Companies are often bogged down by the long and tedious process of finding the right employee. Add to that the challenge of assessing recruiter performance, and it becomes a real headache. Seeing this firsthand and recognizing that Kazakhstan’s HR sector lacked automation, Bekuzak Amangeldi, Anastasia Denis, and Aruzhan Balgynbayeva founded tapHR. This startup is all about speeding up and streamlining the recruitment process. Recently, the tapHR team sat down with ER10 Media for their “100 Startup Stories of Kazakhstan” series to share their journey and highlight the challenges of HR in Kazakhstan.
Follow Kazakhstan’s Startup Movement in the "100 Startup Stories of Kazakhstan", a collaborative project by ER10 Media and Astana Hub. This initiative highlights the most innovative Kazakh startups, showcasing projects that stand out for their creativity and impact. Among the heroes are Astana Hub residents, as well as creators of other innovative technological products and services. The content is available in Kazakh, Russian and English.
“We Had No Idea if Our Recruiter Was Actually Working”
— Can you tell us a bit about your background?
Bekuzak: Sure! I’m the co-founder and CEO of tapHR. My background is in computer engineering and engineering management — I graduated from Nazarbayev University. I spent seven years working in trade and e-commerce, climbing the ranks from entry-level to leadership positions. During that time, I led teams, developed strategic plans, and integrated technologies to automate various business processes. My engineering background has always been an advantage. In my previous role, I loved automating those repetitive tasks that would otherwise waste valuable time. For example, in e-commerce, we had to monitor competitor prices daily, but employees didn’t always stay on top of that. I developed a program that synced with our database, calculated purchase prices, compared them with competitor prices, factored in logistics, and uploaded the final data into our system. Automating tasks like this made me realize just how much technology could boost efficiency and transform business operations.
Aruzhan: I’m tapHR’s strategic manager, and like Bekuzak, I’m also a Nazarbayev University grad, with a degree in mathematics and a master’s in engineering management. My experience includes working as a financial assistant in construction companies, which was super valuable. I also participated in case championships through Astana Hub, and my team even won first place in one of them, which focused on improving Almaty’s environment. That win opened the door for us to participate in the international GCIP (Global Cleantech Innovation Programme). These experiences have really shaped my strategic approach, and I’m using those skills every day at tapHR.
Anastasia: I also graduated from Nazarbayev University, but my degree is in electrical and computer engineering. I got my start working as a project manager in retail and trade, which was a great intro to the business world. After that, I continued my studies in engineering management to deepen my expertise in project management. Once I started learning about business processes, I was eager to apply my knowledge in real-world projects — like our startup. Alongside that, I’m also growing my skills as a UX/UI designer, which I’ve put to good use at tapHR.
— What made you decide to focus on HR? Did you personally experience challenges in this area?
Bekuzak: Definitely. When I was working at my previous company, I noticed that the hiring process was far from perfect. Open positions took way too long to fill, and the timeline for hiring varied significantly depending on the recruiter. Some recruiters brought in plenty of candidates, while others didn’t. We even had moments where we weren’t sure if the recruiter was actively working on a position or if it had been posted at all! Good candidates were slipping through the cracks. That’s when I started observing our recruiter’s daily routine, and the idea for tapHR hit me.
It was clear just how much manual work recruiters were doing: posting jobs across multiple platforms with a bunch of browser tabs open, scheduling interviews on scraps of paper, and organizing resumes on their computers manually. If they needed a specific document, they’d waste time hunting through folders. The lack of automation was costing us time and good candidates. That’s when I knew we needed a solution like tapHR.
Anastasia: After Bekuzak shared his idea with me and Aruzhan, we all realized we’d faced similar struggles in our own job searches. So, we set out to build a solution. We did a deep dive into market analysis, checked out the competition, and conducted customer development interviews with business leaders and HR specialists to learn about their pain points. With that info in hand, we finalized our vision for tapHR: a unified platform that organizes and simplifies every aspect of the hiring process. From job postings and automated stage transitions to testing, candidate communication, reports, and a database — it’s all in one place.
Transparency at Every Step
— How do these features help bring transparency to the process?
Aruzhan: In a nutshell, tapHR ensures complete transparency at every step of the hiring process. The platform allows both company directors and recruiters to easily track the status of candidates — where they are in the process, what’s been done, and how long it’s taking to fill a position. This keeps everyone on the same page and allows for quick responses when something needs attention. We also provide analytical reports showing stats on how long it takes to close vacancies and which channels are the most effective. This helps identify bottlenecks in the hiring process so they can be addressed quickly. Everyone can see what’s happening and make well-informed decisions.
Bekuzak: tapHR is also ideal for companies with multiple branches. For example, if a recruiter is based at the central office and the other branches are submitting requests to fill vacancies, branch managers can immediately see how many candidates are in the pipeline for their roles. Since these offices are often spread out across different cities, communication is critical, and our platform makes it easy. Managers can see that their vacancies are being actively worked on and track progress in real-time.
- What technologies allow you to do this?
Anastasia: To streamline the entire process, we’ve built in a testing system that includes assessments created by experts across various fields. These tests evaluate candidates’ skills and automate the initial screening. We’ve got tests for different professions, product knowledge, technical skills, programming languages, and even personal traits that are relevant to certain jobs. Candidates are offered pre-designed tests based on the role they’re applying for, and their responses are automatically stored on the platform. Recruiters can quickly review the results, speeding up the hiring process. All of this data can be easily shared with directors and clients, adding another layer of transparency.
Synergy, Not Competition
— Do you see yourself competing with job boards like HeadHunter?
