“If one feels down, another part of the team lifts them up. Only as a team, only through cohesive work!”

The shift to remote learning has increased the relevance of EdTech startups, leading to the emergence of various online platforms with courses, marketplaces, and services for online lessons. Among this diversity stands out the Kazakhstani project IN-VR, which has integrated the trending VR technology into the field of education. This year, the IN-VR team became finalists in the international program “Kazakhstan Digital Accelerator” (KDA).

Daniyar Kaidarov, Head of the Information Service at IN-VR, shared his future plans with The Tech and told us about the journey he and his team have gone through.

Having become interested in the IT industry, Daniyar studied to become an information systems specialist. Soon after graduating from college, Daniyar met Alina (co-founder of IN-VR) and became part of the startup team. At that time, IN-VR was just beginning its existence.

Daniyar, please tell us more about the IN-VR team. Who plays what role and how important is it to find “your people”?

We have only 5 people on staff in Kazakhstan: Darkan (founder), Alina (co-founder), me (CIO), Bauzhan (CTO), Nurzhan (Business Development Manager), and the development team based in Ukraine. But in startups, regardless of positions and roles, everyone does everything. I am involved in all company affairs, from system administration to administrative tasks. After all, without mutual support and help, you won’t go far!

I believe that the team has a very large share in the success of any project, and not just that, and finding one is very difficult and important. A team is people with whom you can share your problems at any moment, lighten the work atmosphere with jokes, but at the same time be very serious and focused on important matters. I am sure that for me this is the best team that could be!

Share the story of IN-VR’s creation. What was primary – the desire to find a solution for the education sector or to find a new application for VR?

The idea was born by one of the founders in 2019, while watching a football match in VR glasses. Then came the idea to create a streaming platform to improve the quality and convenience of online classes and to conduct online events (concerts, forums, visits to psychologists, etc.).

Tell us how the platform works?

From the consumer side, everything is very simple: the stream is broadcast from the audience. A student, putting on a VR headset and logging into our platform, enters the room number and joins the stream. Sound is transmitted in two directions, so both the speaker and the user can communicate with each other freely. To achieve minimal latency, we had to work very hard. The most difficult thing currently is that the platform requires a lot of server resources.

We usually provide cameras and headsets for most projects (except for events), but you can freely use any device. Currently, this is not a very cheap pleasure, but new devices are released every year, and accordingly, prices are falling.

What are the prospects for using IN-VR in Kazakhstan? In which countries do you see your potential clients?

Currently, Kazakhstan is the main sales market. The prospects are quite significant, as it can be used in educational fields and events, as well as in industry. In my opinion, there is great potential in the Middle Eastern countries; the market there is very interesting and technological.

During the launch, you said there were no competitors in the educational arena. How is the situation in 2021?

Currently, 360-degree streaming in the education sector is not used anywhere, at least not in the CIS markets. But of course, there are implicit competitors – companies in the field of AR/VR broadcasts, such as BigLook360, Tiledmedia, or Delight XR.

What changes have occurred over the past year? What are the plans for next year?

Over the past year, we received investments from Quest Ventures. We plan a very big boost this year, planning projects in education, negotiating the implementation of VR/AR in museums, and with Active Life, we plan to broadcast performances of the inclusive theater Zhasar and many other events. The pandemic gave us time to work on our product, focus on it, and we realized that we are doing something truly valuable.

Are you registered in the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC)? What advantages does this give you?

Yes, we are registered in the AIFC. The main advantage is full transparency. We protect the rights of our minority shareholders. Our activities fall under the regulation of English law, and accordingly, we work according to international standards.

In which acceleration and incubation programs have you participated? How did they affect you?

We participated in the Astana Hub and KDA programs. At Astana Hub, we gained unforgettable experience, understood the startup working system, and gave our first presentations to investors. KDA is a group of fierce international experts and very cool training; it took us to a new level. Currently, we have started working with foreign investors.

What does success mean for you as a team, what are you striving for?

Success for us is undoubtedly not in financial indicators or the number of users. For us, it is important that our product truly makes people’s lives more comfortable and changes it for the better, giving them the opportunity to participate or be present anywhere!

What difficulties have you faced and how did you manage to overcome them?

The most difficult thing is not to give up and not lose motivation. After all, when nothing works out, you lose faith, money, and patience. It is important to remember that everything is solved with the help of the team and team support! If one feels down, another part of the team pulls them up. Only the team, only united work!

Inspired by famous interviews by Yura Dud, we asked Daniyar several blitz questions:

1) Rock or hip-hop?

Music lover, I listen to absolutely everything!

2) Marvel or DC? - Marvel

3) iOS or Android? - iOS

4) Astana or Almaty? - Astana

5) Burger or beshbarmak? - Beshbarmak

6) Football or hockey? - Football

7) Mountains or sea? - Sea

8) What is success?

Success is in specifics and honesty