Women in Tech Kazakhstan: The First Year of a Movement Created by Women Changing the Industry

Today, Women in Tech Kazakhstan is a movement with educational products, thematic directions, a regional agenda, AI and Fintech programs, support for founders, and a significant international presence.

In 2025, this development received international recognition — Women in Tech Kazakhstan was named Chapter of the Year at the global Women in Tech summit in Osaka, Japan. For a young chapter, this was not just a formal achievement, but a recognition of the systematic work of the teams, direction leaders, and the entire community, which managed to build a sustainable and scalable ecosystem in a short period.

According to Asem Bolatjan, Director of Women in Tech Kazakhstan, this initiative had personal motivations.

Asem Bolatjan, Director of Women in Tech Kazakhstan

I have always seen my mission as positively influencing people's lives, helping them change their lives faster, better, and with more confidence. But at some point, it became clear that it is impossible to cover the scale required for real change alone.

Thus, the idea of an ecosystem was born — an environment for women in technology where everyone can find themselves, receive support, and together form a strong and resilient community.

By studying international practices, the team adopted the Women in Tech model — the largest global movement uniting women in nearly 70 countries. This model became the foundation for the community's development in Kazakhstan.

The The Tech editorial team has compiled the results of the first year of Women in Tech Kazakhstan through key directions and the people who made this movement alive and sustainable.

Women in Innovations and AI: How an Ecosystem Around AI for Her Was Born
Direction: Women in Innovations and AI
Direction Leader: Madina Dussmagambetova, founder of the AI for Her program, Senior Member of Women in Tech Kazakhstan, co-founder of Soft Creation with 20 years of experience in IT products.

During the first year of the movement's development, the AI direction became one of the most dynamic and visible parts of Women in Tech Kazakhstan.

AI for Her Course: An Entry Point into AI for Thousands of Women

One of the key events of the year was the free online course AI for Her. Formally, this is an educational program, but in essence, it is an entry point into the technological future for a large group of women:

— more than 4,000 applications
— more than 2,000 participants started the course
— more than 1,000 participants successfully completed the course and received certificates.

The project's information reach amounted to approximately 50,000 people across the country.

The implementation of the course was made possible with the support of partners: EPAM Kazakhstan, Darlean, the AI Development Association, and the NGO "Social Dynamics." In the autumn, a memorandum was signed with Satbayev University, and the course is now hosted on the university's educational platform, continuing to live as part of the academic ecosystem.

Next Step: AI for Her Business

AI for Her Business is a two-week program consisting of 15 lessons with real cases of AI implementation in business processes. The focus is on how female founders and managers can use AI in operational activities, marketing, analytics, and decision-making.

Education Programs: Where the Path in Technology Begins
Direction: Education Programs
Direction Leader: Laura Salamat, certified IT architect, CDTO of NGO NNEF, Senior Member of Women in Tech Kazakhstan, regular contributor to TheTech

The Education Programs direction works with those who are just beginning to build their path in technology: schoolchildren, students, and young professionals. The main partners of the direction are universities and educational organizations that provide venues for lectures, career meetings, masterclasses, and workshops.

A Platform for Navigating Professions

One of the central events of the direction was the "Enter IT" meetup, which will become an annual platform for those who need help and support in navigating professions.

The First Branded Audience for Women in Tech in Kazakhstan

Another important achievement was the opening of the first branded Women in Tech audience at De Montfort University — a unique space that does not exist in any other Women in Tech Global chapter.
The audience has become a permanent gathering point for all directions — masterclasses, discussions, career navigation sessions, and meetings with industry experts are held here. For female students, this is a safe environment where they can ask any questions, try themselves in new formats, and gain access to real expertise.

The achievements of the Education Programs direction are the result of joint work with partners: universities in the country — Astana IT University, IITU, Kazakh-British Technical University, University of International Business, De Montfort University Kazakhstan, as well as the Kazakh automotive company Allur.

