"We are creating an international platform for tourists with scoring tools."

Tourism is the foundation for the development of modern human lifestyle. Every year, more people are inspired to travel and fulfill their ambition to see the world. To get closer acquainted with the Almaty startup ecosystem, The Tech interviewed Temirlan Berkimbayev, Executive Director of the startup "Voca," with the main goal of understanding how modern tourism operates in Kazakhstan.

What is VOCA and how does it work in Kazakhstan?

• VOCA.CC represents next-generation active tourism; it is a marketplace for tours tailored to the traveler's level. The system evaluates tourists' experience, skills, and preferences using specially developed scales, helps develop them, and tracks progress. Based on the data collected about the tourist, the system compares all possible options and offers individually selected tours according to difficulty level and personal preferences.

• The startup was founded in 2020 by founders from four countries: Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic. Over the past year, the project attracted 600 registered users, secured pre-seed funding, and is currently scaling its first MVP version to the European market.

What difficulties did you encounter during the implementation of the startup, and how did you overcome them?

• The main difficulty in the early stages of the startup's development was that the team focused heavily on development without validating key market metrics such as Problem-Solution Fit (the stage of problem validation), actual customer pain points, etc. As a result, we lost time and failed to complete the development.

• After analyzing our mistakes, we drew conclusions and changed our strategy, deciding to adopt the Lean Startup methodology. The core of the lean methodology involves the most careful expenditure of company resources—financial, time, and human. This is achieved through a scientific approach to implementing any new product, service, or idea: a hypothesis is formulated, tested, and its results are evaluated against metrics. The idea is scaled only if it succeeds.

• Using this strategy, we were able to quickly test hypotheses, find a suitable business model, and build an MVP. In May 2021, we launched the product to the market and made our first sales. Having gone through this entire journey, the team now possesses the knowledge and experience of how to launch a startup in conditions of high uncertainty and achieve breakthroughs!

Do you have similar competitors in the Kazakhstan and international markets? What makes you indispensable?

• Before launching the product to the market, we researched our competitors who develop IT solutions in the field of active tourism. Regarding the Kazakhstan market, it is still developing, so there are not many competitors, but there are good startups with their own advantages and disadvantages. If we look at international markets in the CIS and Europe, there are many traveltech platforms that have come up with excellent solutions for travelers and tourists.

• The main competitive advantage of the VOCA.CC project is that we are creating an international platform for tourists with scoring tools. Before purchasing and embarking on a tour, a tourist can assess their preparation level, skills, and experience for the tour. Based on this assessment, the platform offers the most suitable travel options. Additionally, tourists can improve their skills and track their development on the platform.

What are your ambitions for the startup's development within Kazakhstan?

• We launched the product and conducted the summer season in the Kazakhstan market, where we tested the product, attracted our first users, and opened new directions. For us, Kazakhstan is the birthplace of our project; we gained all our main experience and knowledge here. Our full analysis of the target audience, locations, and tours was based on our country. Fortunately, Kazakhstan has very picturesque nature and many beautiful places for tourism development, which fueled our ambitious goals for the project's growth.

• Further, based on market calculations, we realized that to continue developing, the startup needs to scale to larger markets, such as Europe, where we will offer a wider range of products with new functionality "VOCA 2.0." However, the Kazakhstan market undoubtedly remains important, where we will simultaneously develop domestic tourism and test local hypotheses.

What advice would you give to all aspiring entrepreneurs? What advice is best to follow?

• I wish all entrepreneurs success in their endeavors. Find your passion, a field that will truly drive you throughout your life. I believe this is the key factor that can lead to significant results in IT entrepreneurship! You must love what you do and have the desire to improve it every day, thereby making others fall in love with your creation. One can become a professional in any industry, provided that you are genuinely interested in that field.