BetterFuture AI Acceleration Program, which set out to accelerate the growth and success of startups in Central Asia and the Caucasus, graduated the first batch of startups with Demo Day.

DOMiNO Ventures announced the first graduates of the BetterFuture AI Acceleration Program. At the Demo Day, 10 AI-based startups from Central Asia and the Caucasus presented their innovative solutions and future potential to investors and ecosystem stakeholders.

The BetterFuture AI Acceleration Program connects entrepreneurs with global opportunities to support AI startups through regular training, mentorship and panel discussions.

Throughout the 8-week intensive program, participants are immersed in a learning experience that includes business, finance, technical, sales, marketing and leadership topics, and meet with mentors and partners from different countries and disciplines to become globally competitive.

Mustafa Kopuk, Managing Partner of DOMiNO Ventures, expressed his excitement about the impact of the program: "We are very happy with the success of the program and the impact that our first batch startups have created, especially in Central Asia and the Caucasus region. This program not only represents our motivation to support startups that offer innovative solutions using AI technology, but also reflects our commitment at DOMiNO Ventures to create impact in the entrepreneurship ecosystem with sustainable solutions."

The program concluded with a demo day where the following startups presented their solutions in front of investors and ecosystem stakeholders:

The BetterFuture AI Acceleration Program, created by DOMiNO Ventures, has announced the successful conclusion of the startup selection phase. After an extensive evaluation process, a select group of promising startups has been chosen to participate in the program.

The extensive 8-week program, which begins on April 25, 2024, is designed to transform AI startups across Central Asia and the Caucasus by providing support and connecting them with global opportunities.

The BetterFuture AI Acceleration Program aims to promote creativity and development in the region’s growing tech ecosystem. The curriculum blends technical, business, and leadership training to equip participating entrepreneurs with the essential skills needed for global competitiveness.

The program proudly welcomes a diverse group of ten startups from across the region, including those from Georgia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Kyrgyzstan:

DOMiNO Ventures introduces the “Better Future Goals” to pioneer sustainability objectives for startups in AI, Gaming, and Web3

DOMiNO Ventures, which invests in startups with the vision of creating DOMiNO Effect for Better Future, aims not only financial success but also social and environmental impact with its investments in innovative startups in Türkiye, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. The early-stage venture capital fund, which invests in Artificial Intelligence, Gaming, and Web3, announced its approach to Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles within the framework of the "Better Future Goals" (BFGs), which focuses on 8 of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Sustainable Steps with Better Future Goals (BFGs)

With the "Better Future Goals" framework, DOMiNO Ventures focuses on eight different areas among those covered by 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) announced by the United Nations. At the intersection of innovative technologies and innovative thinking, DOMiNO Ventures aims to create benefit for society and the world in the areas of Good Health and Well-being (SDG3), Gender Equality (SDG5), Affordable and Clean Energy (SDG7), Decent Work and Economic Growth (SDG8), Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG9), Reducing Inequalities (SDG10), Responsible Consumption and Production (SDG12) and Climate Action (SDG13) through its strategy and investments. This framework ensures that the fund not only supports startups that create technological transformation in the market but also accelerates the success of startups that offer ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable solutions.

A New Perspective on Investments with ESG Principles

DOMiNO Ventures wants to increase its positive impact by shaping its investment processes according to ESG principles and SDGs. This approach includes a detailed ESG policy which includes reducing environmental impact and supporting societal improvement while aiming for financial, social & environmental performance in the startups invested in. DOMiNO Ventures guides investors and startups to develop sustainable business models with the ESG Guidebook they prepared and also conducts due diligence processes that evaluate the compliance of potential investments with ESG criteria. Also, DOMiNO Ventures measures and reports startups' performance scores on ESG by providing an assessment form that evaluates how startups integrate ESG principles into their business models and operations. This assessment form provides startups with a clear roadmap to achieve their sustainability goals.

