TL;DR Kazakhstan has about 21 million people, most living in cities, and over nine in ten are online. Oil, gas and metals make up most of what it sells abroad, and freight crosses huge distances. The ideas that fit serve heavy industry and power, make grain and livestock farms more productive, and help a busy digital lending market behave well.

The market in numbers

  • Population: about 20.8 million in 2025[1].
  • GDP per capita: about US$14,692 in 2025[2].
  • Internet use: about 93% of people were online in 2024[3], with about 127 mobile subscriptions per 100 people[4].
  • Where people live and work: about 62% of people lived in towns and cities in 2025[5], and about 11% of jobs were in farming[6].
  • Exports: fuels were about 55% and ores and metals about 16% of merchandise exports in 2025[7][8].
  • Currency: the tenge (KZT), issued by the National Bank of Kazakhstan[9].
  • Starting a company: companies register through the eGov.kz portal, and changes such as a new director or address can be filed there too[10].

What founders here actually have to work with

This is the richest market on this list of neighbours[2], and people are online[3]. Customers will pay for software and expect it to work in Kazakh and Russian. That's a real difference from most of Central Asia.

The money is concentrated in heavy industry. Oil, gas and metals carry the export numbers[7][8], so the big plants, smelters and power stations are where steady B2B contracts live. They buy maintenance, inspection, energy savings and safety training, and they pay for proof.

Distance is the other fact you can't avoid. Freight runs long hauls between cities and across borders, and winter makes it harder. Anything that makes trucking cheaper or safer has buyers.

Two hubs are worth knowing. The Astana International Financial Centre has its own court and financial regulator[11], and Astana Hub is a technopark for tech companies[12]. In my view a B2B founder here should sell to one plant first and let that reference do the rest.

Ideas that fit Kazakhstan

Every idea was researched for India. The rupee costs, UPI and Indian licences won't apply, so rebuild each page with tenge prices and local rules.

Plants, mines and power

  • Furnacewing: Caged-drone surveys inside boilers, stacks and silos during shutdowns. Sell to the maintenance contractors at refineries and smelters as well as the owners.
  • Bearingly: Wear alerts for pumps and motors. Drop the nuclear angle and pitch it to power stations and pumping sites.
  • Coilcare: Early failure warnings for neighbourhood power transformers. Regional power distributors are the buyers, and cold-weather data will matter.
  • Tariftimer: Software that times factory solar, batteries and gensets against power tariffs. Map the local tariff rules before you promise savings [Requires validation].
  • Exhaustwell: Bolt-on units that turn air-compressor heat into hot water for factories. Long heating seasons make the payback case easier to test.
  • Weldready: Simulator practice and remote review for welder trade tests. Line it up with the certificates local employers ask for.

Exports and clean energy

  • Forgefile: Emissions files for metal makers who sell into the EU under its carbon border rules, then a plan to cut the number. Start with one mid-size plant.
  • Saltplain: Water, power and port screening of green hydrogen sites before money is spent. The buyers are developers and their lenders.
  • Hailward: Site-level weather risk checks for solar and wind parks before a deal closes. Swap the cyclone model for wind, snow and hail.

Grain and livestock farms

  • Soilround: A soil test for each field every season, with a dose plan. Large grain farms can buy it directly instead of through farmer groups.
  • Coreridge: Tractor-towed coring rigs that take GPS-logged soil samples for crop trials. Seed and fertiliser firms running field trials are the clients.
  • Heatcollar: Heat-detection collars and a breeding desk for dairy farms. Test that the collars survive the winter first.

Freight across long distances

  • Freightindex: Truck freight lane benchmarks and fuel-linked contract formulas. Shippers and carriers on the main cross-border lanes would both use it.
  • Movekit: Warehouse automation kits leased monthly and moved to the next site. Logistics firms around Almaty and Astana are the first market.
  • Fogwarn: Stretch-by-stretch weather warnings for night bus and truck fleets. Rebuild it around snowstorms and ice rather than monsoon rain.

