TechCrunch Disrupt 2024. Programs and Projects of NURIS on the World Stage

Recently, an interview was held in the Telegram channel The Tech with the CEO of NURIS — the innovative cluster of Nazarbayev University. The speaker shared his impressions of participating in TechCrunch Disrupt and talked about new initiatives for Kazakh startups. We are sharing interesting thoughts in text format.

Anuar Amanzholov, CEO of NURIS

About myself

I am from Karaganda and have been living in Astana since 2008. I studied at Karaganda Polytechnic University, then completed my master’s degree at the University of Delaware. For the first five years of my career, I worked in consulting at various companies. In 2013, I joined the Nazarbayev University community, and my first workplace at the university was NURIS. I worked there for more than five years in different departments. Then, for five to six years, I worked at the university as a department director, chief operating officer, and advisor in the transformation office. Since 2023, I have been serving as the CEO of NURIS.

About TechCrunch Disrupt

TechCrunch Disrupt is the largest technology conference in San Francisco, which all startups and companies strive to attend. Thousands of people participated this year, including representatives from Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Participating in TechCrunch Disrupt is expensive, including tickets and accommodation in one of the most expensive cities in the world.

For a startup, participating in TechCrunch Disrupt is a challenging task. Nazarbayev University and NURIS run programs to help startups attend this conference. One such program is Go Abroad, which aims to select startups from the region and help them participate in Disrupt. The program included six weeks of online training, after which participants traveled to San Francisco. Another program is Founders School.

The Founders School program is aimed at young people and researchers, providing them with knowledge and skills in entrepreneurship basics. In Kazakhstan, many have excellent technical skills but lack entrepreneurial knowledge, which is important to develop. As a result of these programs, 11 teams were sent to participate in various events. One of them was the Central Eurasia at Silicon Valley forum, organized by Silk Road Innovation Hub, which gathered about a thousand participants. The forum was at a high level, not inferior to Disrupt in content, although it was smaller in scale.

However, simply going to TechCrunch Disrupt without preparation is a waste of money. It is a huge platform where it is easy to get lost, and a startup must determine in advance which companies and events it needs, as well as which venture funds to attract for investment.

The effect of such events is not immediate but cumulative. Startups participating in them can establish connections with investors and partners, but success requires a long journey and constant progress. Silicon Valley is a concentration of organizations and events where an active startup can find opportunities for development. For example, at the Central Eurasia conference in Silicon Valley, you can meet the right people, and in Silicon Valley itself, you can hold meetings with large companies and industry participants.

It is important to understand that success does not come instantly. A startup must be ready to invest in its development and understand that startup survival rates are low, especially in our region, due to cultural and financial differences. TechCrunch is just one step on the path to success, and participating in it does not guarantee instant success.

About NURIS programs

NURIS is a subsidiary organization of Nazarbayev University, part of the innovation cluster. Since 2012, it has established itself as an important player in supporting startups. Every year, NURIS conducts two main programs: an incubation program for early-stage startups and acceleration for more mature companies looking to scale. Over the years, 27 programs have been completed, and more than 250 startups have gone through them.

Examples of successful projects: Codiplay, which went through all stages of NURIS support and now operates in international markets, including South Korea and the UK. Another example is Smart Test Prep, founded by a graduate of Nazarbayev University, which now participates in the StartX program with NURIS support.

In addition to the main programs, NURIS conducts other initiatives, such as the NURIS Hardware Challenge, focused on hardware and DeepTech projects. These projects are more complex, require more time, infrastructure, and investment. The program attracts even schoolchildren participating in clubs.

There is also a corporate acceleration program focused on solving specific industry problems. Unlike classic acceleration, where ideas come from founders, here the problems are provided by companies. One successful example is Multicode, which developed a solution for optimizing railway transportation, valued at over $10 million. Another example is SmartView, which developed a monitoring system in the gold mining industry using computer vision to improve gold extraction efficiency.

NURIS has a technopark that provides infrastructure for residents — about 30 companies. Demand for places significantly exceeds supply, so there are several companies per place. The technopark includes an experimental workshop for developing devices, a wind polygon with wind turbines and solar panels, and a smart yurt, which is a passive building that completely powers itself using renewable energy sources.

Technopark residents also have access to all laboratories and the scientific community of Nazarbayev University. They can collaborate with professors researching their fields, attract highly qualified staff and students for internships or work. Various events are also available, creating many opportunities for growth that not everyone uses, but those who do get maximum benefit.

Startup support programs at NURIS are announced twice a year. Every year we receive about 100 applications for incubation, from which the most promising projects are selected. Calls are also held to place companies in the technopark when spaces become available. Information about applications is posted on our social media and website.

Additionally, there is consideration for conducting programs similar to Go Abroad in other regions. Silicon Valley is a competitive and difficult market, and many startups are not yet ready for it, but they can be successful in Southeast Asian or MENA region markets.

We plan to conduct two programs next year: one for startups targeting Southeast Asia, and another for the Middle East and North Africa region. We will also continue the Founder Schools program, which received excellent reviews. We will invite experienced speakers who share their knowledge and advice for beginner entrepreneurs. All information will be available on our social media and website, so stay tuned for updates.

About plans

We will continue to conduct our flagship programs, which have already proven themselves and are in demand. Teams working with startups put their heart into the process, helping entrepreneurs take their first steps, and the best of them may receive small funding. However, this amount is insufficient for full project implementation — it is more of a motivation.

It is important to understand that NURIS is not the only player in this field. There are strong organizations such as Astana Hub, which focuses on IT and AI, unlike universities, which have a broader profile. Many startups face a difficulty — how to take the first step, how to understand where to move next. This is the main value of the programs we conduct — they help ease this very first step. When startups with good potential take it, they are able to develop successfully, regardless of where they are — in Kazakhstan, Central Asia, or Silicon Valley.

Many people have ideas but do not know how to implement them. Organizations like NURIS, Astana Hub, and MOST in Almaty help overcome this barrier. This is the main value of such programs — helping to overcome initial difficulties. Money usually comes later when the project proves viable. Venture funding in Kazakhstan is developing, and more people are understanding what startups and venture investments are.

The value of these programs is huge, and their impact on the long-term perspective cannot be overstated. Successful startups create jobs, pay taxes, and develop new products. And although profits are received directly by the startups, the entire community of Kazakhstan benefits when companies develop and influence the country's economy.