Nace.AI, a U.S.-based startup founded by Kazakhstanis Dos Bakytzhan (CEO and former head of GOAT.AI), Zhanibek Datbayev (CTO and former Meta AI engineer) and Abulhair Saparov (Chief Scientist and Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Purdue University), has attracted a major new investor – Jerry Yang, co-founder of Yahoo!, an early Alibaba investor and one of Silicon Valley’s most influential entrepreneurs.
According to Bakytzhan, Yang decided to invest immediately after a two-hour meeting with the founding team.
«Jerry Yang is the co-founder of Yahoo!, one of the pioneers of the global internet industry. He is also an investor and board member of Alibaba, a billionaire and one of Silicon Valley’s most influential entrepreneurs. We’re pleased that our startup and its products have attracted the attention of industry leaders, reinforcing our belief that we’re on the right track,» Bakytzhan said.
He added that Yang was particularly interested in the company’s technological approach, product strategy and focus on highly specialized AI models rather than general-purpose systems.
Nace.AI develops AI solutions for businesses, helping automate audits, financial analysis, compliance and the processing of large volumes of data. The company focuses on tools that enable organizations to analyze business processes and data in real time, an approach that caught Yang’s attention.
«It was a firm commitment from the very first meeting. He simply asked us how much funding we needed for the current investment round,» Bakytzhan said.
Nace.AI currently employs about 30 people. The company has offices in Silicon Valley and Astana and continues to expand its team.
The startup has already raised $21.5 million from General Catalyst and other international investors, completing the funding round in less than 36 hours. It is already working with major international corporations, including firms from the Big Four.
Rather than building general-purpose AI models, Nace.AI develops specialized metamodels designed to address specific business needs, including automated cost estimation, compliance, contract analysis and financial document auditing.
Jerry Chih-Yuan Yang is a Taiwanese-American billionaire entrepreneur, venture capitalist and co-founder of Yahoo! His net worth is estimated at approximately $3 billion, built through successful investments in Alibaba Group, AME Cloud Ventures, Cisco Systems and Workday.