Digital lending and consumers

  • Recheckly: Trained reviewers who second-check AI loan decisions for digital lenders. Check what the financial regulator expects first [Requires validation].
  • Debtease: Employer-paid debt counselling that turns stacked loans into one plan. Large employers with big workforces are your sponsors.
  • Rightname: A fixed-fee case desk that clears loans fraudsters took out in someone's name. Learn the local complaint routes before you set a price.

Rules to check before you start

Commercial companies register through eGov.kz, with the State Corporation "Government for Citizens" handling registration services[10]. Foreign founders can use the same route but face extra steps for some filings[10]. Banks and payments come under the National Bank of Kazakhstan[9]. Firms inside the Astana International Financial Centre answer to its own regulator, the Astana Financial Services Authority[11]. I couldn't load the State Revenue Committee's site, so confirm tax registration with it directly [Requires validation].

This is a starting list, not legal advice. Check with a local lawyer or the agency itself.

Questions founders ask

Services like Freightindex, Debtease or Weldready above can start with a small team and one paying client. Selling software here is easier than in most neighbours because people are online[3].

Do foreigners need a local partner to start a company in Kazakhstan?

I didn't find an official source that sets a general local-partner rule. Foreign founders follow extra steps for some filings[10], so check with eGov.kz or "Government for Citizens" before you start.

Should I register inside the AIFC or Astana Hub?

It depends on what you sell. The AIFC suits financial and professional services[11], while Astana Hub is aimed at tech companies[12]. Check each one's current rules before choosing.

Talk to Yash

Kazakhstan's best B2B buyers are big, cautious and slow to sign, and I'd enjoy helping you plan the first plant pilot that wins them. If you need a hand, you know where to find me.

Talk to Yash →

Sources

  1. World Bank, "Population, total: Kazakhstan", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/KAZ/indicator/SP.POP.TOTL?format=json&mrv=1
  2. World Bank, "GDP per capita (current US$): Kazakhstan", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/KAZ/indicator/NY.GDP.PCAP.CD?format=json&mrv=1
  3. World Bank (ITU data), "Individuals using the Internet (% of population): Kazakhstan", 2024. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/KAZ/indicator/IT.NET.USER.ZS?format=json&mrv=1
  4. World Bank (ITU data), "Mobile cellular subscriptions (per 100 people): Kazakhstan", 2024. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/KAZ/indicator/IT.CEL.SETS.P2?format=json&mrv=1
  5. World Bank, "Urban population (% of total population): Kazakhstan", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/KAZ/indicator/SP.URB.TOTL.IN.ZS?format=json&mrv=1
  6. World Bank (ILO estimate), "Employment in agriculture (% of total employment): Kazakhstan", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/KAZ/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS?format=json&mrv=1
  7. World Bank, "Fuel exports (% of merchandise exports): Kazakhstan", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/KAZ/indicator/TX.VAL.FUEL.ZS.UN?format=json&mrv=1
  8. World Bank, "Ores and metals exports (% of merchandise exports): Kazakhstan", 2025. https://api.worldbank.org/v2/country/KAZ/indicator/TX.VAL.MMTL.ZS.UN?format=json&mrv=1
  9. National Bank of Kazakhstan, home page, 2026. https://www.nationalbank.kz/en
  10. Government for Citizens State Corporation, "Registration of legal entities" FAQ, 2026. https://gov4c.kz/en/top-questions/registration-of-legal-entities/
  11. Astana International Financial Centre, home page, 2026. https://aifc.kz/
  12. Astana Hub, home page, 2026. https://astanahub.com/en/

For illustration only. Names are fictional and ideas hypothetical; sourced facts are real but may be out of date. Nothing here is legal, financial or professional advice, and Yash Khatri is not personally liable for any use of it. Read the full disclaimer.