Published
05/07/2026, 12:49At the GITEX AI Central Asia conference in Almaty, the launch of a new investment fund, AP Astana, was announced, which will invest around $30 million in the region’s start-ups and small businesses by 2030.
In Almaty, on the sidelines of the GITEX AI Central Asia conference on 4–5 May 2026, the launch of the AP Astana investment fund was announced as part of the ‘Green and Inclusive Growth’ programme, which aims to finance start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises in Central Asia.
The initiative is being implemented by Accelerate Prosperity in partnership with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The fund has been established to address the lack of funding in the early stages of business development and to support entrepreneurs, including women, young people and people with disabilities, as well as companies in the ‘green’ economy sector.
Investments will primarily be provided at the initial stages of a start-up’s fundraising, focusing on product development and market entry, with plans to support around 110 enterprises by 2030.
Central Asia remains a region with high entrepreneurial potential but limited access to long-term investment capital. The new fund is being established as a tool to attract investment and strengthen the start-up ecosystem.
