Funding for deep tech startups worldwide exceeded $35 billion in the first quarter of 2026, according to several venture market analytical reviews. The most significant growth was observed in quantum computing, climate tech, and biotech with the use of artificial intelligence.

Investors are accelerating the flow of capital into startups at the intersection of AI, biotech, quantum computing, and climate tech, forming a new wave of global technological competition. Only one notable player in the fintech sector, Mercury, reached a valuation of $5.2 billion in the latest round, while the space company ICEYE attracted $300 million. In parallel, Europe and Asia are preparing showcases of hundreds of deep tech teams in biomedicine and sustainable energy. For Kazakhstani companies, this is a signal: the window of opportunity for entering the global technology market with growing demand is open right now, and companies like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz) are already restructuring their strategies to meet this agenda.

AI and biotech: how startups are changing medicine and pharma

In 2026, the combination of artificial intelligence and biotechnology has become one of the main drivers of global investment in deep tech. According to industry analysts, MedTech and biotech with AI currently account for 20–25 percent of all deals in the deep tech segment. Research on horizon scanning of medical technologies shows that regulators and major clinics are focusing on early detection of innovations — from diagnostic algorithms to digital therapies — to not miss the next breakthrough. This leads to the fact that the cycle from laboratory prototype to pilot implementation in a clinic is reduced from 5–7 years to 2–3 years.

European institutions and national funds actively support this trend: early financing and acceleration programs cover not only R&D, but also certification, clinical trials, preparation for entering the US and Asian markets. In parallel, initiatives are launched to form common data standards in healthcare, without which AI algorithms cannot be scaled. For startups, this is both a relief and a challenge: requirements for cybersecurity, privacy, and reproducibility of models are growing, and the cost of compliance with new regulations has increased by an average of 20–30 percent over the past two years.

For integrators and outsourcing teams like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz), a niche opens up at the intersection of development and regulatory support: medical startups globally are looking for partners who can not just 'write code', but build a full cycle of work with data, model verification, and audit preparation. Today, international portfolios of deep tech funds include dozens of startups creating 'digital twins' of patients, AI-driven drug development platforms, and personalized therapy services. Competition for qualified development teams is growing, and corporate clients in the biopharmaceutical industry are increasingly turning to external partners in Central Asia to reduce R&D costs by at least 30–40 percent without loss of quality.

A separate layer of innovation is related to horizon scanning systems for medicine: these are not only methodological studies, but also specific SaaS platforms that automatically collect signals about new technologies, patents, clinical trials. Such solutions reduce the time for analyzing the landscape from months to days and are becoming a standard for hospitals and insurance companies. For IT businesses in the region, this is an important marker: any B2B solutions for healthcare in 2026 must have built-in modules of advanced analytics and AI to even get on the radar of major players.

Climate tech and space: data from orbit in the service of sustainable development

Climate tech is becoming one of the most capital-intensive and rapidly growing segments of deep tech. Major deals in this area are often associated with space companies that provide Earth observation data for climate, agriculture, and infrastructure monitoring. The $300 million raised by ICEYE in 2026 underscores the interest in radar satellite systems that can collect data regardless of cloud cover and time of day. This data is already used by banks and insurers to assess climate risks, infrastructure operators to monitor floods and landslides, and agricultural holdings to optimize irrigation and fertilization.

Investments in climate tech are increasingly tied to specific targets: reducing CO2 emissions by a certain percentage, reducing crop losses, increasing energy efficiency of buildings. In Europe and Asia, the number of 'green' funds that are willing to invest from $5 to $50 million in startup rounds is growing, provided they demonstrate measurable climate impact. This forces teams to embed impact metrics and reporting systems in their products from the outset. Otherwise, access to grants, subsidies, and concessional financing is closed.

For IT companies and integrators, including Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz), climate tech creates a steady stream of requests for big data processing, development of geo-analytical platforms, and creation of digital dashboards for investment and ESG teams. A typical project in this area includes integration of satellite data, weather models, economic registers, and financial reporting. The cost of implementation for a large corporate client can range from $200,000 to $800,000, but the economic effect from risk reduction and resource optimization often exceeds investments by 3–5 times within 3–5 years.

The space segment of climate tech has already ceased to be an experimental platform. Data brokers, analytical startups, and integrators are building chains from satellite to top management dashboard, accessible via web and mobile applications. Against this backdrop, markets with scientific competence in climatology and strong IT development teams are winning. For Central Asia, with its vulnerability to droughts and water shortages, such solutions cease to be 'nice to have' and become a category of mandatory risk management infrastructure.

Quantum computing and robotics: a new competition for talent

Quantum computing in 2026 remains a niche but strategically important direction for states and corporations. According to international analysts, total investments in quantum startups and R&D centers over the past 12 months exceed $3–4 billion, with the lion's share coming from the US, Europe, and leading Asian economies. Both hardware platforms (superconducting, ionic, photonic) and software ecosystems are being financed: compilers, programming languages, libraries for quantum machine learning. For business, the main value of quantum technologies is still in the future, but corporations are already piloting optimization of logistics, financial modeling, and material development.

