Launching globally from Kazakhstan. Silicon Valley would say ‘wait, where?’

When we started building our social app out of Astana, we heard from other startups that we needed to be building out of Silicon Valley. Kazakhstan just wasn’t on the map.

But then Higgsfield AI came out swinging from here, and suddenly global VCs started name-dropping them like it’s proof they’re open-minded now.

It’s wild how much location bias shapes a startup’s first impression — until someone else makes it cool.

Do investors really care about the team and the problem? Or is your HQ address still the first filter?

Does anyone else have stories where geography was either a blocker or a flex?