JCU Alumni Kassym Kabylgali and Daniil Matskevich Featured on Cover of Forbes Kazakhstan
John Cabot University alumni Kassym Kabylgali and Daniil Matskevich, founders of the platform Squares, were featured on the cover of the November 2024 issue of Forbes Kazakhstan. The title of the article is “How Squares is Changing the Rules of Commercial Real Estate and the Sharing Economy in Central Asia.”
Both alumni came to JCU from Almaty, Kazakhstan, with Kassym earning an A.A. in Business Administration in 2018 and Daniil a B.A. in Marketing in 2019.
Squares, created by Kassym and Daniil in 2021, helps users find and rent all types of spaces for a day or an hour. In that same year, Kassym and his business partner Daniil were featured in Forbes “30 Under 30 Kazakhstan.”
The Forbes article covers the full story behind Squares, from Daniil and Kassym’s studies at JCU to their accomplishments, setbacks, and the launch of their newest product, Squares Pass, which allows anyone to work from over 200 workspaces with a single subscription, without any commitment to a traditional office lease or using the same coworking space.
“As we mention in the article, JCU was instrumental in shaping our entrepreneurial paths. We are very grateful to the University because not only did it give us a great education, it also opened doors to many opportunities,” says Kassym. “Both Daniil and I worked in different departments at JCU during our studies, which helped us develop professional skills. With the help of the Career Services Office, we also found internships with Italian companies (Daniil at Tognetto Group and me at DayBreakHotels.com), which eventually turned into work contracts and gave us the chance to stay in Italy after graduation. JCU provides incredible support and possibilities for international students like us to succeed professionally. We really hope our story encourages others to choose JCU and build their own success stories.”
“Our main goal for the future,” explains Kassym, “is to expand Squares further into new regions, and the next destination is Austin, TX, where Daniil moved a year ago. Of course, we wish to continue improving the platform with better features for our users.”
Congratulations Kassym and Daniil from the entire JCU community!
