Photo: Citix
Gotstsa Oligova took over as CEO of Kazakhstan’s Citix on January 7, 2026. Founder Yana Shoybekova, who had run Citix since 2019, stepped back from day-to-day management and remains a shareholder. Citix makes smart street screens for Almaty and Astana, has expanded into Turkey and the Middle East, and received $1 million from Tim Draper. Here’s what we know about the company.
Citix’s new CEO
Gotstsa Oligova has spent more than 23 years in marketing, advertising and management consulting, according to Digital Business. She previously headed the commercial division of a global corporation. From 2016 to 2025, she advised more than 50 Kazakhstani companies, including Citix itself.
The company says the leadership change is part of a new strategy focused on managed growth, Smart City development and digital advertising. As a shareholder, Yana Shoybekova will focus on strategy.
How Citix began: $30 million in debt
The company’s story began in 2016, when Yana Shoybekova’s group invested in Billboard Video. In April 2019, the company merged with Tan Media Group, and Armanzhan Baitassov became a shareholder. According to Forbes Kazakhstan, the new team took over a business with $30 million in debt and paid it off by the end of that year.
The team inherited 50 outdated advertising structures. By June 2024, the network had grown to 145 in Almaty and Astana, including the large Jumbo and Arbat Excello screens.
What Citix smartboards can do
A smartboard is a street screen with built-in sensors and city services. Citix has several products:
- TomTom — a roadside screen that helps manage traffic;
- Jerry — a pedestrian screen with wireless charging, free Wi-Fi and an emergency call button, installed on Panfilov Street in Almaty;
- Shark — sensors mounted on taxi roofs that collect city data for Almaty’s digital twin;
- Citix Panel — software used to manage the entire network.
The screens devote 20% of their airtime to city and government content free of charge. The hardware lasts about five years, while computers and routers are replaced every year and a half to two years. According to Forbes Kazakhstan, the company spends about $3 million a year on development.
How much revenue Citix makes
According to Freedom Holding figures cited by Digital Business, Citix’s revenue for 2023 was expected to reach 5.6 billion tenge, up 86% from 2022 and 1 billion tenge above target. In 2023, Citix ranked second in Kazakhstan’s outdoor advertising market. Kantar estimated the total market at almost 28 billion tenge in 2023.
The company says Citix had more than 300 direct clients and ran more than 1,000 advertising campaigns in 2023. The number of special projects rose to 126, up from just 6 a year earlier.
Investment: Turlov, bonds and Draper
According to Forbes Kazakhstan, more than $50 million has been invested in Citix since 2019–2020, including reinvested profits. In early 2022, Timur Turlov bought a 30% stake in the company. In 2023, Citix raised $10 million through bonds and bought 49% of the startup Quantum.
Tim Draper invested $1 million in Citix at a company valuation of $98 million. Read more about the deal in our article on Tim Draper’s investment.
Citix abroad: Istanbul, Dubai and Oman
In 2022, Citix installed 50 smartboards in Istanbul and signed a contract with Turkish outdoor advertising operator Simurg Mecra. The goal is around 100 screens in Turkey. That same year, the company opened a representative office in Dubai, launched pilots in the UAE and Saudi Arabia, and signed a memorandum with Al Hajiri holding company in Oman. New York City Hall also expressed interest in the product.
In an interview with We Project, Yana Shoybekova summed up the main lesson from expanding abroad: “the most important thing when entering international markets is choosing a partner.” Choosing the wrong partner costs money, but even more time.
What comes next
Citix has not published fresh figures for 2025, either for revenue or the number of screens. The new CEO will need to improve operational efficiency and scale up products for cities and the advertising market.
Read more about the company in the Citix profile on Startup Radar and our article about Yana Shoybekova. Do you think smartboards will become a familiar part of Kazakhstan’s cities?
Sources: Digital Business (21.01.2026, 12.12.2023), Forbes Kazakhstan (08.06.2024), We Project (28.03.2024).
Startup Radar: Citix