Female Founders: When the Market Honestly Acknowledges Barriers
Direction: Female Founders Support
Direction Leader: Tanya Plotnikova, founder of the startup gro.now, graduate of the TechWomen program, Member of Women in Tech Kazakhstan

The Female Founders Support direction emerged as a response to a real request from the ecosystem: female entrepreneurs have ideas, competencies, and experience, but access to investments, mentoring, and professional networks remains limited. The task of the direction is to form a supportive environment where founders can exchange experience, gain knowledge, and reach new levels of project development.

Over the year, the direction's team formed a community of more than 300 female founders, representatives of innovation hubs, media, and experts working at the intersection of the venture market and technological entrepreneurship.

Women in Tech Kazakhstan in the Capital
Direction: Women in Tech Kazakhstan (Astana)
Direction Leader: Rinata Ilyubaeva CEO of Tumar Innovation Hub, leader of the AI and Data Committee in the Compliance Association, Astana City Lead of Women in Tech Kazakhstan

During the first year, an active community of more than 150 participants formed around the direction. With the support of Astana Hub and Astana IT University, the direction became a sustainable platform for meetings, experience sharing, and career navigation in the capital's technological environment.

A special focus is on the development of female founders at early stages. It is here that the general principles of supporting entrepreneurs, established in the Female Founders Support direction, take practical form through local events, live networking, and direct contact with investors and experts.

Female Founders Invest Day: An Opportunity to Access Investments

The key event of the year was the Female Founders Invest Day — an investment day in which 12 investors from Kazakhstan and foreign venture circles participated. 10 female startup projects had the opportunity to directly present their solutions and receive professional feedback. For many participants, this was their first point of contact with the investment market in a safe and supportive environment.

Women's Business and Technology: Women Entrepreneurs
Direction: Women Entrepreneurs
Direction Leader: Asem Bolatjan, freelance advisor to the Deputy Prime Minister — Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, chairman of the public council of the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Director of Women in Tech Kazakhstan.

The Women Entrepreneurs direction works with one of the most active and dynamic segments of the female audience — entrepreneurs. Women's small and medium-sized business in Kazakhstan is growing rapidly, but a lack of digital competencies often becomes a barrier to scaling and entering new markets.

The task of the direction is to give female entrepreneurs the tools that allow them to restructure processes, increase efficiency, implement technologies, and confidently compete in the digital economy.

International Wi-Fi DX Program: Digital Skills Without Barriers

The key achievement of the year was the launch of the international Wi-Fi DX program, implemented jointly with Women in Tech and UN ESCATO/APCICT — the author of the certified training methodology.

Wi-Fi DX is an international course that has long been successfully implemented throughout the Pacific region. It is simple, practical, and created specifically for women in business. The strength of the program is that it helps not to "teach technology," but to reshape the entrepreneur's mindset for the digital economy.

This year, women from different cities in Kazakhstan came to the training, from major centers to small settlements. For many participants, Wi-Fi DX became the first program that connected technology and entrepreneurship not in theory, but in real business processes: automation, e-commerce, marketing, and operational efficiency.

E-commerce: How Digital Sales Are Built in Women's Business
Direction: E-commerce
Direction Leader: Nurgul Ketebaeva, Founder and CEO of Digital Sales, co-founder of Agarty, expert in e-commerce, marketplaces, and digital strategies.

During the first year, business breakfasts, case studies, and live Q&A sessions dedicated to e-commerce and digital sales were launched and conducted within the stream. Participants gained practical knowledge on working with key platforms such as Kaspi, Halyk Market, Lamoda, Ozon, Wildberries, as well as cross-border sales.

A professional community of more than 100 women working at the intersection of business, technology, and e-commerce formed around the direction.

The development of the stream was made possible by the participation of partners who bring real expertise and access to market practice to the direction: Digital Sales, marketplaces — Kaspi, Halyk Market, Spedex, Agarty, Herbalife, JetPay

Women in Fintech: How a New Generation of Women in Financial Technology Is Forming
Direction: Women in Fintech
Direction Leader: Aigerim Kilybayeva, CEO of Qazaq IT community, BCC expert, Fintech Lead of Women in Tech Kazakhstan

The goal of the direction is to create a space where women can safely try themselves in Fintech, gain access to experts, study real cases, and build a career in one of the most competitive technological fields.

