The exclusive acceleration program, Hero Training, helps technology companies quickly enter the global market. Applications can be submitted until August 6.
Astana Hub notes that for the second time, Central Eurasian IT companies will have the opportunity to travel to the United States for investments and partnerships for a period of 25 weeks. Startups from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Turkiye, and Georgia will have the chance to visit Silicon Valley in the fall of this year.
“The Draper ecosystem is one of the most authoritative and oldest in Silicon Valley, and Astana Hub is the first technopark from the Central Asian region to sign an agreement with Draper University. Draper’s programs involve over a hundred countries, and Kazakhstan, represented by Astana Hub, has become the center of their collaboration in the region. This is undoubtedly a significant trust from Silicon Valley and a certain authority that our startups have earned by demonstrating the potential and products of our ecosystem,” said Alina Abdrakhmanova, Managing Director of Astana Hub.
The program consists of two parts. During the selection process, participants will undergo a thorough screening as the number of spots is limited. Initially, 80 projects will be selected for a two-week online pre-acceleration phase. Afterwards, the 15 most promising companies will travel to Silicon Valley, California, for offline training. Upon completion of the program, startups will be able to utilize the infrastructure of Draper University and the representation of Central Eurasian technology startups in California, known as Silkroad Innovation Hub.
The first 15 startups that went to California in May of this year have already completed their training and are actively working to attract investments and launch their products in the US market under the guidance of experienced technology entrepreneurs and Draper ecosystem experts.
“The program is very well-designed. After the five-week offline acceleration in Silicon Valley, the Kazakhstani market became small for us. From the very foundation of our startup, we aimed to scale into the US market. Thanks to Astana Hub and Hero Training, we are now closer to our goal. The program is very intense both mentally and physically, making it challenging to maintain focus. It has been an impressive experience for all of us, which has also contributed to personal growth. We have already scheduled calls and meetings with partners and investors from the US in the near future,” shared Mukhtar Kuanysbayuly, CEO of Connected Home.
While in California, Hero Training participants will be able to significantly expand their networking opportunities, which will help attract new investment rounds and establish strategic partnerships in the heart of the world’s tech capital.
“Training has brought a lot of interesting experiences and helped me unleash hidden potential and talents. None of us knew what to expect. The program is very dynamic, vibrant, and the level of creativity among the companies is off the charts. We deliberately went to Silicon Valley in search of new partners. We had the opportunity to attend Tech Week 2023, interact with VCs and mature companies that have successfully fundraised. We caught the interest of Tim Draper himself, and in general, we now have a clear plan for our development in the US market,” noted Yana Shoibekova, CEO of CITIX.
Graduates of Astana Hub’s acceleration programs such as Silkway Accelerator and Scalerator, as well as startups that were not selected for the first batch of Hero Training, will have an advantage in the selection process for the second batch. Applications and detailed information can be found at the following link: https://astanahub.com/ru/l/hero-training.
Draper Ecosystem is a unique approach to bringing together talents, experts, and investors through the provision of cutting-edge facilitators and an unprecedented network of mentors, industry experts, corporate partners, and investors to support the innovative ecosystem. Draper University, founded by Tim Draper, boasts 38 years of experience in venture capital, managing 11 funds, $7 billion in invested funds, 34 unicorn companies, and 6 rhino companies.
Astana Hub is the largest international technology park of IT start-ups in Central Asia.