Investing in the Future: Sustainability-Driven Transformation

Mustafa Kopuk, Managing Partner of DOMiNO Ventures, expresses their motivation in the following words: "Our goal is to support and be one of the pioneers of global technology entrepreneurship based on ESG principles and contributing to sustainability. As DOMiNO, the role of the investor is not only to provide capital to startups but also to guide them to grow sustainably and ethically. In this context, we have prepared guiding materials for Artificial Intelligence, Web3, and Gaming startups in our focus area. We aim to make a real difference by supporting our startups at every step to embrace their environmental and social responsibilities to contribute to a more sustainable world for future generations."

"Hedefimiz, ESG (Çevresel, Sosyal ve Yönetişim) prensiplerine dayanan ve sürdürülebilirliğe katkıda bulunan global teknoloji girişimciliğini desteklemek ve öncülerinden biri olmak. DOMiNO olarak, yatırımcının rolünün girişimlere sadece sermaye sağlamak değil, aynı zamanda girişimlerin sürdürülebilir ve etik değerlerle büyümesine rehberlik etmek olduğuna inanıyoruz. Bu kapsamda odak alanımıza giren Yapay Zeka, Web3 ve Oyun girişimleri için rehber niteliğinde çalışmalar yayınladık. Girişimlerimizin gelecek nesillere yaşanabilir bir dünya bırakmak için çevresel ve sosyal sorumluluklarına sahip çıkmasını her adımda destekleyerek, gerçek bir fark yaratmayı hedefliyoruz."

BetterFuture AI Acceleration Program is offering support and global opportunities with a holistic approach to transform Central Asian startups.

DOMiNO Ventures, a Dutch-based early-stage venture capital firm investing in AI, Gaming and Web3 tech startups while supporting innovation and growth in the region, announces the launch of its BetterFuture AI Acceleration Program. DOMiNO Ventures strategically invests in startups while providing mentorship to the regional tech ecosystem on the international stage.

The BetterFuture AI Acceleration program aims to catalyze growth and innovation within the startup ecosystem of the region with the support of Westminister University, Creative Business Network, Astana HUB, IT Park Uzbekistan, SABAH HUB, TRAI and many other partners. Over 8 weeks, participating entrepreneurs will go through intensive training designed to equip them with both hard and soft skills essential for success in today's competitive startup ecosystem.

The BetterFuture Acceleration program offers numerous advantages such as; equity investment opportunities, access to a wide range of global investors, gain a valuable skill set to be used in the global startup arena, and become a part of a strong alumni network.

Impact with BetterFuture Acceleration

BetterFuture AI Acceleration program offers a unique blend of resources, support, and opportunities designed to accelerate the growth and success of startups in the region, making it an attractive option for early-stage startup founders looking to make a significant impact in the fast-paced AI field.

The program is curated with a global focus and bridges the gap for regional startups, equipping them with the necessary tools and connections to achieve global growth. Through the program, participants gain valuable knowledge, resources, and networks to navigate the international market and reach their full potential on the global stage.

Holistic Mentorship Experience

The program offers startups access to a diverse and experienced global mentorship network. Mentors with complementary backgrounds provide comprehensive guidance, covering technical, business, and strategic aspects. Through this extensive program, entrepreneurs will gain the technical know-how as well as the critical interpersonal and leadership abilities needed to successfully navigate the obstacles of entrepreneurship.

Applications for the program are now open via the website. This exceptional opportunity is open to all AI startups from Central Asia and the Caucasus region, offering them the tools, knowledge, and connections needed to discover their global potential.

Gamer Arena, which offers e-sports tournaments, competitive mobile games, and artificial intelligence products through its GAU ecosystem, has received investment from DOMiNO Ventures with a $6 Million valuation.

Turkey's largest competitive gaming platform Gamer Arena, aims to expand the scope of token usage within the Blockchain-based GAU Token ecosystem with the investment from DOMiNO Ventures, offering innovative AI-supported products to its users.

