Berlin, Germany – ARLAN BIOTECH, a pioneering deeptech startup from Kazakhstan, recently achieved a significant milestone by securing second place at the Supernova Challenge during GITEX Europe 2025. The company's innovative generative AI platform for drug development garnered international recognition at the event, which took place from May 21-23. A representative of the company shared the news on social media, exclaiming, "> I won guys," in a widely noted tweet.
The Supernova Challenge is a highly competitive international startup competition, with its semifinal round featuring 100 startups from across the globe. An international jury, composed of venture capitalists, industry experts, and corporate fund representatives, evaluated participants based on criteria such as technological innovation, market potential, and business model sustainability. ARLAN BIOTECH's high placement highlights the increasing global impact of Central Asian innovation.
ARLAN BIOTECH captivated judges with its breakthrough solution for accelerating drug development. Their proprietary generative AI platform is capable of generating precise antibody sequences for specific protein targets within minutes. This technology promises to reduce research timelines by up to six months and potentially save pharmaceutical companies millions in development costs.
The platform is built upon a unique AI model and synthetic biomedical data, enabling the parallel development of dozens of drug candidates simultaneously. The startup was founded by a team comprising a PhD in biomedical engineering, a programmer with extensive biotech entrepreneurship experience, and an AI expert. This diverse expertise underpins the company's scientific and technological advancements.
Bolat Sultankulov, co-founder of ARLAN BIOTECH, underscored the broader implications of their success. He stated that the victory signifies a shift towards science-driven innovation, particularly from deeptech projects founded by PhDs. Sultankulov also acknowledged the vital support from Astana Hub and the Ministry of Digital Development of Kazakhstan, which facilitated their representation on this global stage.