Uzbekistan’s startup ecosystem received international recognition this week after two projects from the country won top honors at the Global Startup Awards Grand Finale, held during the EU-Startups Summit in Valletta, Malta.
The event brought together startup founders, investors, and technology leaders from more than 54 countries. The Global Startup Awards is considered one of the world’s leading platforms for recognizing innovation ecosystems, selecting finalists through regional and national competitions across multiple continents.
According to organizers, Uzbek representatives won in two global categories. Rakhimakhon Nugmanova, founder of the startup Peritech, received the “Ecosystem Hero of the Year” award, while Catextra was named “Best Greentech Startup of the Year.”
Speaking to Times of Central Asia, Nugmanova said the recognition carried special meaning because it reflected support from the international startup community itself.
“For me, this award is very important because it means people themselves chose me,” she said. “It shows that the work we are doing to develop the ecosystem has been noticed and appreciated by the people it is meant for.”
She added that representing both Uzbekistan and Central Asia on the global stage was significant at a time when the region is drawing increasing international attention.
“I think people were able to feel my sincerity and my passion for this work,” Nugmanova told The Times of Central Asia. “For many years, I have worked at the intersection of education, technology, and the public sector, and I hope I am making a meaningful contribution to people’s lives, from children to adults.”
The success in Malta follows the Global Startup Awards Central Asia regional final held in Tashkent during ICT Week in September 2025 with support from IT Park Uzbekistan. The event helped regional startups connect with investors and international technology networks.
Catextra’s victory highlighted growing international interest in sustainable technologies developed in Uzbekistan. The platform focuses on transparency and traceability in the textile industry, helping manufacturers track every stage of their supply chains and verify compliance with international ethical and production standards.
A member of the Catextra team, Amal Isamukhamedov, told The Times of Central Asia that the award demonstrated international confidence in an idea developed in Uzbekistan.
“For our team, winning at the Global Startup Awards means recognition and trust from European technology structures in our Uzbek idea,” he said. “We realized that our idea can work not only in our region, but also beyond it.”
According to Isamukhamedov, the platform is designed to help textile and agricultural exporters from Uzbekistan and Central Asia access higher-value markets in Europe, the United States, and Asia, where buyers increasingly demand proof of product origin and transparent supply chains.
“Our platform helps local producers export faster, more cheaply, and more easily,” he said.
He also credited growing state support for the startup sector, including initiatives backed by President Shavkat Mirziyoyev and IT Park Uzbekistan, with helping local startups enter international markets.
“Five years ago, these ideas and this political will were only beginning to form,” he said. “Now a new generation of students and founders is emerging that can compete internationally.”
