Kaniyet Rayev

The Kyrgyzstan-born entrepreneur, who co-founded Boxo to help companies develop their super apps, opens up about learning, launching and failing, fast

- Chong Seow Wei

As a child born in Kyrgyzstan and raised in Kazakhstan, Kaniyet Rayev participated in numerous extracurricular activities in and outside of school. He competed in Latin dance, played the clarinet for six years, learnt to play the drums, was in a rock band, wrote music, and organised parties at school—all before he turned 16. At age 9, he also enrolled in a coding class meant for older students for three years.

“I like learning and I like to learn fast,” says Rayev, who in 2019 started Boxo, a platform helping businesses in Southeast Asia, South Africa and the Middle East develop their super apps. “As soon as I stop learning, I get bored.”

A BUSINESS MIND

His parents were entrepreneurs themselves: his father had a food manufacturing business, while his mother ran a beauty salon.

Rayev’s first entrepreneurial stint was organising “rave parties” with friends at school—with the blessing of their teachers. They would rent equipment, plan performances, invite DJs to spin and charge their fellow students a cover fee to attend.