Three minutes decided everything. Ten technology teams took the stage at the alem.ai International Artificial Intelligence Center, competing for investors’ attention and a total prize pool of KZT 3 million, DKNews.kz reports.
The competition began well before the final. Astana Hub received 160 applications, invited 51 startups to the online diagnostic stage and selected only ten teams to pitch.
Each startup had three minutes to explain its product, market potential and business model. The founders then answered the jury’s questions and received detailed feedback from leading investors and venture capital experts in Kazakhstan.
“It is crucial for us to create events that help young tech teams find investors, gain expert feedback, and become part of a strong community. We are delighted that the alem.ai venue brought together projects capable of solving real-world challenges across various sectors—from healthcare and education to cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. I am confident that today’s pitch will serve as a launchpad for many participants to grow and scale further,” said Almira Marden, Director of the Event Office at Astana Hub.
Three Winners, Three Different Markets
BugBase, represented by Karina Liang, took first place and received KZT 1.5 million. The startup is developing an AI-powered platform for automated software quality and security testing.
The solution helps companies identify bugs and vulnerabilities while releasing software faster without expanding their internal QA teams. The project sits at the intersection of two high-demand fields: artificial intelligence and cybersecurity.
FoodSave, represented by Tomiris Zhussupova, secured second place and KZT 1 million. The service enables cafés, restaurants and other food businesses to sell unsold items at a discount instead of throwing them away.
For businesses, it offers a way to reduce costs. For consumers, it provides access to quality food at lower prices while tackling the growing problem of food waste.
Connectus, represented by Aruzhan Manarbai, finished third and received KZT 500,000.
The startup is building a marketplace of verified mentors studying at leading universities around the world. They help applicants prepare for overseas admissions and navigate the requirements of specific institutions.
The jury’s decision highlighted the breadth of demand across the technology market. The three winning projects address clear challenges in cybersecurity, food waste and education — sectors with large potential audiences and measurable commercial demand.
From AI Lawyers to Medical Diagnostics
The other finalists also presented highly practical products. Most of them use artificial intelligence not as a fashionable label but as a tool for solving a specific problem.
Home Diagnostics is a remote patient monitoring service featuring RPM devices, including a digital stethoscope and otoscope, a mobile application and an AI-integrated doctor workspace.
Eye Eye AI analyses retinal images to detect retinopathy in premature infants at an early stage. The system aims to reduce the risk of preventable blindness.
Femida AI operates in the LegalTech market. Its platform supports legal analysis, document drafting and searches across Kazakhstan’s regulations while providing citations to primary sources.
All Femida AI data is stored locally in Kazakhstan. For law firms and public institutions, data residency may be just as significant as the platform’s AI capabilities.
INMII offers an end-to-end AI interior design service, covering everything from floor planning and visualisation to material selection and supplier sourcing.
JINAQ is developing an AI platform for student career guidance and early workforce planning. Neuralese teaches school students to work with AI technologies through hands-on development.
Numerus describes itself as a “Cursor for Finance.” The AI-native workspace automates everyday tasks for finance teams and reduces the volume of manual work.
Together, the Pizza Pitch finalists represented HealthTech, EdTech, LegalTech, FinTech, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. Kazakhstan’s startups are increasingly moving away from universal products towards industry-specific solutions, where demand can be tested and paying customers found more quickly.
The projects were evaluated by Bolat Basheyev, CEO of Axiom Capital; Abay Absamet, Co-founder of Silkroad Angels Club; Aslan Sultanov, Founding Partner at White Hill Capital, GP of Tumar Venture Fund and Al-Farabi Innovation Hub; Nurassyl Dzharbassov, Founder of Astana Venture Club; and Yeskendir Amirkhan, Investment Analyst at BGlobal Ventures.
Exbo East, a technology company and member of the Astana Hub ecosystem, served as the event partner.
Pizza Pitch ended with an informal networking session over pizza. Founders continued discussing their projects with investors without a timer, turning three-minute presentations into their first potential business negotiations.
