Sanzhar Rakhmetzhanov
I’m Sanzhar Rakhmetzhanov, a technology entrepreneur with over a decade of experience in industrial engineering and venture building.
Professional Journey
During my career, I have managed to work in a variety of fields and industries, spending 12 years at international oil-and-gas and investment banking companies before founding my own engineering technology business in 2013. I have held different roles and worked in London, Geneva, Tbilisi, Kyiv, Bucharest, Moscow, Istanbul, and New York. This experience has given me a broad perspective on the business environment and has taught me to value cultural and social specifics just as highly as professional skills.
Current Business Activities
Today, my group of companies specializes in industrial engineering, design, equipment supply, construction management, and digital technologies. We build our business model on partnerships with international technology corporations and the development of joint ventures. At present, we are successfully executing projects in Kazakhstan, Switzerland, Italy, France, the United States, and Qatar.
Education and Personal Life
Beyond business, I am a happy husband and father of five children. I hold several higher-education degrees, including recent programs at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and Stanford University. I am also actively involved in venture investments, mainly in construction technologies.
Collaboration
with My Sons
What inspires me most, however, is working together with my elder sons - Temirlan and Arlan Rakhmetzhanov. I serve as an adviser to their technology startups, where they apply artificial intelligence to transform industrial engineering and programming.
Beyond advising, I am also a co-founder in one of their ventures, deeply involved in shaping its vision and dedicating nearly all of my time to its growth. For me, it’s not just about building companies - it’s about building a shared legacy with my sons, turning our passion for innovation into something that can make a lasting impact.
Family Startups
Nozomio - Arlan’s startup, a recent graduate of Y Combinator’s Summer 2025 batch, has already raised more than US $6 million from leading venture capital funds. Arlan has also been included in Forbes Kazakhstan’s “30 Under 30” list.
Armeta AI - Temirlan’s deep-tech platform, where I am also a co-founder. It unites an international team of experts to tackle one of the most complex technological challenges: automating design and construction management.
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Co‑Founder:
Projects and Initiatives
Armeta AI is a U.S.-based startup building a full-stack AI platform for engineering and construction, powered by proprietary foundation models trained on decades of exclusive EPC data. The platform is designed to understand the two fundamental content types of engineering: drawings and documents.
Strata (Core Product): An AI system that automates the extraction of metadata and quantities from engineering drawings. By eliminating thousands of manual hours and preventing costly errors, Strata transforms how EPC contractors bid, procure, and build.
Aryx (Complementary Product): An AI assistant for engineering documentation. Aryx generates technical narratives, performs compliance checks against standards, and bridges the gap between drawings and text.
Armeta AI has exclusive access to decades of proprietary engineering archives through an engineering group of companies we own, alongside joint ventures with world-class partners. This unrivaled data foundation allows us to train highly specialized models that general-purpose AI cannot replicate.
By bridging drawings and documents with AI, we accelerate project design, procurement, and construction - driving efficiency, compliance, and sustainability across a trillion-dollar industry.
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AlfaTech Group is a holding and investment company that develops and finances high‑tech projects. Our core expertise lies in industrial technology solutions.
At AlfaTech Group we take pride in our strategic partnership with Maire Tecnimont, a leading European technology company.
Together we execute large‑scale, cutting‑edge projects in the Caspian region. Our joint venture in Kazakhstan, Tecnimont KZ, is carrying out a series of strategic EPC projects designed to transform the industries we serve.
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SwiCE is a Swiss engineering company specializing in industrial design, project‑management consulting, and the supply of process equipment.
Based in Geneva, it delivers high‑quality solutions to clients in Kazakhstan and Central Asia.
SwiCE is also a partner of FLSmidth in Central Asian markets and provides engineering services to Maire Tecnimont throughout Central Asia and the Middle East.
Tecnimont KZ - a joint venture between AlfaTech Group and the Italian corporation Maire Tecnimont which provides EPC services on the Kazakhstan market.
Flagship projects include: The Polymerization Unit of a Polyethylene Plant for Silleno and Gas Separation Complex in Tengiz for KMG PetroChem.
Maire Tecnimont brings decades of experience in creating and implementing innovative technological solutions across many sectors, while AlfaTech Group has a proven track record in funding and delivering high‑tech projects.
Together we leverage our combined knowledge and resources to realize some of the most complex and promising projects in the Caspian region.
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In 2015, together with partners, I created SecureTech, which is delivering two major projects through its subsidiaries Qazaqstan Identity & Security and TransInfoTech.
The API‑PNR project-implemented by Qazaqstan Identity & Security, a joint venture with the French technology giant Idemia - focuses on building and operating an information system to collect airline‑passenger data in order to enhance the safety and efficiency of air‑transport services.
In parallel, TransInfoTech is developing and operating the e‑freight project, aimed at introducing a paperless document‑flow system for air‑cargo shipments, helping to optimise processes and cut costs; additional information‑technology and communications projects are also under way.
Past success:
projects I have exited
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Karaganda Promstroyproekt (KPSP) is a Kazakh design institute whose history dates back to 1959. I joined the company in 2013, when its activity was limited to the mining‑and‑metallurgy sector. In the following years - twice leading the company as CEO - I launched a large‑scale transformation of the institute. Under my leadership KPSP moved beyond its traditional specialisation and entered new sectors, from petrochemicals and power to infrastructure and aerospace projects. The company also began work in several other high‑tech areas, becoming the largest and most diversified design institute in Kazakhstan and Central Asia. Under my management the company’s revenues grew seven‑fold, and KPSP became the general designer for projects such as the Zhairem Mining and Processing Plant, Shalkiya Zinc, the Gas‑Separation Complex at Tengiz, a Polyethylene Production Plant, the Port of Kuryk, and others. My active involvement continued until 2025, after which I exited the ownership structure to focus on new initiatives.
TKJV is a joint venture that I founded in 2019 with the French technology corporation Technip Energies, combining international technology with KPSP’s local expertise. Its aim was to create a high‑tech engineering centre in Kazakhstan capable of executing full‑cycle projects - from conceptual design (pre‑FEED) to detailed design. By 2025 the company had become one of the market’s key players, providing long‑term engineering services at the country’s largest fields - including Kashagan and Karachaganak - and supporting investment projects of Qatar’s UCC Holding in Kazakhstan. My involvement with TKJV ended in 2025, following my departure from KPSP.
UZPA is one of Kazakhstan’s largest machine‑building enterprises for the production of pipeline valves and oil‑field equipment. Since my entry into the company’s capital in 2016, its revenue has increased more than five‑fold. Today, UZPA ranks among the country’s leading suppliers of such products for all industrial sectors. My involvement with UZPA concluded in 2025.
