Kazakhstan Opens Al-Farabi Innovation Hub in Riyadh

A joint project between Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia, the Al-Farabi Innovation Hub has newly opened in Riyadh. As reported on March 5th by the Kazakh Ministry of Digital Development, Innovation and Aerospace Industry, the role of the Hub is to attract talented entrepreneurs and innovative start-ups from Kazakhstan to Saudi Arabia and support their relocation and growth in the region by providing seed investment from the Tumar Venture Fund as well as incubation and acceleration programs. “Kazakhstan already has experience in growing start-ups,” explained Kazakh minister Bagdat Musin. “Five years ago, we launched the Astana Hub, which has become one of the leading technology parks in Central Asia. We have also engaged global partners such as Google, Draper University, StartX, Microsoft, and the World Bank, to provide access to the best cutting-edge solutions. I believe that the opening of the Hub will allow Kazakhstan and Saudi Arabia to strengthen ties and make a qualitative contribution to economic development.” The Hub’s General Director Aslan Sultanov went on to state, “The Al-Farabi Innovation Hub will complement the infrastructure of the venture industry in Kazakhstan, giving start-ups from Central Asia and the Caucasus the opportunity to expand into Middle East and North Africa (MENA) markets, which comprise almost 493 million people.” The new Hub follows the launch on March 1st, of the Qaz Steppe Innovation Hub in Dubai to promote Kazakh IT services to international markets.