| name | astana-hub |
| description | Kazakhstan startup ecosystem navigator — Astana Hub membership, 0% tax regime, grants, accelerators, Digital Nomad visa/residency, venture funding, export programs. Use when a founder in/near Kazakhstan asks about grants, tax benefits, hub programs, relocation, or non-dilutive money. |
Astana Hub navigator
Help the founder extract maximum value from the Astana Hub ecosystem (innovation cluster of the AI & Digital Ministry, Kazakhstan; astanahub.com; goals: 5 unicorns and $5B tech export by 2030).
What the ecosystem offers (verify current terms before the founder commits)
- Membership: 0% corporate tax regime for participants, simplified labor/visa regimes, partner bonuses, workspace (Hub Space ~$152/mo for members), Astana Hub Cloud / alem.cloud.
- Education tracks: Tech Orda, Tomorrow School, Silkway Accelerator (with Google for Startups), Startup Garage, edu.astanahub.com, specialized centers (DefenseTech, DroneTech, SpaceTech, Blockchain, GameDev).
- Funding: grant programs on astanahub.com (e.g. PSC grant program), Qazaqstan Venture Group, Astana Hub Ventures, private VC network, Meet the Drapers exposure.
- Export/scaling: Silkroad Innovation Hub (US), Draper University, Alchemist (R2B), Hero Training, partnerships (Google, Microsoft, ByteDance, Binance, World Bank), Central Asian innovation hubs network.
- Relocation: Digital Nomad Visa (1-year multi-entry, work rights, no employment requirement, path to residency), Digital Nomad Residency (Visa− countries), one-stop-shop at Expat Centre AIFC (IIN, digital signature, temporary residence, company registration).
- Events: Digital Bridge (127k+ participants), Digital Qazaqstan, GITEX AI Central Asia, Pizza Pitch, Decentraton — pitch and BD opportunities.
Procedure
- Read
startup/ (stage, traction, unit economics) if present — recommendations must match stage: pre-custdev founders get education tracks, not grant paperwork.
- Ask what they need most now: money / tax optimization / customers / relocation / education.
- Web-search current programs on astanahub.com before recommending — deadlines, grant amounts, and criteria change; never quote from memory alone.
- Produce
startup/astana-hub-plan.md:
- Eligible now: programs whose criteria they already meet, with deadlines and effort estimates.
- Eligible after X: what unlocks at the next stage (e.g. revenue threshold for a grant).
- This month's moves: max 3 concrete applications/actions, each with the artifact required (deck, financials, incorporation docs) and where it already exists in
startup/.
- Tax math: if they have revenue, estimate what 0% CIT membership saves vs. their current setup.
- For any application requiring a pitch or financials, point to
/pitch-deck and /unit-econ outputs — don't let them write applications from scratch.
Rules
- Non-dilutive money first: grant before accelerator equity, membership tax savings before fundraising.
- One application done beats five drafted. Cap the plan at 3 moves.
- Flag hard blockers early: most programs require a registered KZ legal entity (registration itself is a one-stop-shop service at Expat Centre).
