Kazakh startup Beksar to expand into Middle East and North Africa
Kazakh startup Beksar attracted 305 thousand US dollars of investments at the pre-seed stage, confirming its potential and innovative approach in retail automation with a total project estimate of 4.8 million US dollars, Kazinform News Agency reports.
As the product designers said, Beksar is a solution for small and medium-sized businesses in digitalizing stores. The startup's clients are shops focused on fashion and retail. Now, Beksar has strategized to expand into the Middle East and North Africa, with plans including software translation to other languages and launching an advertising campaign.
Our future plans involve scaling into neighboring countries, and eventually, we aim to expand into MENA countries. The foundation we've built in Kazakhstan is well-suited for operating in foreign markets, and the user-friendly interface we've developed is adaptable for both tech-savvy youth and older individuals. They can easily adapt and start using the program within 15 minutes, making their first sales. Just three months ago, we began testing this market and received very positive feedback. Almost daily, we've been receiving around a dozen applications from the United Arab Emirates alone, said Maksat Bektibayev, CEO OF Beksar startup.
According to the creators, they experimented with various software systems as entrepreneurs before. However, after unsuccessful options, they developed the necessary program themselves. Thus, the startup emerged from a market need. Previously, the startup was honored at the International Digital Forum in Astana as the fastest-growing startup. Now, over 2,700 stores across Kazakhstan have already been connected to their system.
Asset Begaliyev, CFO of Beksar Startup, said that having now 2,700 customers, the next main goal is to reach 10,000 customers in Kazakhstan. Then, the next step will be to go abroad.
We have three stages in this direction: first, we will might be going to nearby countries: Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan, next the Caucasus countries, and in 1-2 years it might be the countries of Arab region we go, he said.