Aruzhan: Not at all. We don’t compete with job boards; we work with them. tapHR helps companies optimize how they interact with platforms like HeadHunter and LinkedIn. Through direct integration, companies don’t need to log into these job boards separately. Everything is posted in one go, and recruiters can manage the entire candidate base from a single platform. All the responses automatically come to us. It’s about making the process more efficient for everyone involved.
- Facing Challenges in Promoting tapHR?
Bekuzak: The HR world is just starting to catch up with digital transformation, so some companies still don’t get why they need our platform. Their first reaction is usually, “Why do we need to automate hiring?” While industries like finance in Kazakhstan have already gone digital, HR is still a bit behind. That’s when we step in to show companies the pain points they didn’t even realize they had. We break it all down for them, explaining how tapHR can make things smoother. Once they see the benefits, they’re all in. During Astana Hub’s Demo Day, we grabbed the attention of some big players — including companies from the Forbes list. That’s proof that even the heavy hitters are seeing the value of HR automation.
— Competing in the Market?
Bekuzak: We’ve got competitors, no doubt, both in the CIS and globally. But what sets tapHR apart is its flexibility and all-in-one solution. We’re not just handing recruiters a set of tools — we’re giving them an entire ecosystem. Right now, our platform already includes:
- LinkedIn integration,
- Automated interview scheduling, so candidates can book times without playing email tag with recruiters,
- A CRM system for managing candidate pipelines,
- Tools for mass hiring.
What makes us stand out is that we can handle both highly targeted and large-scale hiring operations.
All of these features run seamlessly in one interface, which makes tapHR a go-to tool for recruiters and HR pros. Plus, we offer customization, so you can tweak the platform to fit your company’s needs perfectly.
More Features, One Subscription, No Hidden Fees
— What’s your monetization model?
Bekuzak: It’s pretty simple. We offer an annual subscription that’s priced based on how many recruiters a company has. Once you’ve paid, you get full access to all our features—no hidden fees, no extra costs down the road.
— Do you offer a free trial?
Bekuzak: Absolutely. We give companies a 14-day trial so they can test out tapHR’s features and decide if it’s the right fit for them.
— Who’s your target audience?
Bekuzak: We’re strictly B2B, focusing on small-to-medium businesses. Even if a recruiter leaves the company, their spot in the subscription stays open for the new hire. Usually, companies have a tough time when recruiters leave, especially with transferring resumes and candidate data. But with tapHR, that process is a breeze — everything is centralized, so it’s just a matter of handing over login credentials. We’re not built for individual users, though.
Vetting for Reliability
— Do you verify the companies that sign up?
Anastasia: Yes, because we focus on medium and large B2B companies, we have a vetting process in place for every new client. After an initial conversation and reliability assessment, we sign contracts that meet all the legal standards. This way, both the company and the candidates can trust that their partnership with tapHR is secure and transparent.
— What happens after a company signs up?
Bekuzak: After the contract is signed and the company pays for their subscription, we kick off the onboarding process. We run webinars, set up accounts, and create dashboards for the lead recruiter and the team. From there, we start integrating with the company’s existing services — Google Calendar, Zoom, LinkedIn, HeadHunter, you name it. The whole process usually takes about a week. After that, recruiters can access our knowledge base or reach out to a dedicated manager for support. Within two to three weeks, companies are fully integrated and using tapHR smoothly.
— Raising Investments?
Bekuzak: So far, we’ve been self-funded, investing around $100,000 into the platform. But we’re planning to raise about $300,000 by the end of this year or early next year to scale things up.
— What’s Next for tapHR?
Aruzhan: We’re looking to expand our reach across the CIS markets and are also eyeing the MENA region — that’s the Middle East and North Africa. It’s a super exciting market because, based on our research, the HR sector there is still in its early stages. Few platforms are offering what we do, which gives us a great opportunity to establish a leadership position. Our goal is to become a global leader in recruitment automation, helping companies find top talent faster and more efficiently. To do that, we’ll keep rolling out new features to ensure our platform meets every client’s needs.
A Universal Solution
— Is your system versatile enough for companies in different countries?
Bekuzak: TapHR is definitely a universal platform, but before entering a new market, we’ll need to integrate with local job boards. Beyond that, the system is adaptable — companies can tweak the hiring stages to match their own processes.
— Are HR challenges similar across regions?
Bekuzak: Yes, they are. In the CIS and Middle East, HR is still developing. The global market is a bit further along, but most of that growth has happened in the last five years. We’re not far behind, though, and we’re aiming to catch up and become leaders in HR innovation.
— In the name of what? What is your mission?
Bekuzak: Our mission is simple — we want to streamline and speed up the hiring process. By automating routine tasks, we make life easier for both recruiters and candidates. Long hiring processes frustrate everyone — recruiters are left juggling too many tasks, and candidates are left in the dark about where they stand. We’re here to make HR more efficient and transparent, so companies can focus on what really matters: growing their business and getting the best talent on board.
Going the Distance
— If tapHR were a sport, which one would it be?
Anastasia: Definitely a marathon, not a sprint. In a marathon, it’s not just about speed — it’s about endurance, planning, and maintaining a steady pace over time. That’s exactly what building a startup feels like. Success doesn’t come overnight. You have to keep moving, plan each step, and not give up when things get tough. Eventually, you hit your second wind and can push forward with new energy. Arsen Tomsky, the founder of InDrive, once said that running teaches you patience and perseverance — a marathon is about overcoming the distance and yourself. That’s how we approach things at tapHR. We’re in it for the long run, working hard every day to make our product better and reach new heights.