Gamer Arena, Turkey's first and only competitive gaming platform, plans to use this investment to develop new AI-based products and expand the usage areas of GAU Token. The platform organizes tournaments for more than 30 games such as FIFA, Clash Royale, PUBG, which are popular worldwide, and offers users the opportunity to compete one-on-one through self-developed games. The games, which can be accessed via both web and mobile platforms, operate entirely on GAU Token infrastructure; thus, users can earn GAU Tokens by playing games. With over 700 tournaments and more than 500,000 members, Gamer Arena stands as the region's largest competitive platform.

Gamer Arena, a technology company, focuses on developing innovative products in areas such as artificial intelligence and Web3 that go beyond the competitive gaming platform. By utilizing the GAU Token infrastructure to launch these new products, the company aims to expand the utility and value of GAU Token. These strategic moves by Gamer Arena aim to elevate its current success in the competitive gaming space even further.

PointAI, provides AI-powered e-commerce support experiences to increase customer satisfaction and enable businesses to easily access solutions.

PointAI, a pioneering AI startup based in Central Asia, has secured its first investment from DOMiNO Ventures, PLUG&PLAY, and Aloqa Ventures. Specializing in artificial intelligence-powered chatbot services, PointAI aims to revolutionize customer support experiences for businesses, facilitating easy access to solutions and driving customer satisfaction.

Founded in 2023 in Uzbekistan by Azamat Khamidov and Aslkhon Khoshimkhujaev, PointAI has gained a strong position among its competitors in the market, with 70% Support cost reduction, 94% customer satisfaction score and $100,000 in annual savings. Azamat’s expertise in driving growth for B2B SaaS startups through data-driven strategies and Aslkhon’s extensive experience in software engineering, particularly in machine learning and data science, makes them an exceptionally passionate team.

PointAI's co-pilot is designed to empower support agents, enabling them to focus on unique, complex problems instead of repetitive tasks. It increases efficiency by automating standard queries and allows teams to spend more time delivering personalized, high-quality customer service at no additional cost. By automating routine inquiries, teams can unlock personalized, high-quality customer service at scale and without extra cost. The system can parse complex questions, seek clarification when needed, and engage in natural conversation with customers, empowering teams to focus on intricate issues with this chatbot service.

Azamat Khamidov, stated, "As PointAI, our goal is to continue to create new possibilities for artificial intelligence chatbot services for the needs of e-commerce companies and to increase customer satisfaction. With this investment, PointAI will continue to grow and strengthen its position in the new markets"

Mustafa Kopuk, the Managing Partner of DOMiNO Ventures, expressed optimism about their second investment in Central Asia, stating, "Uzbekistan's vibrant startup ecosystem presents exciting opportunities for innovation and growth. We believe that PointAI's success reflects the immense potential of the region's entrepreneurs to drive positive change and create value. By supporting promising startups like PointAI, we aim to contribute to the development of Uzbekistan's startup ecosystem."

Human resources management platform, idenfit, has successfully completed its round of investment by raising $1,5 million.

The $1.5 million investment round was led by DOMiNO Ventures, Turkey Development Fund, StartersHub, Datassist, Ersoy Kiraz and Baris Cakmakci. The venture aims to use this investment to support the company's goals of accelerating its growth globally and developing its product platform.

Idenfit stands out with its human resources software which saves time for human resources departments by gathering all HR processes from A to Z on a single platform, focuses on managing HR processes such as shift management, leave and performance.

Nazım Onur Bayındır, founder of idenfit, stated that they are happy to join forces to create a global human resources and workforce management platform and that they will continue their work with excitement.

Idenfit brings a holistic approach to human resources management and enables HR departments to manage all processes on a single platform. idenfit brings practicality to HR processes in a wide range from time and shift management to leave and performance. Thus, it promises profitability, customer satisfaction and transparency to companies.

Yağız Karadeniz, Managing Director of DOMiNO Ventures, highlighted that “We find the work of the idenfit team very valuable. idenfit will greatly reduce the workload and expenditure in HR departments. As DOMiNO Ventures, we will continue to invest in startups with fast growth potential in global markets. We always stand by entrepreneurs with our fund and our competent team, which we established to contribute to the success of visionary startups."

