As part of the AI & Digital Bridge 2026 international technology forum, the winners of the annual AI & Digital Bridge Awards 2026 were announced. The awards recognize the best projects, companies, and teams that have contributed to the development of artificial intelligence, digital technologies, and digital transformation.
The award ceremony took place on October 3, on the final day of AI & Digital Bridge 2026. The ceremony was attended by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Olzhas Bektenov, who addressed the forum participants and presented awards to the winners of the AI & Digital Bridge Awards 2026.
In his speech, Olzhas Bektenov highlighted the development of Kazakhstan’s digital infrastructure, the introduction of artificial intelligence into the real sector of the economy, and the significance of international technological cooperation. The Prime Minister also emphasized the role of AI & Digital Bridge as a platform bringing together the government, business, technology companies, investors, and the international expert community.
An international perspective on the development of Kazakhstan’s technological ecosystem was presented by the ceremony participants:Sebastian Kurz,Co-Founder and President of Dream, former Federal Chancellor of Austria;Timur Turlov,CEO of Freedom Holding Corp.;Jamie Beaton, Founder of Crimson Education; andAlex Mashrabov,Co-Founder and CEO of Higgsfield AI.
“This is my third visit to Kazakhstan over the past 12 months, and it is no coincidence. Kazakhstan is among the leaders in digitalization, IT, and artificial intelligence. The country is becoming a technological hub thanks to the development of AI infrastructure, supercomputers, its own language model, Data Center Valley, and the digitalization of public services. In the technological race between the US and China, it is especially important that there are countries like Kazakhstan that are at the forefront and can at the same time serve as a bridge between East and West,” said Sebastian Kurz, Co-Founder and President of Dream, former Federal Chancellor of Austria.
Timur Turlovcontinued the discussion on the opportunities that AI development opens up for Kazakhstan and businesses.
“A new window of opportunity is opening up for Kazakhstan right now—this time in artificial intelligence. Project by project, Kazakhstan is securing its place on the global AI map, no longer as an observer, but as a full-fledged participant in the AI race. The architecture of digital transformation has already been established. The task for business is to fill it with content and be a reliable partner to the state. We will walk the path of AI transformation together,” emphasizedTimur Turlov, CEO of Freedom Holding Corp.
Jamie Beatonspoke about Kazakhstan’s potential as a platform for developing a new generation of technology entrepreneurs.
“The government of Kazakhstan plays a significant role in shaping a new generation of entrepreneurs, and Kazakhstan’s entrepreneurs are well-positioned to first scale up regionally, attract global venture capital, and then enter the global market. Kazakhstan’s strong international ties can serve as a powerful launchpad for technology companies. The country has strong energy resources, government support, and an educational system—essential conditions for development in the AI era,” said Jamie Beaton, Founder of Crimson Education.
Against this backdrop, the AI & Digital Bridge Awards recognize specific projects and teams that are already developing digital solutions and bringing them to market.
In 2026, awards were presented in seven categories: GovTech Project of the Year, EdTech Project of the Year, Startup of the Year, Corporate AI Transformation of the Year, International Breakthrough of the Year, VC of the Year, and Creative Industry Project of the Year.
The selection process took place in two stages. First, a shortlist of five nominees in each category was compiled using artificial intelligence technologies. The finalists were then submitted to an online jury vote, which determined the winners.
The winners of the AI & Digital Bridge Awards 2026 are:
- GovTech Project of the Year — eGov.GPT, National Information Technologies JSC (NIT JSC)
- EdTech Project of the Year — GoPrep, Aleem Labs LLP
- Startup of the Year — Rette (Defect AI);
- Corporate AI Transformation of the Year — Aventa, QazCode;
- International Breakthrough of the Year — Higgsfield AI, Higgsfield Ltd.;
- VC of the Year — MA7 Ventures;
- Creative Industry Project of the Year — ōzen, «OZEN XO» LLP.
The award winners represent various sectors of the technology economy—from digital public services and education to healthcare, corporate AI, the venture capital market, and the creative industries.
One example of a technology project created in Kazakhstan and expanding into global markets is Higgsfield AI, which received the International Breakthrough of the Year award.
“Over these past three days, we have seen that Astana has become a hub attracting leading global technology leaders. At Higgsfield, we are building this bridge in the opposite direction—from Kazakhstan to the world. We have created a product that has entered the global generative media market. And our main resource is not models or products, but the people and talent from Kazakhstan. It is especially important to me that today we are bringing talent back to Kazakhstan to build Higgsfield together with us from Kazakhstan. Astana Hub has created a foundation that allows us to build an international technology leader from Kazakhstan to international standards. We became Kazakhstan’s first AI unicorn primarily thanks to the ecosystem and the conditions created here. And we believe this is just the first example—other unicorns will follow,” emphasized Alex Mashrabov, Co-Founder and CEO of Higgsfield AI.
Thus, the AI & Digital Bridge Awards 2026 brought together winners from various segments of Kazakhstan’s technology ecosystem—GovTech, EdTech, HealthTech, generative AI, venture capital, and the creative industries.
Concluding the ceremony, Olzhas Bektenov outlined the next priority: transitioning from individual technological solutions to their large-scale implementation across the economy.
“The next stage is the large-scale rollout of technologies that have proven their effectiveness, as well as the introduction of new technologies and digital standards into our economy. To achieve this, the state, the scientific community, and international technology companies must join forces. Digital Bridge serves precisely as a platform that will strengthen ties between business partners. More than 60 new agreements were signed this year,” said Prime Minister of the Republic of Kazakhstan Olzhas Bektenov.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 took place in Astana from October 1 to 3, bringing together representatives of government, business, technology companies, startups, investors, and the international expert community.
The organizers of AI & Digital Bridge 2026 are the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Astana Hub, and the Akimat of Astana.
AI & Digital Bridge 2026 is made possible through the support of the forum’s partners and sponsors. All forum expenses are covered by sponsorship funds.
Gold Partners: Freedom Bank, Kaspi Bank, Samruk-Kazyna JSC, and Kazakhtelecom JSC. Silver Partner: Halyk Bank. Business Partner: Beeline Kazakhstan. Bronze Partner: Yandex Qazaqstan. Telecom Partner: Freedom Telecom Operations LLP. Technology Partner: Transtelecom JSC. Official Airline Partner: Air Astana.
