The fourth cohort of the AI’preneurs program has concluded in Astana.

In 2026, the AI’preneurs program was held offline for the first time at the International Artificial Intelligence Center alem.ai in Astana. The fourth cohort received 468 applications, from which 74 participants were selected. For the teams, round-the-clock coworking space was provided at alem.ai, co-living accommodations for out-of-town participants, and access to tools and computing resources for developing MVPs on the alem.plus platform.

The organizers revised the acceleration structure and focused on two tracks instead of three: Founder Lab, a four-week program dedicated to developing entrepreneurial mindset and team building, and Core Accelerator, a ten-week program covering hypothesis testing, MVP development, and initial sales.

Among the invited experts for this cohort were Ilya Krassinsky, an entrepreneur and product development expert, and Alexey Li, founder of projects such as Arbuz.kz, Aviata, and Ticketon. The organizers also invited entrepreneurs with international experience, including those who have completed Y Combinator acceleration.

A distinctive feature of this cohort was the diverse professional backgrounds of participants: in addition to specialists with technical and business backgrounds, entrepreneurs from traditional industries joined the program, including restaurant and fitness club managers, as well as journalists.

47 participants reached the final Demo Day, forming 16 startup teams.

For comparison, previous cohorts: the first cohort received 250 applications, nine startups completed the program, and two graduates later raised $400,000 USD in investments. The second cohort received 360 applications, with 13 startup projects completing the program. The third cohort received 350 applications, with 12 startup projects completing the program.