AI solution provider in visual data processing and analysis, Cognitive, has successfully completed its second round of investment by raising $1,050,000.

Cognitiwe has successfully closed another investment round with an investment of $1,050,000. The investment round, structured with the SAFE Note system, was backed by leading venture capital firms and angel investors including DOMiNO VC, Techone, Eleven Ventures, Flat6Labs and Caucasus VC.

Cognitiwe offers artificial intelligence solutions in the field of visual data processing and analysis. The company was supported in 2021 in an investment round led by TechOne. Since its establishment, Cognitiwe has attracted the attention of a diverse group of investors from different business lines and continues to strengthen globally by securing funding from reputable VCs in different countries.

The company's flagship product Wefresh uses advanced AI and image processing technology to provide retailers with real-time insights and data-driven predictions to optimize business operations. This technology provides companies with key insights in areas such as quality control, smart inventory tracking and ensuring product freshness.

Cognitiwe, which also works with Microsoft as a solution partner, combines image processing technology and data from IoT systems with AI. Unlike traditional image processing applications, Cognitiwe's approach offers effective inventory planning with proactive control.

Attila Algan, Co-Founder and CEO of Cognitiwe, expressed his gratitude for the support they received from the investors and said, "We are excited by the support of these esteemed investors who share our vision. This funding will allow us to position Cognitiwe as a leader in AI-powered image processing technologies in the global market. While perfecting our product, we have focused on the infrastructure necessary to become a global player. We have signed contracts with local partners and global sales networks in many different regions around the world, giving us significant visibility in regions ranging from South America to Australia, the Middle East to Europe. With the closing of our new investment round, we will focus on strengthening our team and focusing on more intensive activities to reach customers.

As Cognitiwe expands into new markets as a global player in the retail industry, it seems to have added another important milestone to its journey with this financing round.

GoDays, which offers personalized recommendations to prevent mental health problems and work-related burnout among employees who work on computers, has received investment from DOMiNO Ventures, 500 Startups, ChocoFamily, and Aloqa Ventures with a $5 Million valuation.

With the increasing awareness among employees and corporate management in recent years, GoDays, a Kazakhstan-based company operating in the rapidly growing "Corporate Wellness" sector, was founded in 2021 by Yelnur Kai. GoDays predicts employees' psychological burnout conditions using its artificial intelligence-supported analytic tool, aiming to prevent negative situations and improve employee experience. With its developed technology, the company received an investment of $600,000 from DOMiNO Ventures, 500 Startups, ChocoFamily, and Aloqa Ventures, reaching a post-investment valuation of $5 million.

Having succeeded in acquiring major clients in Kazakhstan, GoDays, headquartered in USA, aims to improve the employee experience for banks or large corporations operating on an international scale. While increasing their market share in the Kazakhstan market, they also aim to expand into Europe, Japan, South Korea, and other Central Asian countries.

GoDays analyzes keyboard usage behaviors to measure and predict employees' levels of burnout, thereby preempting potential negative situations and enhancing employee performance efficiency and productivity by offering recommendations for workflow processes. With the growing interest in recent years in improving employee experience, GoDays distinguishes itself from other ventures from various countries operating in this field by collecting personally identifiable information. This approach allows GoDays to offer more advanced, customizable, and effective interventions, providing the startup a competitive advantage.

Mustafa Kopuk, Founder and Managing Partner of DOMiNO Ventures, said the following regarding the investment: "In 2023, we expanded our portfolio by making 11 new investments in globally focused technology startups in the areas of artificial intelligence, gaming, and Web3. We observed that the economic growth and technological development in Central Asia in recent years have created an environment that supports entrepreneurship, and we conducted an intensive discovery and evaluation process for ventures in this region.

This investment is a significant step towards achieving our goals in Central Asia and is part of our strategy to capture opportunities in the region at an early stage. We aim to make more investments in 2024 and support the ventures in our portfolio to become significant players in the global market."