Educational Programs and Community Growth

During the first year, the direction managed to form a strong professional community:
— more than 400 participants went through free educational events
— 10 offline AI workshops and career programs were held, fully organized by Women in Fintech volunteers
— participants gained access to real industry tools and began building their own career paths.

Women in Fintech was able to create an ecosystem around the direction through partnerships with key market players: Mastercard, BCC, RBK, AlmaU, KIMEP, JAS Almaty, Compliance HUB, Infobeep, Tele2, as well as media partners Astana HUB and Qazaq IT Community.

Women in Science: When STEM Becomes a Space for Future Technological Leaders
Direction: Women in Science
Direction Leader: Dinara Kozhamzharova, Senior Lecturer at Satbayev University, Certification Director of ISACA Astana Chapter, board member of Women in Cybersecurity Kazakhstan, mentor for Technovation Girls

Women in Science is one of the most research-oriented directions of Women in Tech Kazakhstan. It works where the foundation of the future technological ecosystem is formed: in STEM education, digital security, engineering sciences, robotics, and research activities.

International IEEE Webinar as an Access Point to Global Opportunities

One of the notable educational events of the year for the Women in Science direction was an international webinar conducted jointly with IEEE Women in Engineering — the largest professional community of women scientists and engineers in the world.

For many participants, the webinar was not just an educational format, but a window into a larger scientific space. It showed that international research activities are accessible not only to major universities or laboratories; opportunities open up for individual specialists if there is proper navigation and understanding of the mechanisms of the scientific community.

The direction's partners include international and local institutions: UN Women, EPAM Kazakhstan, American Spaces, Qabi Tech, Women in Cybersecurity Kazakhstan, Technovation Girls Kazakhstan, ISACA Astana Chapter, and Satbayev University.

Regional Development of Women in Tech Kazakhstan
Direction: Regions in Women in Tech Kazakhstan
Direction Leader: Nazgul Taimova, Country Director at Elcore

Regional development became the main strategic step for Women in Tech Kazakhstan. Throughout the year, the community intentionally expanded into the regions to understand the real needs of women outside major cities and begin forming local growth points.

In the city of Aktau, the first meeting demonstrated a sustained demand for local content and events in the Kazakh language. Even with a small audience, it became obvious that the region has the potential to form an active core of the community and continue regular work.

Atyrau became one of the most promising regions of the year. The first meeting brought together engineering, technological, and IT specialists from various industries — from oil and gas to startups. The region showed readiness not only to participate in events but also to develop its own initiatives within Women in Tech Kazakhstan.

Aktobe is also a priority agenda, and today the region has already demonstrated readiness to launch systematic tech programs with the support of Women in Tech Kazakhstan and local partners.

In Uralsk, Women in Tech Kazakhstan participated in a regional youth summit, where career opportunities in IT and the role of women in the digital economy were discussed. This became the starting point for forming sustainable work in this city.

Karaganda remains one of the regions with a strong IT community and active participation of women in digital projects. As part of the preparation for next year's plan, the launch of educational intensives, career tracks, and thematic meetups is being discussed jointly with local activists and business.

Events Direction: How Women in Tech Kazakhstan Turns a Community into a Living Movement
Direction: Events
Direction Leader: Alima Umurbek, expert with more than 15 years of experience in the financial and IT sectors, Event Director of Women in Tech Kazakhstan

During the first year, the events team built a systematic approach to organizing events — from format and content to partnerships and conduct standards. Women in Tech Kazakhstan events became not one-off activities, but part of a unified ecosystem where each meeting strengthens other directions of the movement.

The Women in Tech CCA Awards ceremony, held for the first time in Kazakhstan, was of special significance. This event became a symbolic moment for the entire movement: participants from different directions, regions, and professional tracks met in one venue. For many, this was not only a recognition of achievements but also confirmation that the women's technological community in the country has reached a new level of maturity and visibility.

The first year was a stage of laying the foundation for Women in Tech Kazakhstan. Directions, teams, partnerships, and regional initiatives have set the structure on which the community will continue to grow.

New programs, cities, and formats are ahead, but it is already clear that Women in Tech Kazakhstan has become a large community in Kazakhstan where women in technology do not remain alone, but develop in a supportive and professional environment.