The new acceleration program of Astana Smart City has launched

The program's goal is to implement innovative startup projects aimed at improving the urban environment, enhancing the quality of life for residents, and solving urban challenges using advanced technologies. Projects from around the world at the MVP stage and beyond can apply to participate by July 7 of this year.

Astana Smart City covers various sectors such as healthcare, water resource management, greening, waste management, education, transportation, and utilities.

To support participants, Astana Smart City provides phased funding through the Seed Money program by Astana Hub for the top 10 projects, with up to 5 million tenge per project. The program is expected to strengthen Astana's status as an IT hub, create opportunities for scaling and exporting developed solutions to external markets, enhance the city's competitiveness, and promote the development of an innovative economy.

The participant selection process includes online application submission, initial screening, interviews with experts, and a final selection that will include 20 startups. The program starts on August 5 and will run in an offline format for three months. As part of the training, participants will have access to industry experts, attend group seminars and individual consultations with experts, track meetings with line trackers, and weekly consultations with the lead tracker. Startups will be able to pilot their solutions in institutions, which will help improve IT solutions and adapt them to the needs of residents.

The final stage of the program will be the Demo Day, where participants will present the results of their pilot projects to representatives of the akimat and ecosystem experts. The best IT solutions will be selected for further implementation.

Details about the Astana Smart City program and how to apply can be found on the platform astanahub.com.