Nazarbayev University Provost Rehan Sadiq and Vice Provost Bjorn Birgisson held a meeting with Balaji Srinivasan, a prominent technology entrepreneur, venture capital investor, former Chief Technology Officer of Coinbase, and founder of Network School. The meeting was facilitated by NU Impact Foundation, SITF, and JAS Ventures.
The participants explored opportunities for joint educational and research initiatives, international knowledge exchange, and the creation of new opportunities for NU students, researchers, and startup founders.
Founded in 2024 by Balaji Srinivasan and inspired by the ideas presented in his book The Network State, Network School is a next-generation international platform. It brings together engineers, AI developers, researchers, and technology entrepreneurs from around the world, combining hands-on education, startup acceleration, and a residential campus designed for collaborative learning, living, and working under the principle of “Learn, Burn, and Earn.”
Today, Network School’s global community has more than 2,000 members.
In September 2026, Network School officially opened its campus in Astana at Astana Hub, with support from the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Alem AI Center.
Kazakhstan was selected from more than ten candidate countries, becoming one of the key destinations for international IT professionals and startup founders.
The proximity of the Network School campus in the EXPO district to Nazarbayev University’s academic and research infrastructure creates valuable opportunities to strengthen ties between academia and the global technology industry.
Following the meeting, the parties expressed mutual interest in developing cooperation, organizing joint events, and supporting student-led technology projects.