Alpamys Sarzhigitov is 17 years old. From childhood, he was seriously engaged in figure skating. But everything changed three years ago when, to get into a private school, the young man independently studied web development. Soon, he began earning up to 350 thousand tenge a month from his IT skills.
Now, Alpamys plans to create an application called Quoku, which uses AI to assess the chances of getting into top foreign universities and provides recommendations for preparation. In developing the app, he considers his personal experience: the Aktobe native himself went through the complex admissions process, prepared for exams, and wrote essays—and has already received an invitation to the prestigious New York University in Shanghai. Digital Business spoke with Alpamys about launching a startup in Kazakhstan, the project’s business model, and personal investments in the startup. They also learned about the app’s unique features and how AI can change the university admissions process.
“Learned resilience on the ice—now working in IT, where you also need to know how to fall and get back up” — I started figure skating at the age of 4. My parents enrolled me in sports to improve my health, but over time, skating became the meaning of my life. I won prizes at regional and national competitions. Figure skating gave me discipline, determination, and the ability to manage time effectively—skills that help in all areas of life. You could say that I learned resilience on the ice—now I’m working in IT, where you also need to know how to fall and get back up.