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Grants, accelerators and tech conferences in Kazakhstan and abroad in November 2026: this roundup covers She’s Next, an Almaty hackathon, a programme in Qatar, Web Summit and Slush. Women entrepreneurs can enter the free She’s Next competition, which has a grant fund of 30 million tenge (shesnext.kz). The other opportunities have different product requirements, funding terms and participation deadlines.
Grants, accelerators and tech conferences: November 2026 in Kazakhstan — participation deadlines
The earliest confirmed registration deadline in this roundup is 17 November, for the Almaty hackathon. Check the She’s Next registration deadline and the application deadline for the Qatar programme with the organisers before preparing your documents.
She’s Next: 30 million tenge for women entrepreneurs
She’s Next, Empowered by Visa 2026 is open to women who are citizens of Kazakhstan, aged 18 or over, and starting or growing a business. Participation is free. We also cover the programme in our article on grants for women entrepreneurs.
The “New Business” and “IT Business” categories each have 5 million tenge allocated to them. “Established Business” and “Inclusive Business” each have 10 million. Webinars are scheduled for 23–29 November, with business plans accepted from 30 November to 13 December 2026.
40 projects will be selected for online presentations, followed by a shortlist of 12 finalists. The final will take place on 22 January 2027 in Almaty. There will be four winners.
Almaty hackathon: apply by 17 November
The AI in Engineering Hackathon 2026 will take place in person on 21–22 November at MITU, 93g/5 Al-Farabi Avenue. Engineers, programmers, researchers and students will have 24 hours to build solutions using artificial intelligence (hackathon.metu.kz).
The tracks are digital economy and business, smart campus, and green technologies. Registration is open until 17 November. The application form and hackathon rules are available on the website.
Qatar programme: up to $75 thousand for a 6% stake
TechnoWomen is inviting Kazakhstani startups to Qatar Development Bank’s eight-week Pre-Accelerator Program 2026. Applicants need a working MVP — minimum viable product — or an early-stage product (technowomen.kz).
The programme offers mentoring and investment of up to $75 thousand in exchange for a 6% stake in the company. The announcement does not specify an application deadline: check it before preparing your application.
Web Summit: 9–12 November in Lisbon
Web Summit opens on 9 November, with no exhibition that day. The main exhibition runs from 10 to 12 November at Feira Internacional de Lisboa and MEO Arena (sites.google.com).
The exhibition will be open from 08:30 to 17:00. Startup teams can enter from 07:30 on their assigned exhibition day.
Slush: 18–19 November in Helsinki
Slush will take place at the Messukeskus exhibition centre. The organiser expects 12 thousand company founders, investors and media representatives (slush.org).
An investor day and a separate programme for founders are scheduled for 17 November, with access tied to the relevant ticket categories. Students can take part as volunteers. No discounts are available outside early-bird sales campaigns.
