Aybek Kazbekuly, a 20-year-old third-year student at Astana IT University, presented his startup, OneCenter, at the HackAlem AI hackathon in Astana. The platform he is developing aims to automate the operations of educational centers by bringing key business processes together in a single system.
In an interview with Qazinform News Agency correspondent, the young developer shared how a client project evolved into a startup, why educational centers are reluctant to move away from Excel, and how he plans to spend the prize money if his team wins. Aybek, could you tell us about the idea behind your project, OneCenter?
We are developing software to automate the operations of educational centers. Our goal is to bring all key business management processes together in one system. The platform includes electronic signatures, integration with Kaspi and WhatsApp, and tools for monitoring a center's operations.
Essentially, it allows managers to oversee and manage their business processes through a single platform. Similar solutions already exist on the market. What gives your product a competitive advantage? When we studied the market, we noticed that most existing solutions target larger players, such as private schools.
These companies have large teams and substantial budgets, while their software tends to be relatively expensive. We decided to focus on smaller educational centers. Based on our research, competition in this segment is significantly lower, so we see considerable opportunities to develop and expand our product.
Why do you think competition in this segment is relatively low? Many educational centers still use Excel or even keep their records on paper. They are accustomed to their existing processes and are not always ready to switch to automated systems. Some are simply unfamiliar with these solutions and do not yet understand how much they could simplify their work.
That is why one of our main objectives is to demonstrate the benefits of automation and encourage managers to try a new approach. How did you come up with the idea for OneCenter? Was it influenced by your university environment, or had you always planned to start your own business?
It originally started as a custom software development project. A client approached me because he needed this type of software. However, as we worked on the project, we realized that it would be more beneficial for both of us to develop the product together, so we decided to become business partners.