural bureau. We dealt with apartment renovations and interior design. We were the first to implement turnkey renovations in Astana. Thanks to active development, we became market leaders.

In 2018, I sold the company and went to study in Hungary. Returning a year later, I opened a platform for collective real estate investment — Proportunity.kz.
In the first stage, we knew nothing; we only had an idea. Therefore, we participated in incubation programs at Astana Hub and NURIS. Initially, we invested in the project ourselves, testing hypotheses.

Target audience

Our clients are people who want to become real estate investors but do not have sufficient funds to purchase a large property. Typically, they have saved some money and are simultaneously engaged in investing. For them, real estate is a diversification tool that will allow them to preserve their money better than a classic deposit: our yield is twice as high.

The average age of our client is 33 years and older. Both women and men invest in equal proportions. Many invest from regions across the country. An interesting observation: city dwellers rarely invest in their own city. For example, Astana residents often buy real estate in Almaty, and vice versa.

We are currently in the process of obtaining a license from the Islamic Bank. For some clients, adherence to the principles of Islamic finance is important.

Acceleration programs

We strive to participate in all available programs.
I advise aspiring startup founders to go through incubators from Astana Hub and NURIS. Here, you will be helped to navigate the path from idea to testing initial hypotheses and finding potential clients.
The next stage is accelerators. You can start them when you already have some results that need to be scaled.
At each stage of startup development, new challenges arise, and such programs help resolve them.

Challenges

For any startup, it is crucial to focus on generating revenue. It is necessary to be able to pivot in a timely manner, create new products internally as needed, and make pivots. If a project is not profitable, it is better to switch to something else.

It was difficult to attract clients during the pandemic period. At that time, the real estate market was unstable, and we faced significant problems, especially with budget deficits. Therefore, as we developed, we changed our focus. Thus, consulting and legal companies emerged within the project. Funds from these businesses were transferred to the startup. We also launched additional products, such as an investment piggy bank and Islamic mortgage.

Achievements

In 2021, we were named the best Kazakhstani startup by the Global Startup Awards. In 2023, we entered the top ten of the Silkway Accelerator by Google for Startups and Astana Hub.
I received the medal "For Labor Valor" from the President of Kazakhstan.
We grew fivefold compared to 2019-2020. We successfully pivoted, changing our target audience.
The Cartier Business Academy recognized Proportunity.kz as a Social Impact company.

Plans

We have set a course toward building an ecosystem. We aim to create an Islamic Real Estate Bank. We are improving mortgage and savings programs.
We recently completed the strategic acquisition of one startup. We will soon conduct a technical launch.

We are integrating with other startups to combine customer bases and services.
We cover 65-70% of the market in Kazakhstan: 80% in Astana and 50% in Almaty. We plan to increase this share.