The sixth edition of Creative Central Asia took place on 22–23 January 2025 in Almaty, bringing together over 150 participants and a delegation of 13 experts from Central Asia. This year’s theme focused on measuring the impact of creative industries, a crucial yet underdeveloped area in the region.
Themes
On the first day, speakers explored the economic value and social impact of creative enterprises on communities and ecosystems. Experts delved into the concepts of social impact investment and measurement, discussing how creative businesses contribute to the public good and economic sustainability. The session featured insights from Gill Wildman (Upstarter Incubator), Kanat Nogoybayev and Maria Shcherbakova (InDrive), Saule Mamaeva (Strategic Planning Consultant), and Talgat Amanbayev (AIFC), who shared successful case studies and engaged in discussions with participants.
A highlight of the day was a closed workshop led by Gill Wildman, where selected participants worked on developing the Creative Impact Matrix – a tool designed to help creative entrepreneurs define their impact goals, develop measurable indicators and communicate more effectively with impact investors.
On the second day, the focus shifted to project pitching, where participants presented creative ventures with social impact to investors. This session served as a testing ground for new impact assessment tools, gathering feedback from investors and sparking discussions on the value of creative enterprises in Central Asia.
This year’s Creative Central Asia was organised in partnership with MOST, Central Asia’s first business incubator, which played a key role in fostering investor relations for creative businesses.
Speakers
- Gill Wildman (UK), director of Upstarter, a strategic designer with extensive experience in technology innovation and product development.
- Nastia Goncharova (Kazakhstan), researcher, trainer and mentor of programmes for creative entrepreneurial development.
- Saule Mamayeva (Kazakhstan), specialist in strategic planning and social project development, has led high impact initiatives with the Mother’s Home International Foundation and the Soros Foundation Kazakhstan.
- Kanat Nogoibayev (Kazakhstan), senior communications sustainability manager at inDrive.
- Maria Shcherbakova (Kazakhstan), film producer and impact manager at Alternativa Film Award, inDrive.
- Talgat Amanbayev (Kazakhstan), chief innovation officer at the Astana International Financial Centre (AIFC), an expert in AI, fintech and digital transformation, who is actively promoting the development of start-up ecosystems in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
The event once again highlighted the growing role of creative industries in sustainable economic development, emphasising the need for innovative financing models tailored to this dynamic sector.
We are grateful to all the speakers, participants and partners who made this edition a success!
Photos from the event are available on our Flickr account.
Speaker presentations and a full report are available in the ‘Downloads’ section below.