ICT Week Uzbekistan 2026 Brings Startups and Investors to Tashkent

Tashkent will host ICT Week Uzbekistan 2026 from September 22 to 25, bringing together startup founders, investors, technology companies, and industry experts from Uzbekistan and abroad. The four-day event will be held at CAEx, the Central Asian Expo Uzbekistan exhibition center. Its startup and investment programme will focus on technology entrepreneurship, venture capital, and the international expansion of Uzbek companies. The Times of Central Asia is a media partner of ICT Week Uzbekistan 2026 and will cover key developments and discussions taking place during the event. The startup and investment programme will begin on September 22 with the Startup & Venture Summit, which is expected to bring together representatives of the global startup ecosystem. Discussions will focus on developing the regional venture market, access to capital, international expansion, and the roles of public and private investors in building startup ecosystems. On September 23, the Enterprise Uzbekistan Summit will focus on Uzbekistan’s development as a technology jurisdiction for international businesses. The programme will address legal certainty, institutional infrastructure, and conditions for attracting foreign technology companies and investment. The summit will include presentations by Enterprise Uzbekistan, keynotes from EY and BDO, a fireside chat involving IT Park Uzbekistan and Enterprise Uzbekistan, and a panel discussion titled “Rethinking Jurisdictions for the Global Technology Economy.” The same day will also feature the Global Startup Ecosystem Awards by StartupBlink, held in cooperation with IT Park Uzbekistan. The ceremony will recognize cities, countries, and regions that have performed strongly in StartupBlink's global rankings. It will be followed by a discussion on best practices in startup ecosystem development, with participants expected to examine factors behind successful ecosystems and how developing technology markets can use existing experience. One of the main events of the week will be the regional final of the Startup World Cup on September 24. Selected startups will present live pitches to an international jury and venture capital representatives. The winner will have an opportunity to advance to the global Startup World Cup in San Francisco, where finalists from around the world will compete for a $1 million investment prize. Artificial intelligence will also have a major role in this year’s programme. The AI Native: Ideas to Innovation event on September 24 will explore the development of AI ideas into technology and business products, covering areas such as large language models, cloud technologies, multilingual AI, robotics, AI agents and business automation. The programme will also look at opportunities for young specialists through AI education, hackathons and career paths. The technical side of technology growth will receive attention on September 25 during AWS Community Day Uzbekistan, which will focus on cloud technologies and solutions for scaling digital products. The final day will also feature the Ignyte AI Challenge, where startup teams will present AI-based solutions to international experts, as well as TAQDIMOT, a Startup Show & Pitch Battle featuring short presentations from technology projects. The startup-focused programme is part of a broader ICT Week agenda. Other events include several AI-focused forums and sessions, the Fintech Forum,...

Uzbekistan Expands President Tech Award to $5 Million, Launches $1 Million AI Startup Competition

IT Park Uzbekistan has opened a new season of the President Tech Award, the country’s largest technology competition, and launched a separate national contest focused on artificial intelligence, the President AI Award. The official presentation of both programs took place on July 1 during the Powering the Startup Ecosystem event at the Congress Hall of Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Digital Technologies. Organizers said the competitions will support technology startups through grants, venture investment, mentoring, and access to international markets. Azamat Karamatov, CEO of IT Park Uzbekistan, said the decision to increase the President Tech Award prize pool to $5 million and create the President AI Award reflected investment in a new generation of technology companies. “Our task is to create conditions under which talented developers and entrepreneurs can turn ideas into global products and contribute to the development of Uzbekistan’s digital economy,” he said. Launched on a presidential initiative, the President Tech Award has become one of Uzbekistan’s main platforms for technology projects. Organizers said more than 6,000 people took part in the most recent cycle and 862 startup teams competed, nearly double the previous season’s figures. Since the competition began in 2023, more than 13,000 people have applied and around 1,800 teams have been formed. Of the 45 projects that previously received awards, winners have created more than 400 jobs and attracted more than $10 million in post-competition investment. For 2026, the President Tech Award prize fund has been increased from $1 million to $5 million. The total includes $1 million in non-repayable grants and $4 million in venture investment for selected startups. The program will include three tracks. Early-stage teams will enter an incubation track focused on product-market fit and international mentoring, with 25 winners sharing $1 million in grants. Startups in the growth stage will compete for $1.5 million in investment through the acceleration track. A third track, Best Startup Project, will offer $2.5 million in investment from IT Park Ventures across 10 sectors, with winners selected by an international jury. The President AI Award is Uzbekistan’s first state competition dedicated fully to AI startups. It is designed to identify and develop AI projects that offer practical solutions for economic and social needs. The competition will focus on public administration, industry and entrepreneurship, healthcare, education, and the green economy and agritech. After selection, 25 startups, five from each field, will enter an acceleration program. They will work with mentors and experts to refine their products, prepare investor pitches, and raise their profile in Uzbekistan. The total investment pool for the President AI Award is $1 million, with 15 winners to receive financing across the five fields. Awards will be distributed as investments in two tranches tied to agreed performance indicators. Each field will have three winners, with $100,000 for first place, $60,000 for second, and $40,000 for third. Sherzod Shermatov, Minister of Digital Technologies, traced the awards to a shift in national policy. Uzbekistan initially promoted an outsourcing-focused IT sector, he said, but soon saw a rapid rise...