In parallel, robotics is moving from experimental laboratories to mass industrial use. Factories in Europe and Asia are rapidly deploying collaborative robots, autonomous warehouse systems, and robotic quality control lines. The average payback period for industrial robots, according to industry associations, is now 2–4 years, and in logistics and e-commerce, individual projects pay off in 12–18 months. This leads to an increase in demand for engineers, computer vision specialists, embedded systems developers, and integrators capable of connecting robotic complexes to ERP and MES systems.

The key problem of the global market is the shortage of talent. Large corporations and deep tech funds recognize that there are not enough qualified developers and researchers in the quantum and robotics fields. In response, companies are actively deploying teams around the world, building remote R&D centers, and partnering with outsourcing companies. Players like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz) can integrate into these chains as providers of teams for software development, control algorithms, and analytical platforms on top of quantum simulators or robotic systems.

Interestingly, hybrid projects are already emerging at the intersection of quantum computing, robotics, and AI. For example, optimizing robot trajectories and control of production lines using quantum-inspired algorithms available on classical supercomputers. This creates a transitional market: companies can start experiments today without waiting for the widespread availability of full-fledged quantum machines. For developers from countries with developing IT ecosystems, this is a chance to enter global value chains without directly competing on cost with the US and Western European markets.

Fintech and infrastructure for deep tech: the Mercury case and new niches

Financial infrastructure is becoming a hidden but critically important level of support for global deep tech growth. The valuation of the fintech company Mercury at $5.2 billion after a fresh round in 2026 shows how high the demand is for specialized financial services for startups and technology businesses. Mercury builds a digital bank and related services for companies operating in global markets, simplifying operations, compliance, and liquidity management. This is a typical example of 'infrastructure fintech', without which scaling deep tech teams becomes extremely difficult.

In parallel, the segment of financial products for venture funds and corporate investors is growing: platforms for portfolio monitoring, reporting automation, risk assessment, and scenario modeling. Such systems are increasingly integrated with sources of technology analytics, news, patent data, and scientific publications. As a result, the investor sees not only the startup's revenue figures, but also signals about technology dynamics, competitive environment, and regulatory risks. This is especially important for deals in the field of biotech, quantum technologies, and climate tech, where payback horizons often exceed 7–10 years.

For IT outsourcers and product companies in Central Asia, this opens up a new layer of tasks: developing risk management modules, integrating banking and investment reporting, KYC/AML tools, and dashboards for LP and GP funds. Companies like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz) are already receiving requests for comprehensive solutions where fintech functionality is closely intertwined with analytics on deep tech markets. The check for such projects for an international client can start at $150–200 thousand and reach $1–2 million in the case of building a full-fledged investment platform.

An important trend is the standardization of data and APIs in fintech, which facilitates the connection of new services and partners. This allows startups and integrators to assemble products faster from ready-made blocks: payments, multi-currency accounts, currency control, compliance, treasury management. Thus, the barrier to entry for new players is reduced, including companies from Kazakhstan and Central Asia, which can enter the global market with niche analytical or automation solutions on top of existing financial infrastructure.

Europe and Asia: a showcase of 120 deep tech startups and ecosystem competition

One of the landmark events of 2026 for the global deep tech market was the formation of a showcase of 120 promising technology startups that will be presented at an international platform in Nice in June 2026. These are companies from different countries in Europe and Asia working in the fields of biotechnology, climate tech, new materials, quantum technologies, and advanced robotics. The publication of a detailed catalog with profiles of these startups shows how seriously states and regional funds are taking the promotion of their deep tech teams on the global stage: for many of them, the format of an international showcase is becoming a key channel for attracting strategic investors and partners.

European and Asian ecosystems are actively competing for the attention of deep tech funds, offering startups not only grants and tax incentives, but also access to laboratory, testing, and industrial infrastructure. In a number of countries, clusters are being created where within one campus you can access pilot production lines, robotics testing grounds, data processing centers, and quantum laboratories. This drastically reduces transaction costs for startups and accelerates the transition from prototype to product. For investors, such cluster stories are also more transparent: it is easier to assess the maturity of teams, the presence of industrial partners, and the prospects for scaling.

Against this backdrop, the demand for service companies that can work with multiple jurisdictions, quality standards, and regulatory sets is growing. Companies like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz) can position themselves as a 'bridge' between deep tech startups and corporate clients, offering development outsourcing, system integration, pilot support, and subsequent scaling. In conditions where the average round for deep tech companies at the growth stage reaches $30–70 million, startups are willing to allocate significant amounts to external development and integration in their budgets to quickly enter the market and show investors key metrics.

