KBTU Startup Incubator - go all the way from Idea to MVP

About KBTU Startup Incubator

Our goal is help the development of youth startup projects in the field of high technology and information technology from idea to successful business.

Our mission is to ensure the contribution of KBTU to the development of the industrial and innovative system of the Republic of Kazakhstan by supporting technological startups and the initial stages of venture transactions.

The incubator is a project office and carries out activities to implement innovative ideas and projects of the community of students and graduates of Kazakh-British Technical University JSC (hereinafter “KBTU”) in the field of IT technology.

The startup incubator operates on the basis of the Faculty of Information Technology (hereinafter FIT). Our task is to administer and organize the work processes of the Incubator.

The incubator was created on the basis of the Order of the Rector of KBTU JSC No. 8-P dated 01/18/2016 and is regulated by the Regulation on the work of the Incubator and the Development Strategy.

Contacts

Vladimir
Telegram: @KokTis
WhatsApp: Just Click
E-mail: v.popov(at)kbtu.kz

Advantage of the KBTU Startup Incubator

The feature of our Incubator is that it was created on the basis of the best technical university in the region. The largest number of successful global startups were created by students of the best technical universities in the world. Now, students and graduates of KBTU have the opportunity to realize their idea within the walls of their native university and create their own company both for the market of Kazakhstan and the whole world. The Internet and technology businesses today erase the boundaries of the market. For this, the KBTU Incubator creates the necessary conditions.

Training program of KBTU Startup Incubator provides the following features:

Create a prototype of personal idea and test it at KBTU partner enterprises.

Working space and technical resources.

Find additional members to your startup team, for example sales specialist or programmer.

Find a successful business-model for your product.

Get technical assistance in product development from experienced professionals.

Advice on legal, financial and administrative matters of doing business.

Find your mentor and regularly communicate with experts.

Meet potential clients or investors and attract investments or funds for the implementation of the project.

Exchange of experience with other startup teams.

Establish contacts with KBTU graduates in the offices of Facebook, Google, Twitter and other companies in Silicon Valley.

Selection procedure

Only applications from students and graduates of KBTU are accepted for consideration. Participation is free, a prerequisite - the startup team must include a student, undergraduate, graduate or employee of KBTU.

Stage 1. Apply.

Stage 2. The Incubator team will prepare the projects for consideration by the Incubator Expert Council and inform you of the admission to further participation.

Stage 3. Selection of applications by the Expert and Investment Committee of the Incubator. Publication of the results.

Selection criteria

KBTU cooperates with AstanaHub, MOST Business Incubator and AKF PIT Techgarden. Projects are being selected in the following areas:

Robotics

Power supply

Security systems

Industry automation

Education

Ecology

Mobile Technologies

E commerce

Big Data

Internet of Things

Smart house

Smart city

Deadline

The deadline for submitting applications to the KBTU Incubator is 1 week before the start of the flow. Beginning of applications starts 2 months before the start of the semester

During the admission period, each applicant can ask questions, discuss the prospects of his idea, and most importantly, prepare an application in the form of a completed presentation template with the Incubator team at the above contacts. In fact, this is already the preparation of a startup.

FAQ

1. I don't have an idea, but I want to do something, how can you help?

Answer: Come to our guest lectures and open days, maybe you will find your idea. Follow the calendar of events of the announcements of our Incubator.

2. What can I read about startups to understand what it is and whether it is mine at all?

Answer: Guy Kawasaki «Startup»
Jason Fried «Rework»
Eric Ries «Lean Startup»
Mike Mikalowitz «Profit first»
Chris Guillebeau «100$ startup»
Steve Blank «The startup owner's manual»
Ash Maurya «Running Lean»
Ben Horowitz «The Hard Thing About Hard Things»
Peter Thiel «Zero to one»
Rob Fitzpatrick «The mom test»

3. What are the conditions of the incubator?

Answer: The incubator provides free training and the provision of its resources to a startup to create a prototype or test its ideas. Upon completion of the incubation program, based on the decision of the Investment Committee, the startup team will be offered funding and the creation of a joint company. The incubator will receive a share of 30% of the newly created company. 70% of the company's share will belong to the startup team.

4. You will steal my idea! How will my idea be protected?

Answer: We will sign an agreement with each resident, everything will be agreed there. But in general, the idea itself is nothing, its implementation is everything.

5. I have the opportunity to submit my idea to other startup incubators, how are you different?

Answer: First, you are student of KBTU and this is your native incubator. Second, we attract the best experts who have real practice. Only practice, only hardcore. Third, the leaders of many companies and corporations are friends with us, and we can help you with the first contracts of your startup.

6. What are the monetary obligations for completing the incubation program?

Answer: None. Moreover, after consideration, we will provide funds for the implementation of the product prototype.

