From the Foundation’s registration in 2015 through June 2021, KG Labs Public Foundation was governed by a Board of Trustees composed of practitioners, academics, and ecosystem leaders from Kyrgyzstan and the wider region. The Board provided strategic oversight, institutional accountability, and external perspective during the Foundation’s first six years of operation. The Board’s term concluded in June 2021. A new Board of Trustees has not yet been appointed; this page records the institutional history of the founding governance period.
Trustees, 2015–2021
The following individuals served on the Board of Trustees during the founding governance period. Roles and affiliations reflect their position at the time of service.
Seth Fearey — Chair
Assistant Professor at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA); former Country Director of the Peace Corps for the Kyrgyz Republic; Vice President of Joint Venture Silicon Valley Network. Chaired the Board of Trustees through the founding governance period.
Aziz Soltobaev — Founder & Trustee
Co-founder of KG Labs Public Foundation; co-founder of the Internet Society Kyrgyz Chapter; Fellow of the Stimson Center, Microsoft Responsible AI Program, and Atlantic Council AI Connect. Served as the Foundation’s principal officer during and after the Board period.
Bermet Tursunkulova — Trustee
World Bank consultant and Associate Professor at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA); former Deputy Minister of Education of the Kyrgyz Republic; former Vice President of the American University in Central Asia. Brought education-policy and institutional-reform expertise to the Foundation’s governance.
Edil Ajibaev — Trustee
Founder of PicvPic; co-founder of NeoTransfer; Chairman of the Business Advisory Board and Visiting Professor at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA). Brought entrepreneurship and venture-building experience to the Foundation’s governance.
Chubak Boikonov — Trustee
Leader of the Ideagrad Business Incubator; founder of Zoffice in Kyrgyzstan. Brought startup-incubation and ecosystem-building experience to the Foundation’s governance.
Rinat Abdrasilov — Non-Executive Director
Cambridge MBA with over twenty years of international experience in innovation management and strategy for banks and FinTechs. Co-founded the Association of Business Angels of Central Asia (ABACA) with Aziz Soltobaev in June 2022. Brought finance, venture investment, and FinTech expertise to the Foundation’s governance.
Diana Durusbek kyzy — Trustee
Fundraising Coordinator and Course Instructor at the American University of Central Asia (AUCA). Brought higher-education and resource-mobilisation experience to the Foundation’s governance.
Founding-Period Co-Founder
Emily Youatt co-founded KG Labs Public Foundation alongside Aziz Soltobaev at the Foundation’s registration on June 5, 2015. She served as co-founder through the Foundation’s re-registration on October 10, 2016. Her contribution to the founding period is recorded here as part of the institutional history.
Current Governance
Following the conclusion of the 2015–2021 Board’s term, a new Board of Trustees has not yet been appointed. The Foundation continues to operate under the principal officer with project-specific oversight from partners and external advisors as required by funded work. Information about the current operational structure is available on the Our Team page.
Portrait for Chubak Boikonov is in preparation. Roles and affiliations reflect each trustee’s position at the time of service. Source: KG Labs Public Foundation registration documents and the Foundation’s prior public listing of the Board of Trustees.