West Unaware of Kazakhstan’s Rapid Growth 🇰🇿

I travelled to Astana to find out if the countries we call “emerging” are actually building faster than the ones we call “developed”.

I met with:

- Arsen Tomsky, CEO & Founder of @indrive.official, the world's second most downloaded ride-hailing app after Uber
- Sayasat Nurbek, Minister of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan
- Ibrahim Tashim, CEO of Baibars Venture Studio and advisor to the government

What I found out is that when you’ve had to rebuild your systems and your economy from zero, you don’t move slowly. You build fast, fail fast and start again. Just like a startup.

I always thought terms like emerging or frontier markets were reductive. Because like Kazakhstan, these places aren’t waiting to emerge. They’re already here.

And it’s what gives countries like this an advantage, not in catching up, but in redefining what “developed” even means.

So maybe this episode isn’t a just case study about ambition. Maybe it’s a blueprint for a new kind of progress, one the West might actually need to learn from.

Timestamps:
0:00 - A Capital That Shouldn’t Exist
1:49 - Central Asia: The Region the West Ignores
3:32 - From Silk Road To Dreaming A Tech Hub
4:30 - Arsen Tomsky: The Man Who Took on Uber
9:28 - How Kazakhstan Started Building Startups
11:05 - Inside Astana Hub With Ibrahim Tashim
15:05 - Digital Bridge: Central Asia’s Tech Showcase
16:30 - Digital Kazakhstan: The Government Pivot
17:32 - Can Government Create Innovation? ft. Sayasat Nurbek
24:41 - Is This a Blueprint for the Future?

If you’re new here, In Plain Sight is my show uncovering the business lessons, tech shifts, and global playbooks traditional media often misses. Each episode explores overlooked companies, untapped markets, and bold ideas shaping the future of nations through business and tech.

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