AI based energy management platform Lumian has raised its first investment with a valuation of $3.2M.

Lumian which reduces companies' costs by increasing their energy efficiency with its AI based platform has raised a pre-seed investment from DOMiNO Ventures and strategic investor İsmail Ferhat Özlü.

Lumian has established in April 2023 by Batu Balkır and Emre Birol and quickly flipped up its headquarters to the United States. The start-up, utilizing an IoT-based SaaS platform along with sophisticated AI technology, offers deep insights into energy provisioning, bill analysis, and energy efficiency. Offering its services to leading Turkish companies such as Pakmaya, Tebplast-Rosti, Polmar, Balorman, Gençler Kablo, and Başoğlu Kablo, Lumian has been pivotal in offering its clients rapid returns on their investments, achieving more than fourfold benefits.

Lumian analyzes companies' energy consumption patterns and offers optimal tariff options for businesses. Integrated with a range of industrial devices and Automated Meter Reading Systems (AMRS), the startup empowers facilities with efficient energy consumption analysis and optimization through its SaaS and IoT-powered software.

The software developed by Lumian is up and running in less than five minutes with no additional hardware cost required. It offers comprehensive energy management services such as real-time energy usage monitoring, billing analysis, verification, tariff recommendations, regulation notifications and detailed reporting. In addition, IoT-enabled software enables custom device tracking in scenarios involving hardware costs.

Operating in Turkey and Germany, Lumian aims to increase its sales volume both in Turkey and global markets with the new investment from DOMiNO Ventures and energy sector expert İsmail Ferhat Özlü.

Batu Balkır, one of the co-founders, said: "The strategic pre-seed investment will play a crucial role in executing Lumian's growth strategies. Our energy efficiency solutions are versatile, suitable for a wide range of applications from industrial facilities to commercial organizations and are poised to make a significant contribution to sustainability."

Green fintech startup igor, which provides banking and payment infrastructure services, has secured an investment at a valuation of USD 8.5 million.

Igor, a green fintech startup which provides banking and payment infrastructure services, has raised an investment at a valuation of USD 8.5 million. The startup aims to calculate carbon footprints and develop solutions to offset them.

Sustainable finance technology startup igor has raised investment from leading venture capital funds, corporates and individual investors, especially DOMiNO Ventures, Aegean Ventures, and Fikir Evi Araştırma Geliştirme ve Danışmalık A.Ş. igor, which focuses on providing innovative and integrated financial services on a single platform, aims to create a platform where users can make their payments 24/7 with open banking features and access all their bank accounts on a single screen, along with its developed solutions with value-added virtual and physical payment services infrastructure. In addition, the startup aims to provide services in the sustainability field by offering solutions to users to calculate and offset their carbon footprints.

Igor is on a mission to raise awareness about climate change, meet the need for access to green financial services, and provide innovative solutions. The startup aims to track environmental impact, automate transactions, and create more efficient markets by developing new technologies and using cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence. It is also creating new opportunities for green fintech by taking advantage of the growth of the green economy. Regulations are expected to become more widespread in the financial markets where the startup operates in order to promote green fintech services. These regulations create a framework that supports igor's ability to offer sustainable financial solutions. igor aims to consolidate its leadership in providing sustainable financial solutions to its users by taking advantage of these positive trends in the green fintech field. In addition to being a financial technology provider, igor also has a strong team dynamic on the sustainability side. The team, with its long industry experience in areas such as finance, risk management, and sustainability, makes significant contributions to the company's success. The startup, which wants to expand its services with its mission of providing sustainable financial solutions by emphasizing the importance of green fintech to its users, aims to reach the global market in the second quarter of 2024.

“We aim to bring a green breath to the fintech world.”

Kamil Güçlü, former Group Vice President of Oracle EMEA and Co-founder of igor, shared the igor's future vision: “Our goal at igor is to make financial processes more accessible and sustainable. While enabling our users to participate more actively in the financial world, we are reinforcing our understanding of environmental responsibility with our green finance solutions. We believe that the financial sector has the potential to create a positive change for our world, not only to generate profits.”

