KZT 7 million will go to students.
Nazarbayev University’s NU Alumni Fest 2026 brought together around 1,500 people and turned an anniversary gathering into direct financial support for socially active students, DKNews.kz reports.
Held on August 29 to mark NU’s 15th anniversary, the charity festival brought together alumni, students, faculty, staff, partners, and friends of the University. According to Nazarbayev University, the event was jointly organized by the University and the NU Alumni Association with the support of NU Impact Foundation.
Ticket Sales Raised KZT 7 Million for Students
The festival produced a measurable result beyond networking and celebrations.
Ticket sales raised KZT 7 million, with all proceeds set to fund an additional scholarship for socially active NU students.
The initiative reflects the festival’s broader “giving back” concept: graduates remain connected with their alma mater and use their professional experience, networks, and resources to create opportunities for the next generation.
For the University, this also shows how an alumni community can evolve into a practical support network. Instead of limiting alumni engagement to reunions, NU is connecting graduates with scholarships, mentoring, recruitment, and professional networking.
Alumni Shared Their Paths in Business and Technology
Acting Minister of Science and Higher Education Sayasat Nurbek delivered welcoming remarks at the festival.
A major part of the program focused on NU graduates who have built careers across business, technology, investment, and the public sector.
The Build Your Own Path panel featured:
- Laura Vaigorova, founder of Smartestprep;
- Dauken Seitkali, co-founder of ARLAN BIOTECH;
- Yernar Birimzhan, co-founder of Drinkit and HP Coffee;
- Nazerke Kalidolda, venture investor at Sturgeon Capital;
- Alibi Sansyzbay, founder of Outpeer AI.
Timur Malikov, Chief Marketing Officer at BI Group and an NU alumnus, shared his career experience, while Aizhan Atshabarova, Executive Director of the NU Alumni Association, presented the Association’s work.
The Leadership & Impact panel brought another group of alumni into the discussion.
Participants included Lyazzat Ibragimova, Chairwoman of the Management Board of Otbasy Bank; Adil Kusmanov, Deputy Chairman of Kazakhstan’s Agency for Strategic Planning and Reforms; Bakhtiyar Mukhametkaliyev, Vice Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development; and Assylan Kassymov, Associate Partner at McKinsey.
The discussion was moderated by Yerbol Tulegenov, Chairman of the NU Alumni Association Council.
Global Companies Came to Meet NU Talent
The Opportunity Hub added a recruitment component to the festival.
Students and alumni could meet employers directly and explore potential career opportunities. The recruitment zone included:
- Higgsfield AI;
- BI Group;
- Alstom;
- AVC Group;
- BCG;
- Deloitte;
- EPAM;
- KAZ Minerals;
- McKinsey;
- Otbasy Bank;
- SLB;
- Smart Bridge;
- Teach For Kazakhstan.
This made the festival more than an alumni reunion. It also became a meeting point between university talent and companies operating in technology, consulting, finance, engineering, mining, education, and other sectors.
The campus program included sports and interactive activities, robotics and drone zones, Speed Dating, a food court, and a large children’s playground.
Classes of 2020 and 2021 Finally Got Their Ceremony
One of the most symbolic parts of NU Alumni Fest was dedicated to graduates whose final university years coincided with the pandemic.
A special ceremony was organized for the Classes of 2020 and 2021 after their traditional graduation celebrations had been disrupted several years earlier.
Professor Waqar Ahmad, President of Nazarbayev University, welcomed the returning graduates.
Their return to campus reinforced one of the festival’s central messages: the relationship between a university and its graduates does not have to end when a diploma is awarded.
That alumni network is also expanding rapidly. In 2026, NU held the largest graduation ceremony in its history, with 1,877 students completing bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral, and medical programs.
Alumni Are Becoming an Economic Resource for the University
For NU, the growing alumni community potentially represents more than reputation.
Graduates working in business, government, technology, finance, science, and consulting can connect current students with internships and jobs, provide mentorship, launch partnerships, and finance new opportunities.
NU Alumni Fest 2026 demonstrated that this model can also produce a direct financial result.
The KZT 7 million raised through ticket sales will now be converted into an additional scholarship rather than remaining simply a fundraising figure.
The festival concluded with performances by NU Orchestra, NU Choir, Dance Club, Vocal Club, and other student and alumni groups. ALEM headlined the concert program. NU Impact Foundation supported the event, while BI Group and Higgsfield AI served as the main partners.
For the 1,500 participants, the festival was a reunion and networking event. For the students who eventually receive the new scholarship, its impact will be considerably more tangible.
We previously reported on Nazarbayev University’s record graduating class of nearly 2,000 students, which further expands the alumni network that initiatives such as NU Alumni Fest are seeking to mobilize.
