BI EdTech Challenge 2025: Startups for the Future of Education

On June 13–14, Astana hosted the Demo Day of the BI EdTech Challenge 2025, organized by BI Education in partnership with the venture fund Activate VC. The initiative brought together startups and companies from Kazakhstan, Central Asia, the UK, Israel, and the USA to find and implement innovative solutions in the field of education.

Over the course of a few weeks, the competition gathered 70 applications from 6 countries, with 14 projectsreaching the final to present their solutions to experts and investors.

Why does BI Education need startups?

CEO of BI Education, Madi Kargin , noted that the main goal of the program is to bridge the quality gap in education between major cities and the regions of Kazakhstan:

"Our global goal is to provide every student with an education that meets world standards. To achieve this, we must implement concrete initiatives and innovative solutions. BI EdTech Challenge is a dialogue between schools, startups, the government, and the private sector."

Head of Corporate Innovation & Startup Ecosystem at BI Group, Dilyara Karzhauova , emphasized the company's strategic priority:

"We are looking for teams ready to implement and scale effective solutions that strengthen BI Group's products and processes. The BI EdTech Challenge is part of the systematic work to develop the company's technological ecosystem."

What solutions did startups present?

The finalists presented projects in the following areas:

• artificial intelligence and personalized learning,
• digital security and online proctoring,
• inclusion and speech recognition,
• automation of exams and olympiads,
• STEM and digital skills.

Special attention from experts was given to:

• Soile AI — a system that recognizes speech defects and helps children with communication difficulties;
• Oqylyq.kz — a digital platform for fair and transparent conduct of exams and olympiads;
• MUGALIM AI, Repetino, Smartsprep — solutions in the field of AI-driven learning and student preparation.

What awaits the winners?

The five best startups will continue their collaboration with BI Education: in the coming months, they will enter negotiations regarding pilot projects in the company's schools and kindergartens. Furthermore, venture investments and long-term partnerships with BI Group are also possible.

CIO of BI Education, Ilyas Sartayev , noted:

"BI EdTech Challenge is our first experience of systematic interaction with startups in the education sector. We are not just selecting projects; we are sharing our expertise, helping teams to grow. And this is just the beginning: there are many more initiatives and formats ahead for the startup community."

BI EdTech Challenge 2025 has demonstrated that Kazakhstan and the region have strong EdTech teams ready to create world-class products. For BI Education, such partnerships are an opportunity to achieve strategic goals faster: to implement innovations, strengthen the educational ecosystem, and open new horizons for student