Cineshort aims for users to have a pleasant time during the day with carefully selected short films that can fit into their short time. TechOne VC, DOMiNO Ventures, Twozero Ventures, Headline Oryx I, Aegean Ventures, and Powerhouse participated in Cineshort’s first investment round.

Rich Content Archive

Cineshort brings users together with short and thematic films through its mobile application, 94% of which are global content. The platform offers Turkish, English, and Spanish subtitles for all its films. Functional features such as Offline Mode and My List/Watch Later are also among the features offered by Cineshort. Users can easily access the content they are looking for according to their mood, the type of movie, and the time they want to watch with the filter option. Cineshort aims to differentiate itself from major VOD platforms and competitors with its content and revenue model, transfers 70% of its revenues to the film director and producer. Cineshort purposes to create a content-rich pool, has included more than 650 directors’ films from 92 countries on the platform since its establishment.

Target is To Grow in The Global Market with a New Investment Round!

Developing skill-based games for children and allowing parents to monitor and track children’s progress with the help of their dashboard, njoyKidz received $525.000 investment from DOMiNO Ventures, Anibera, AngelEffect, Aegean Ventures, and Mustafa Serdar Arıkan with the lead of by WePlay Ventures over a $5 M post-money valuation.

njoyKidz develops ad-free, safe, fun, and mobile educational games for kids focused on cognitive ability development. Founded by Utku Bozkurt in October 2021, njoyKidz develops ad-free, safe, fun, and mobile educational games focused on cognitive ability development for children between the ages of 2-9. njoyKidz, develop all its games with the pedagogical advisory team’s suggestions and recommendations. The games have based on five primary abilities: memory, creativity, problem-solving, socialization, attention, and 18 sub-ability categories. Also, thanks to the parent dashboard, parents can instantly view all notable statistics and analytics about their children’s performance. Parents can examine how much progress their children have made in primary and sub-skill categories and how much time they spend in njoyKidz games, with comparative data considering the users’ ages through the dashboard.

Aim to be one of the most important game studios in the world in the field of children’s games.

njoyKidz will continoue developing games of important animation and cartoon characters. njoyKidz aims to become one of the most important game studios around the globe in children’s games by doing partnerships with well-known children brands and IP’s. They are planning to reach millions of children and to offer them a safe and fun game platform by developing 75 games in 1 year. njoyKidz’s mid-term plans include becoming one of the leading publishers in the field.

Atlas Space, which enables realistic business and social events for companies with the Metaverse universe it has developed, raised investment from DOMiNO Ventures. Atlas Space Metaverse Universe and NFT Marketplace With the Metaverse Universe it has developed, Atlas Space enables companies to carry out realistic business and non-business social events. It aims to solve problems such as lack of social interaction, lack of internal communication and inefficiency, which are seen as the main problems of the concept of working from home, which is on the rise with the pandemic and is expected to be permanent. Atlas Space, which can work in integration with virtual and augmented reality technologies, can fully respond to the customizable needs of customers in line with their needs. Atlas Space, which has its own blockchain network and tokenomics system, distinguishes itself from its peers with its “real life utility” feature thanks to the NFT market. In addition, users can use their own three-dimensional avatars within the Atlas Space Metaverse universe.

Target is To Grow in The Global Market with a New Investment Round!

Continuing to grow with a strong momentum in a short period of 5 months, Atlas Space continues to provide services to more than 25 companies in 6 countries. Atlas Space, which derives the majority of its revenue from the global market, achieved an growth rate of 110% in the 2nd quarter of 2022. Atlas Space, which wants to grow its team with competent and professional employees while continuing to grow in the global market, will continue its work faster after the investment. Atlas Space, which will establish an office in Paris and Berlin with the new investment it has raised, aims to strengthen its operations in the USA and North America and to position itself in the market more strongly. In addition, the product development process aims to be one of the important players in the Metaverse universe by continuing to implement global sales and marketing strategies.