Maruf Education Trust
We design and manage innovative and impactful programs to develop education in emerging markets.
Our projects
Maruf Fellows
Maruf BBL Network
Innovative schools use our Business-Based Learning curriculum
Maruf Press
Independent book publisher and creator bootcamp for emerging voices
Acceleration program for education leaders with 200+ alumni
The Edustan
Comprehensive and analytical education dispatch from Central Asia
Bitcoin Primary DAO
Our decentralised autonomous virtual primary school helps students access quality education
Maruf Fellows
Educational accelerator and VC
cohorts
5
alumni now working in leadership positions in government, edtech and schools
200+
educational startups including innovative schools and impact-driven edtech startups
50+
they have attracted for their projects collectively
$10m
countries: Kazakhstan, Moldova, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tatarstan & immigrant communities in the west
5
Maruf BBL Network
Educational curriculum and programs
Strong focus on developing soft and future-proof skills
Business based learning program developed for schools in emerging markets
Within less than one year 6 schools have adopted our curriculum and 10 more are expected to start in 2024
Maruf BBL curriculum integrates fundamentals of marketing, consulting, inversment and project management across school subjects
It was created by Oxford and Stanford alumni at ideaSpace Cambridge
Maruf Press
Independent book publisher & creator bootcamp
We run annual bootcamp for creatives in Emerging markets
We give opportunity for voices in emerging markets to get recognition in English speaking world
We award Maruf Book Prizes for best young adult fiction and best children’s book in emerging markets
We create bilingual books in English and low-resource languages
The Edustan
Central asian education dispatch
We give access to education news from one of the most dynamic regions
We prodive reports on education market in Central Asia and connect the steppe-minded
We shape and share impactful opinions that matter
News
Analytics
Opinions
Bitcoin Primary DAO
Online Primary School
Our decentralized autonomous virtual primary school helps students access quality education.
Gabit Bekakhmetov
Gabit is the CEO of Maruf Education Trust.

Gabit’s education experience includes board and management roles at Educator.com and National Schools of Physics & Math; in addition, he has consulted governments, UHNW individuals, and non-profits on their impact projects. His investment experience includes research and management roles at Compass Asset Management and Simoleon Long Term Value.

Holds a BA from Duke University and an MBA from Oxford University. Spends most of his time in the United Kingdom and the United States.
David Herne
David is the CIO of Maruf Education Trust.

David’s background includes setting up Halcyon, which under his management became one of the largest, most reputable and successful fund management firms in the Eastern European region. Prior to Halcyon, David was director of the regional office of Brunswick Capital Management, head of the regional office of Unifund, partner at Pharos Funds and Vice President at Credit Suisse First Boston.

David holds a BA from Harvard University.
Elena Krylovetskaya
Elena is the COO of Maruf Education Trust.

Prior to Maruf, Elena was the portfolio manager of Simoleon Long-Term Value, a fund investing in blockchain-related assets, where she was responsible for research and portfolio management. Elena began her career in Halcyon as an analyst for the fund investing in traded equities in 2015.

Elena holds a MSc in Financial Economics from Lomonosov Moscow State University.
Get in touch
The Hauser Forum, 3 Charles Babbage Rd, Cambridge CB3 0GT