ALMATY – The Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC) has launched Creative Pitch Day 2026 this July, a pilot initiative designed to connect investors with creative businesses and help transform intellectual property into investable assets. The program is open to companies working in movie, music, game development and digital content creation.
Applicants must hold registered intellectual property rights through Qazpatent, the Madrid System, the Eurasian Patent Organization or other international registration systems, and submit a project pitch deck, reported the center’s press service. Following an initial review by the AIFC, projects will be assessed by a panel of investors based on originality, market potential, commercial viability, ownership of intellectual property and investment readiness.
The investor panel includes representatives from Tolqyn Film Fund, Alem Entertainment, Creative Capital Fund, Creata Ventures Studio and JAS Ventures Capital. Selected participants will present their projects during the final pitching session at the Astana Finance Days 2026 forum on Sept.
9-10, where they will meet venture capital funds, business angels and institutional investors. The initiative comes as Kazakhstan seeks to expand the role of creative industries in its economy. The sector now contributes about 1% of GDP, well below the global average of around 5%, highlighting significant room for growth.
According to government targets, employment in the creative economy is expected to reach 180,000 people by 2029. A 2024 study by the AIFC and Dasco Group found that Kazakhstan is home to more than 40,000 creative businesses, employing over 140,000 people, with roughly two-thirds of these businesses concentrated in Astana and Almaty.
The AIFC said its support framework is based on international best practices and aims to provide legal certainty, transparent transactions and stronger protection for investors financing projects based on intellectual property.