The historic regional competition begins to present the growing Central Eurasia starting ecosystem in Silicon Valley’s largest scene.
For the first time in its history, Central Eurasia will have an immediate path to the Battleftfield TechCrunch Start -Start through the launch of “Road to Battlefield”, an innovative regional competition that promises to steadily put the under -profitable area on the world map.
The competition, organized by Silkroad Innovation Hub in collaboration with TechCrunch and Freedom, will cover nine countries across Central Eurasia: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkey. National competitions will lead to a regional final, where the first three businesses will win points at the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2025 in San Francisco.
“We have presented newly established businesses in TechCrunch for several years as partners – 14 newly established businesses in 2023, 24 newly established companies in 2024 – and we see that they can be competitive,” said Asset Abdualiyev, chief executive and founder of Silkroad Innovation Hub. “In 2024. We had the largest booth in TechCrunch.
An area ready for recognition
Central Eurasia’s starting ecosystem has created a quiet momentum, representing a dynamic technological hub of 100 million people with one of the younger populations in the world. The area produces about 200,000 STEM graduates per year and hosts about 7,000 active newly established businesses in key areas, including AI, Fintech, Edtech, Medtech and e -commerce.
The numbers report an exciting story: Funding for business activities in Central Asia and the South Caucasus has increased 5.5 times in recent years, reaching $ 110 million in $ 2023 and $ 150 million in the first half of 2024.
Remarkable successes include AI Company Higgsfield, worth more than $ 100 million, and Uzbek Uzum, which raised $ 114 million in funding, making the country’s first unicorn unicorn with a valuation of $ 1.16 billion. Meanwhile, world players’ regional offices, such as Telegram and Indrive, have set up businesses in Kazakhstan.
Despite this development, the potential of the region remains largely unused by world investors. The road competition to Battlefield aims to change this narrative by providing unprecedented visibility and access to Silicon Valley’s most important networks.
“All investors do not understand how huge the opportunities in this area are,” Abdualiyev explained. “This competition is about the promotion that Central Eurasia has newly established businesses that deserve global recognition.”
The initiative has gathered strong support from key regional players. Magzhan Madiyev, Managing Director of Astana Hub in Kazakhstan, underlined the importance of this opportunity: “We have helped the scale of newly formed businesses in the US through acceleration programs and have seen a real development.
Strong regional relationship
Competition benefits from a strong corporate relationship network across the area, supported by top regional innovation hubs and accelerators:
Astana Hub (Kazakhstan); Uzbek Park (Uzbekistan); Future Laboratory (Georgia); Sabah Hub and Digital Development and Digital Development Organization (IDDA) (Azerbaijan). Mongolia Park (Mongolia); Acceleration of prosperity (Kyrgyzstan)? Dushanbe Park (Tajikistan)? and Centrum start (türkiye).
Uzbekistan Park, one of the main supporters, considers this as a crucial step in the development of the ecosystem. “We are pleased to support and help the Uzbek Startups scale worldwide,” said Abdulakhad Kuchkarov, CEO of It Park Uzbekistan. “We hope that through our efforts to evolve the business risk ecosystem, our newly established businesses can be seen in the US market and expand worldwide. As part of the Central Asian innovation hub we are now implementing with Astana Hub, this initiative is aligning with them.
The initiative is supported by its freedom as a main partner, demonstrating a significant commitment of the private sector to regional innovation. “Freedom Holding Corp. supports the central Eurasian teams at TechCrunch World Stadium for several years and this year is no exception,” said Marlen Sikhayev, adviser to Freedom Finance Global Plc. “We believe in the capabilities of regional entrepreneurs and we want to give them access to best practices, guidance and investment. This initiative not only provides critical support for newly established businesses, but also proves that the technology and sector of the central Eurasia Eurasia are intense.”
Structure and timetable of competition
The contest follows a carefully structured process:
Stage 1: National Competitions (July 21 – August 10). Each country will host online events.
Stage 2: Regional Final (August 15). The top 20 startups will compete in an online regional final to determine the three winners.
Stage 3: Battle Preparation (September 1 – October 24). The winners receive intensive preparation through weekly webinars leading to TechCrunch Disrpt 2025.
Stage 4: TechCrunch Startup Battlefield (October 27 – 29). The three finalists travel to Silicon Valley to compete in TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200.
Exclusive benefits for winners
The three newly established companies will receive a complete package designed to maximize their Silicon Valley experience:
- Guaranteed points at TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200.
- Return in San Francisco for up to two members of the group.
- Accommodation covered for up to 2 weeks.
- Start And expose space for all three days of TechCrunch disorder.
- Investor and networking access At top VCs and private events in industry.
- Name and Exposure to the media through material events and coverage opportunities.
Boot criteria
Competition aims at newly established businesses that meet specific criteria:
- It should not exceed the pre-sessions a funding stage.
- It must have a functional MVP.
- It should have a limited worldwide exposure to the media.
- It must be based in one of the nine central Eurasian countries.
Based on success
TechCrunch Disrupt stands as one of the most important technology meetings in the world, attracting more than 165,000 participants and have speakers such as Elon Musk, Serena Williams and Satya Nadella.
At its core, TechCrunch Startup Battlefield features an impressive 15 -year history for the launch of Global Tech Giants, such as Trello, Dropbox, N26, Mint and Forethought AI. Alumni companies have collected more than $ 32 billion collectively, with more than 50 unicorn emerging from the program.
Each year, 200 newly established companies compete for unparalleled exposure to investors and top -level media, with 20 finalists moving to compete live for $ 100,000 and the Virtual Cup Disrup Cup.
A historical moment
The launch of the road to the battlefield represents more than a competition. It is a historic moment for the Central Eurasian starting ecosystem. By creating an immediate way to one of the most famous starting stages in the world, the initiative promises to accelerate the integration of the region into the global innovation economy.
As the competition opens for applications, entrepreneurs across Central Eurasia now have the opportunity to present their innovations to Silicon Valley’s major investors and partners.
For an area that has long been undergone worldwide starting competitions, it could be the catalyst that turns Central Eurasia into a recognized hub of global innovation.
Applications for the road to the battlefield are now openWith a deadline of July 15, 2025.
