The best digital solutions for the Unified Business Support Portal were presented at the Baiterek Hackathon.

The Baiterek National Investment Holding, together with Astana Hub, held the final stage of the Baiterek Hackathon at the alem.ai international artificial intelligence center. The event focused on developing the MVP of a Unified Business Support Portal. Eight finalist teams presented digital solutions that could eventually form the basis of a unified platform for entrepreneurs to access government support measures using a one-stop shop approach.

Developers from across Kazakhstan expressed interest in the hackathon. Fifty-seven applications were submitted for the technological challenge posted on the Astana Hub platform. Following a preliminary expert selection, the eight strongest teams advanced to the finals. The main goal of the project is to create a digital platform that will consolidate the support measures of the Holding and its subsidiaries into a single service and replace the current web portals of the subsidiaries. The portal is expected to allow entrepreneurs to select the appropriate support measure, submit an application, and track all stages of its review in a single digital space.

The final round was attended by Rustam Karagoishin, Chairman of the Board of Baiterek Holding, Bekbolat Moldabekov, Vice Minister of National Economy, heads of the Holding's subsidiaries, representatives of development institutions, the Astana Hub, and the expert community. During Demo Day, the teams presented their projects in a pitching format and answered questions from the jury.

Opening Demo Day, Rustam Karagoishin emphasized that the main value of the hackathon is the opportunity to create a digital product that can become part of the Holding's digital ecosystem and be in demand by entrepreneurs across the country.

"The prize fund is an additional incentive. The most important thing is to create a product that will work for the entire country. Today, Baiterek is undergoing a digital transformation, and it is important for us to see modern solutions that can make government support measures more accessible and convenient for businesses. We are ready to make serious decisions to ensure that the best ideas are put to practical use," the Holding's CEO emphasized.

According to the Chairman, user convenience should be the key principle in developing the Unified Business Support Portal. Entrepreneurs don't need to understand the internal processes of development institutions; the system should automatically determine the necessary support tool and provide the simplest possible path to obtaining it.

"Our goal is to ensure that entrepreneurs come to one place and quickly receive answers to their questions. Clients shouldn't have to adapt to our processes or know all of the Holding's products; instead, the system should understand their needs, offer the necessary support measures, and support them at every stage. This simple, modern, and user-focused approach is the foundation of the Unified Business Support Portal," noted Rustam Karagoishin.

The Application Xpress team won the Baiterek Hackathon, with Geometry taking second place. Third place was shared between Muslima Kosmagambetova, a student majoring in information technology at SDU University, and the company IZIPAQ. The total prize fund for the competition was 7 million tenge: the winner received 3 million tenge, second place received 2 million tenge, and third place received 1 million tenge. The presented solutions will be reviewed by Baiterek Holdings for further development during the creation of a Unified Business Support Portal.

Background Information

Application Xpress LLC is a Kazakhstani IT company operating in the market since 2015. It is a multidisciplinary IT solutions provider working to international standards in collaboration with leading global hardware and software manufacturers. Its areas of work include the implementation of AI, RPA, and BI solutions, maintenance of information systems and IT infrastructure, and the supply and support of licensed software (Oracle, Postgres, RedHat, VMware, FortiNet, etc.).

Geometry is an Enterprise Intelligence company that has been helping large organizations build unified management systems since 2017, with over 200 clients and 135+ projects in development, analytics, and AI. Its flagship product is the Asara platform, which unites data, processes, and analytics in a unified management system, with deep expertise in the public and quasi-public sectors.

IZIPAQ LLC is a multidisciplinary IT company operating in the market since 2018, working to global standards in collaboration with leading hardware and software manufacturers. It specializes in the design and maintenance of information systems, the implementation of AI and RPA, BI solutions, and the delivery and support of licensed software (Oracle, Postgres, RedHat, VMware, etc.).