An early-stage investor explains how he connects emerging tech leaders from Central Asia with global opportunities through strategic networking and high-impact events.
Nurdaulet Bazylbekov, Founder and Investor, linkedin
Introduction
I am an investor in early-stage startups with 15+ investments in a portfolio, including some unicorns in the B2C space. I originally started my career in finance, working at the London Stock Exchange in a dark-pool trading team under the supervision of industry leaders from Harvard and Lehman Brothers. That kind of support and trust took my career far within the company, as I had an opportunity to work in various teams such as multi-asset market risk management, smart-beta and ESG index construction for the largest pension funds in the world. Eventually, I landed in the Capital Markets team, which was mainly involved in IPOs and secondary market trading activities across equity and fixed income products.
After working in that team and building a name with the world’s largest asset managers, one of them offered me a role on their dealing desk team. The company is among the top 10 asset managers in the world, with $110bn+ in assets under management across exchange-traded funds.
Promoting Central Asian talent through IT events
During my time working in the asset management industry, I met lots of smart tech investors while also having many friends working in big tech companies. Both factors sparked my interest and encouraged me to be more proactive in the industry. I started off as a scout for a couple of VC funds that trusted my knowledge and network in both Europe and Central Asia.
That exposure gave me the opportunity to interact with a rapidly growing ecosystem in our region, further validating that there is a high-potential talent pool that can build and scale globally. The most efficient and scalable solution for gathering everyone was to create a platform that serves as a space for events with top experts, thought leaders, and investors. Strong events attract strong talent, creating the "networking magic" and serendipity.
Our space is called Eurasian Hub, which has already received support from international names such as Google, Nebius, various VCs/accelerators, fast-growing unicorn startups like Mistral, as well as local entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders such as Astana Hub.
Why Central Asia needs international IT platforms
While there is a vast amount of talent in our region, there is still a gap that needs to be filled — particularly in networking and soft skills such as pitching, fundraising, and product positioning. Although there are multiple ways to bridge that gap, one way I felt my skills and network could be most helpful is by connecting bright tech talent with investors and experts I’ve built relationships with over the years.
That, in my opinion, leads to more connections and opportunities for all parties working in the same field. Eurasian Hub already has some great success stories, with people not only meeting co-founders and like-minded peers but also getting into the world’s most selective accelerators like Y Combinator, Antler, and Entrepreneur First. Some have also raised funding from highly respected venture capital funds in Europe and the USA.
What makes Central Asian IT talent stand out
When I first approached international VCs offering to connect them with talent from the region, not many showed interest — and that was a fair reaction, given the limited understanding of our geographical and cultural specifics. There is still a lot of work to be done in building awareness about the region, but the existing success stories and our continued efforts to highlight key strengths help pave the way for the next generation.
One of the most appreciated skills that seems to get more attention is the strong technical foundation, thanks to a solid math and physics education in our countries. With the emergence of AI and ML, investors are increasingly looking for people who can understand the underlying technology — and our region is well positioned to benefit from this mega-trend.
Success stories and real impact
One thing to say up front is: we don’t make people smarter or more investable. We believe talent already has that potential and skill within them. Where we add real value is in connecting them to the ecosystem and key decision-makers across the industry.
We’ve had many success cases, and what unites them is how we leverage our connections. One recent example best illustrates what we do: we helped a schoolboy from Kazakhstan get into the London programme of the Entrepreneur First accelerator.
Arlan — who was still in school — originally received an offer from EF’s Paris office. But after connecting with him, I realized he had great potential to raise funding if he came to a place with a high density of capital — London. We contacted decision-makers at the EF London office asking for priority consideration, and two days later, he was offered a spot in the UK.
He immediately dropped out of school and committed to being in London. That move triggered many VCs to start conversations, eventually leading to nearly $1 million raised in a pre-seed round within just five days for his startup, Nozomio Labs, where Eurasian Hub Ventures — our investing initiative, also participated.
This example shows how we leverage our network and the trust built over years — and how that now brings real results. We expect similar efforts to be amplified in the near future.