Backing founders who know their industry deeply and are building with AI to transform it.
I’m Akbar Nurlybayev, co-founder of CentML, acquired by NVIDIA. Through AN25 Capital, I invest my own capital in founders with deep domain expertise and a clear vision for applying AI to problems they understand firsthand.
What I look for
Deep expertise. Clear conviction. Real customer value.
The founders who interest me most know an industry from the inside: its workflows, constraints, and problems worth solving. They have a clear view of where AI can make a meaningful difference—and the commitment to build a business around it.
I’m especially interested in applied AI that improves how work gets done. I want to understand why customers will adopt the product, what value it delivers, and how the company’s advantage can grow as AI improves.
Working together
A founder’s perspective, alongside the capital.
I’ve experienced the decisions that come with building a company: finding customers, shaping a product, raising capital, growing a team, and navigating an acquisition.
I can offer candid feedback on product direction, positioning, and fundraising, and make relevant introductions where there is a fit. My involvement depends on what the company needs and where my experience can be useful.
Portfolio
Selected investments
A selection of companies I’ve backed.
OmniCite Inc.
AI visibility and Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) platform helping brands track and optimize how they appear across AI assistants and answer engines.
Boom Grow Farms
Precision indoor vertical farming platform utilizing proprietary modular machine farms and IoT systems for sustainable commercial agriculture.
Altbridge
AI-native research and systematic investment strategy platform designed for institutional asset managers and financial institutions.
Akbar Nurlybayev
Founder & angel investorI’m a Calgary-based product and technology leader, and angel investor. I co-founded CentML, an AI infrastructure company acquired by NVIDIA, and now work on AI at NVIDIA.
Building CentML gave me experience taking technology to market, raising venture capital, growing a team, and navigating an acquisition. It also shaped how I work with founders: ask direct questions, be honest about uncertainty, and focus on what needs to happen next.
Through AN25 Capital, I invest my own capital.
What do you understand about your industry that others miss?
If you have deep experience in a field and a clear idea of how AI could change it, I’d like to hear what you’re building.
Send a short introduction covering the problem, your background, and what you’ve built or learned so far. Include a deck or demo if available. If you’re raising, share the round size and the milestones it will fund.