Today we would like to talk about Kenes Rakishev’s ventures. As an experienced businessman and investor, Kenes Rakishev has been involved in a great number of ventures, across many industries and countries.

Kenes Rakishev is an international businessman, investor and entrepreneur. He was born and raised in Kazakhstan, where he began his business career and served as advisor to the Interior Ministry and the Department of Education. Since October 2004, Rakishev has been Vice President of the Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

In addition to his work in the public sector, Rakishev is also considered one of the most influential businesspeople in Kazakhstan. He holds several senior positions in the private sector, among them: Managing Partner at Singulariteam-1 and Singulariteam-2 venture capital funds, Co-Founder and Chairman of Sirin Labs, and CEO and Chairman of Fincraft Resources.

Kenes Rakishev is also the co-founder of the Saby Foundation, Kazakhstan’s oldest private charity which gives financial aid and other support in areas such as entrepreneurship, healthcare and education.

Rakishev is the lead investor of Fastlane Ventures, a Russian tech development company, he held a major stake in the Israeli visual media platform Mobli, and invested in the Russian bank card and loyalty program company IQcard. Rakishev is Chairman of Net Element International, a global technology group based in the US that specializes in value-added transaction services and mobile payments. Kenes Rakishev is also Managing Partner of Singulariteam-1 and Singulariteam-2, two venture capital funds dedicated to backing promising early-stage technology companies.

Kenes Rakishev’s IQCard provides advanced financial services for the Russian retail market.

Founded in 2012 with the support of Direct Group and Rakishev’s Fastlane Ventures, IQCard has developed affordable, convenient, and reliable payment solutions that include online banking services, bonus programmes and a loyalty programme. Catering to both the B2C and B2B markets, Rakishev’s IQCard specializes in prepaid Visa bank cards, giving individuals an easy and safe way to pay online and companies a simple way to create branded and co-branded gift cards. Kenes Rakishev led IQCard’s Series B funding round. In 2014 IQCards won the prestigious Pay Awards, a global annual event conducted by Paybefore for the prepaid and payments technology industry.

Kenes Rakishev – the managing partner at Singulariteam

Singulariteam is a series of private investment funds that provide capital and supporting services to early-stage start-ups in advanced tech fields. The funds are managed by a team of successful and experienced tech entrepreneurs who are very much involved in the development process of the ventures they support. Their current focus is on start-ups in the fields of Nano technology, virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, and robotics.

Founded in 2013, Singulariteam has raised two funds and supported close to 40 start-ups. The first fund came entirely from Kenes Rakishev and a silent partner, the second included additional investors. Kenes Rakishev is Managing Partner at Singulariteam-1 and Singulariteam-2 venture capital funds.

Rakishev Kenes – the key investor in Fastlane Ventures

Fastlane Ventures is a Moscow-based investment company that focuses on the Russian online business sector. It offers funding and expert operational advice that helps young companies and entrepreneurs develop, launch, and promote their online business. Fastlane was founded by a group of experienced entrepreneurs who sought to bring advanced business models and practices into Russia and adapt them to the local online arena. Founded in 2010, Rakishev’s Fastlane is among the biggest investors in Russia with an investment portfolio of approximately $100 million and more than 20 online businesses already launched. Kenes (Kenges) Rakishev is a strategic partner and key investor in Fastlane.