BI Group and Activat VC Held Their First Program for EdTech Startups
The BI EdTech Challenge startup program, organized jointly by BI Group and the venture company Activat VC, has recently come to a close. As a result of this initiative, the best technology projects will be able to pilot their solutions in one of the corporation's divisions, BI Education. Within a few weeks, the competition attracted 70 applications from 6 countries: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, the United Kingdom, Israel, and the United States.
Why does BI Group need startups from Kazakhstan and Central Asia?
This Demo Day concludes what is far from the group's first initiative for startups. Last year, for example, the corporation launched the BI Synergy Sprint platform to find companies ready to offer innovative solutions for modernizing the construction industry and making residential complexes more comfortable. The organizers found dozens of interesting projects at the time, and based on the platform's results, they selected 13 startups to develop the relationship further.
Finding and partnering with the best startups is one of BI Group's priorities, said Dilyara Karzhauova, the company's Head of Corporate Innovation & Startup Ecosystem. Among other things, this helps the company build its own technology ecosystem:
“BI Group is already the leader in digitalizing the construction industry in Kazakhstan. Today, our goal is to strengthen our position as a technology leader through strategic partnerships with startups. We are looking for teams ready to implement and scale high-impact solutions that enhance our products and processes and expand BI Group's technology ecosystem. That is why we are building a systematic approach to working with innovative projects,” Dilyara said, sharing her vision.
The group of companies has identified several priorities for building its technology ecosystem:
1. Finding and integrating innovations. BI Group is looking for promising technology solutions in construction, development, ecosystem digital products, EdTech, ESG, and customer service.
2. Launching pilot projects. The company is ready to give startups access to its infrastructure and real business challenges so they can test their solutions in an operating business.
3. Developing an internal culture of innovation. Working with startups makes it possible not only to implement external solutions but also to strengthen the innovative mindset within the company.
4. Strategic partnerships and investments. The company is ready to invest in startups with high potential and a strong fit with BI Group's long-term goals.
To implement this strategy, BI Group has set up a dedicated unit responsible for finding and engaging high-potential startups, developing partnerships, and introducing innovative solutions across the company's key business lines. But let's get back to the event.
“Our goal is to provide world-class education. Startups can help with that”
Demo Day is the final stage of the BI EdTech Challenge 2025 program run by BI Education. The initiative focuses on startups and products in EdTech. Teams were invited to present solutions that can be integrated into the educational process at schools. Here is why the project was needed, according to BI Education CEO Madi Kargin:
“We conducted a small study of the quality of education in the country and noticed significant gaps between cities of republican significance and district centers, and especially rural areas. Our global goal is to narrow this gap and give every student at BI Education schools an education that meets world standards. To achieve this, we need to move from intentions to concrete initiatives and innovative solutions. We invite all interested EdTech founders to join this process. We have truly ambitious plans in education, and to realize them, we are starting with an open dialogue: through a panel discussion, we are building a bridge between startups, government agencies, and the private sector. This is the only way to accelerate collaboration and lay the foundation for the sustainable development of the industry.”
The BI EdTech Challenge resonated with the startup community: within a few weeks, the organizers received 70 applications from EdTech technology companies. To review every candidate thoroughly and identify the most promising projects, BI Education invited representatives of Activat VC to co-organize the program. Here is how Activat VC Investor Relations Manager Anuar Lenzat assessed the quality of the selected startups:
“High-quality startups with good results applied, and they are exciting to follow. That's why we were glad to accept BI Education's invitation: it gave us the opportunity to evaluate many teams from Kazakhstan and Central Asia. I already know of 3 startups from the BI EdTech Challenge whose names I will pass on to the Activat VC investment committee.”
After several rounds, only 14 startups were selected to pitch their projects at Demo Day. Getting a little ahead of ourselves, all participants in the final stage of the program pleasantly surprised the jury with how well they had prepared their presentations and with their expected results.
What awaits the winners of the BI EdTech Challenge
Following the pitches, the jury selected the top 5 projects:
Soile AI;
Oqylyq.kz;
MUGALIM AI;
Repetino;
Smartsprep.
In the coming months, the winners will hold substantive negotiations with BI Education on launching pilot projects at the company's schools and kindergartens. However, this is far from the only possible outcome of cooperation with BI Group, emphasized BI Education CIO Ilyas Sartayev. Venture investment or M&A deals are also possible:
“The BI EdTech Challenge is our first experience of working systematically with startups in education. Through initiatives like this, we aim to give momentum to the EdTech community and become a kind of ‘elevator’ for young projects, helping them grow. Beyond the selection itself, we share our expertise: we help participants close gaps in their understanding of the business model, marketing, and other key aspects of growth. We will keep working with those who made it through the selection: we will meet more than once to understand what resources the teams need to launch at our schools. And to those who have only just learned about the initiative: don't worry, this is not the last event of its kind. There are many exciting things ahead. Stay tuned!”