The showcase of 120 startups also demonstrates which technological niches are in the focus of investors right now. These are precision medicine, AI-based diagnostics, solutions for decarbonizing industry, energy storage, new sensors and monitoring systems, quantum-safe cybersecurity, autonomous logistics. For Kazakhstan and Central Asia, this is a practical guideline: it is in these segments that there is a high probability of attracting international capital if you can assemble teams with a competitive level of R&D and reliable IT infrastructure. Working with partners like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz) can be one of the ways to compensate for the shortage of own technical staff and accelerate entry into the global market.

Что это значит для Казахстана

For Kazakhstan and Central Asia, the current wave of global deep tech innovations is not an abstract trend, but a direct window of opportunity. The region is already forming a demand for solutions in climate tech and water resource management, as droughts and water shortages are becoming more tangible. According to international organizations, GDP losses for Central Asian countries from climate risks by 2030 could reach 1.5–3 percent annually if new monitoring and management technologies are not introduced. This means that government structures and large businesses will have to invest tens of millions of dollars in satellite monitoring systems, geo-analytics, and digital infrastructure management platforms.

In parallel, Kazakhstan is positioning itself as a regional hub for data centers and IT outsourcing: the number of cloud providers is growing, telecom infrastructure is developing, and state and private technoparks are being launched. Companies like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz) already work with foreign clients and understand the requirements for security, code quality, and project management according to international standards. For local deep tech teams, cooperation with strong IT integrators allows them to quickly enter global markets, participate in international support programs, and compete for investments from funds focused on Europe and Asia.

Due to the lower cost of labor and developing infrastructure, the region can offer investors and startups a tangible saving: the cost of a comprehensive project for developing and implementing an enterprise-level solution is often 30–50 percent lower here than in mature markets. At the same time, the presence of strong technical universities and a growing developer community creates a base for forming their own deep tech teams. In the coming years, success will be with those Kazakhstani and Central Asian companies that integrate into global value chains — from developing IT infrastructure for biotech and climate tech to participating in international projects on quantum computing and robotics.

The valuation of the fintech company Mercury in 2026 reached $5.2 billion, which underscores the growing demand for infrastructure services for global technology business.

The global innovation landscape in 2026 is shaped by deep tech directions at the intersection of AI, biotech, quantum computing, climate tech, and robotics. Investors are concentrating capital in companies with a long payback horizon, but high potential for industry transformation, and financial and IT infrastructure is adapting to their needs. For Kazakhstan and Central Asia, this is a rare window when it is possible to integrate into global technology creation chains, offering competitive development and integration teams. Those businesses that are already building partnerships with international funds and deep tech startups, including cooperation with companies like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz), will gain an advantage for the next 5–10 years.

Часто задаваемые вопросы

What is deep tech and how is it different from regular startups?

Deep tech refers to startups based on complex scientific or engineering developments: biotech, quantum computing, new materials, robotics, climate tech. Unlike classic SaaS or marketplace projects, they require 5–10 years to develop technologies and large investments in R&D. But the potential for impact is higher: such companies can change entire industries, from medicine to energy. For their growth, a developed IT infrastructure and development partners, such as Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz), are critical.

When should a business in Kazakhstan consider implementing climate tech solutions?

It makes sense for businesses in Kazakhstan to consider climate tech at an annual turnover of $5–10 million and significant dependence on weather and natural factors. Companies in energy, agriculture, logistics, and infrastructure can reduce losses by 10–30 percent through risk monitoring and resource optimization. The cost of a pilot project based on satellite data and geo-analytics starts at $50–100 thousand. Such pilots usually pay off in 1–3 years, especially if integrated into the company's management and planning systems.

What are the risks associated with investments and projects in quantum technologies?

Quantum technologies carry high technological and market risk: the time to bring a commercial product to market can exceed 10 years, and total investment in one project reaches hundreds of millions of dollars. There is a risk of a change in technological leadership (for example, a change in the dominant architecture of quantum machines), as well as a shortage of personnel. For a business launching pilots, the main risk is the long payback period and uncertainty of standards. Therefore, many companies are starting with quantum-inspired algorithms on classical systems and collaborating with partners like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz) to minimize technological risks.

How long does it take to implement climate tech or space monitoring solutions in a large company?

A pilot project on climate tech and satellite monitoring usually takes 3–6 months, including data source setup, basic analytics, and dashboards. Full-scale implementation in a large company with integration into ERP, planning systems, and risk management can stretch over 12–18 months. However, the first measurable effects (loss reduction, cost optimization) often appear within 6–9 months. It is important to allocate resources in advance and involve an IT contractor with experience in integrating complex systems, such as Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz).

How can companies from Kazakhstan and Central Asia save on entering the global deep tech market?

Companies from Kazakhstan and Central Asia can save up to 30–50 percent of the budget by using local IT teams and outsourcing, instead of moving the entire development to expensive jurisdictions. The optimal strategy is to build a core team of 5–15 people and transfer the rest of the development and integration to a partner like Alashed IT (it.alashed.kz). This reduces fixed costs and allows for flexible scaling of resources according to funding rounds. Additional savings are achieved through participation in international grant programs and accelerators, where part of the costs for R&D and pilots can be offset by subsidies of up to 30–70 percent.

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