7. How much real money will you give to my startup?

Answer: Zero. All funds will be allocated only in the form of financial costs of KBTU for the development of the project. But startups after the release are given a chance to get investment from the Investment Committee. KBTU cooperates with many investors and venture funds that are ready to provide from $ 10,000 to $ 500,000.

8. What financing can I expect?

Answer: On the last day of training, a demo day will be held in the Incubator, when startups will present their products to the Investment Committee and invited investors. The investment committee decides on financing a startup. The amount of financing will be determined depending on the necessary funds for the successful development of the enterprise during the first half of the year.

9. What is the studying schedule at the Incubator?

Answer: The first season of operation of the Incubator will be held within 4 months (April-July). See this section for more details: «Program»

10. If I got admitted to the Incubator, won't it harm my grades?

Answer: It will depend only on you. Academic performance of our students is a priority for us. The training schedule for the Incubator will be flexible and take into account the training schedule at KBTU.

11. Does incubator training count as pofessional practice?

Answer: Not yet. The process of coordination with deans.

12. My teachers / parents forbid me to do anything other than study, but I want to join the Incubator, what should I do?

Answer: Invite teachers to actively participate in the life of the Incubator and they will understand that in fact we have one goal. Show them the books you read. Tell your parents about Mark Zuckerberg and watch the movie “Social Network” with them. Tell them how Whatsapp was created in the end and how much this startup costs now.

13. I’m not a students of KBTU, but I want to join the Incubator with my project, what can I do?

Answer: Find and invite a student of KBTU to the team. If you don’t know how, just submit an application, we will help.

14. I came up with an idea, but I don’t have the right team, what to do?

Answer: Come to the consultation, we will discuss. Submit the idea in any case, then we will help to bring other people to the team for its implementation.

15. I don't have an idea, but I'm a cool programmer, I don’t like communicating with people, but I want to be in a startup team, what to do?

Answer: You can join the Incubator, and we will find you a startup team.

16. I have an idea, but I don’t know what and how to fill in your template, what to do?

Answer: Come and chat with the Incubator's team. They will help you prepare.

17. What if my startup was trained at the Incubator, but in the end was not interested in the Investment Committee and was not funded to create a law firm?

Answer: You will not bear any legal obligations to the Incubator. After the release from the Incubator and the refusal of financing by the Investment Committee, you will be entitled to make your decision on creating a company or finding and attracting another investor.

18. What if my startup, while studying at the Incubator, attracted other investors and they are ready to create a joint company or invest in my current company?

Answer: If the startup is currently a resident of the Incubator and the founders have previously signed an agreement on this, then throughout the entire residency, the Incubator has the priority right of investing in a startup. This means that a startup in this case must first offer the Investment Committee to consider its project for the possibility of investing and only after receiving a refusal to conclude similar transactions with other investors.

19. I have an idea and money, can I just pay you for the implementation?

Answer: No. It is not our format.

20. I still have other questions where to contact?

Answer: There are contacts in the upper and lower parts of the site, feel free to contact us.

21. What to do with a startup if you have to spend time on studying?

Answer: Here

Program

Once your idea or project is approved and you become a resident of the KBTU Startup Incubator, you will start attending startup meetings and take an educational program of the School of Technological Entrepreneurship.

What awaits you if you do not give up and reach the victorious end:

Investment in the creation of your company

Maximum PR and media support

Assistance in attracting customers and new investors

Key topics of the program

Search and idea formation
Creation of a business model
Presentation of a business idea
Team creation
Consumer value development
Bootstrapping and attracting first investments
Creating a Minimal Product MVP
Consumer Demand Check
Sales and performance
Branding and Marketing
Competitor study
Venture deals

The practical part of the Incubator's program

You will need to prepare for the difficult but interesting period of your life. In four months we will cover a maximum of information, tasks and objectives, so that by the end you will have a great experience:

• Incubator's team, experts, mentors, all of us will help you to make something working out of your idea - a prototype or test the viability of your idea.
• Each of us will spend our time, resources and thoughts to ensure that you get something valuable.
• You will have to spend almost all of your free time on your project.
• At the same time, you will need to have time to pump out the theory of building a startup - attend lectures, seminars, workshops, conferences, read articles, excerpts from books, listen to online modules.
• You will be surprised that experts do not give specific advice.
• It will bother you that the mentor is not doing your work for you.
• You will be enraged that everybody around only gives advice and no one seems to help
• You will become depressed when you suddenly realize that after such efforts to create a prototype it turned out to be of no interest to anyone and no one wants to use your product, even for free. • You will understand what the phrase “startup does not take off, not because they did not have a product, but because they did not have a client,” means