The Independent Research Institute of Mongolia is one of leading organizations in development policy planning, consulting and research with key focus in governance, education, employment and mining sectors. Mr. Tsedendamba has been working to promote civic empowerment and civic engagement through improved governance practices and better application of innovative technology and approach. He also shares the agenda to promote international cooperation to accelerate exchange of best practices in the global south.

Saniya is vice-president of the Tel Aviv University Friends’ Association in Kazakhstan. Saniya has been heading the office since the beginning of 2016. During this time, she has initiated and implemented such projects as Make-a-thon TOM: Kazakhstan and the project “Ecosystem of Student Entrepreneurship” and the Momentum entrepreneurship-training program for schoolchildren.

Aida has over 15 years of experience in the World Bank Group (HQ). Proven strengths in developing strategies for effective operations procedures, research, assessment of range of subjects and areas, knowledge management, learning, as well as performance reporting on results at international, national, corporate and project levels. Background includes business planning and strategy, communication, data analysis and reporting of World Bank Group operations.

More than 10 years of experience working in private and non-profit sectors - project management, business development, international cooperation and fundraising. Certifies fundraiser - Institute of Fundraising, UK, MSc in Advanced Management Practice, University of Bath, UK.

Co-founder of Green Business School Almaty, host - Organizer of environmental and social projects ROO Posadiderevo.kz (2012-2015) - Co-founder of projects O'gorod, Color Marathon YARKOkross, Ecocross - Program Director of the Foundation for Towards Change in Kazakhstan (Reach For Change Kazakhstan) (2016-2017) - Research Coordinator Urban Forum Almaty (2016-2017) - Bachelor of Economics, Moscow State University. Lomonosov, Fulbright Fellow, Master in Urban and Regional Planning, Clemson University, South Carolina, USA.

Sholpan Aitenova (Sholpan.aitenova@gmail.com) is co-founder and executive director of thenon-governmental think tank NGO, Zertteu Research Institute. She has 15 years comprehensive experience in public policy, public finance, and public monitoring.Experienced in promotion of international good governance initiatives and standards such as Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative(EITI), Open Budget Index(OBI), Open Local Budget Index(OLBI), and Local Self-government. Sholpan is member of the National Stakeholders; Council on EITI, The Eurasian Alliance of National Evaluation Associations and co-founder of the National Budget Network of Kazakhstan(NBSK).She has experience in legislative activities, research, and evaluation of state programs;consultancy and trainings.

Co-founder and Chairman of Urban Forum Kazakhstan, works with the research, strategic planning and advocacy tracks of the organization’s multidisciplinary activity, and curates the “City and People” educational program. Trained as a political scientist, Adil holds a Candidate of Sciences degree and authored numerous articles in local and international news and academic media.

"Pled" Project Promotes the art of storytelling in Kazakhstan through real stories. "Pled" is a platform that will allow to share personal interesting stories in an informal atmosphere, and thus influence on people, make them think, bring together to communicate, share emotions and life experience. The format of events “Pled” includes regular performances (live-talks) of the speakers in Kazakh, Russian and English, and interactive with the audience. Talks are recorded in audio format and come out as a free podcast. Thus, stories are available to a wider audience at any time.

The team:
Daniyar Abenov - co-founder and co-host of the Kazakhstani podcast "One Percent"
Zhanara Rakhmetova is a co-founder and co-host of the podcast "One Percent", freelance writer, author for "Manshuq" media.
Ilyas Batyrov is a trainer in oratory. Founder of the first speakers-club in Kazakhstan.
Kymbat Yeltayeva is a business analyst at Epam Kazakhstan, co-founder and co-host of the “Dare” podcast, freelance writer, author for "Manshuq" media.

Akmurat Hayytbayev is a 22-year-old entrepreneur from Ashgabat. He graduated with a degree in finance from the Belorussian-Russian University in Mogilev in 2017 and founded his startup readit.store right out of college. His project is a curated online bookseller that delivers foreign-published books throughout Turkmenistan. His company has more than 10,000 Instagram followers, and he actively markets through a locally popular messaging app IMO.

Annual Central Asian 48 Hour Film Race is a program that supports the growth and development of emerging independent filmmakers across Central Asia and inspires videographers and filmmakers to learn, network, and create. The signature event is a two-day film race, challenging participants of all abilities – from novice to professional – to create a four-minute movie, incorporating mandatory elements like a prop and a line of dialogue, in just 48 hours. Completed films are then screened at movie theaters across the region and compete in a juried selection for prizes. The project is supported and sponsored by US Mission to Kazakhstan. At Go Viral festival we will screen TOP10 films from 2019. https://48hourfilmrace.com/

Asel is currently the Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Asian World Film Festival. She is an integral part of the Festival, managing the structure and strategic content as well as coordinating programming. She also controls Festival sponsorship, overseas promotional activities and is the liaison point between Consulates, Embassies, Ministries and various organizations from the Asian Continent. Asel Sherniyazova has an economic and business educational background and for two years studied in China (Shanghai Organization of Cooperation program), representing Kyrgyzstan on the Cross-Cultural Exchange Program. She is fluent in English, Chinese, Russian and Kyrgyz and is a Co-Founder of a Business Consultancy Company in China, an Investment Corporation in the USA and a non-profit organization in Kyrgyzstan. During 2014 Asel worked on the Oscar and Golden Globe campaigns for the multi-award-winning film Kurmanjan Datka Queen of the Mountains which was Kyrgyzstan's submission for Best Foreign Language Film, and every year she helps to guide and consult on films from Central Asia submitted for the Golden Globes.

Katrina Goldsaito is the author of the award-winning book The Sound of Silence (Little, Brown and Company), which Maria Popova of BrainPickings called “an illustrated serenade to the art of listening to your inner voice amid the noise of modern life.” Other writing of Katrina’s can be found in NPR, National Geographic, NHK-World, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Japan Times. She acted as Vice-Editor of Tokyo Art Beat. Her travel essay, Assailing Otherness received a Pushcart Prize Nomination. A founding member of the New York NeoFuturists and UnionDocs in Brooklyn, Katrina’s performance art piece Tea Pourings at Om I’m Home invited strangers to connect over intimate conversation in a fresh take on a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Katrina performed in San Francisco at the Luggage Store Gallery, Parlor Art Gallery, Art Night SF and the Parking Lot Art Fair. Katrina’s performance career spans the Volkhsbuhne Theater in Berlin, the Joyce Soho, the Penumbra Theater Company, Cherry Lane Theater, the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey, the Maine Shakespeare Festival, the Brooklyn Historical Society among others, and her work has been funded by the Brooklyn Art Council, the Berwick Research Institute and the Earhart Foundation.