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Land of Startups: What ICTWeek Uzbekistan Revealed About Central Asia’s Tech Rise
Why tech giants like Amazon, Apple, NVIDIA, Meta, Oracle, Coursera, Huawei, ZTE, and Alibaba are entering the Uzbek digital market and showcasing themselves at the region’s biggest tech event – ICTWeek Uzbekistan 2026.
UZBEKISTAN /ACCESS Newswire/ September 29, 2026 /This year, ICTWeek Uzbekistan, under the theme “Land of Startups,” brought together more than 30,000 visitors, thousands of startups, hundreds of VCs and investors, and more than 3,000 international guests, including speakers, experts, and partners.
During the event, the government presented data showing a startup ecosystem worth $4.3 billion, 300,000 IT specialists, and an incentive regime built to attract foreign founders and funds.
The Ministry of Digital Technologies opened its pitch with this valuation. According to dealroom.co data presented by the ministry, the ecosystem was worth just $790 million in 2022.
The samepital investment, with an increase of 544.5%. Most U.S. investors have paid little attention to Central Asia. The ministry’s message to them was direct: a country of 39.5 million people has built the perfect infrastructure for venture capital
A Valuation Curve Investors Can Read
The growth has been steady, not a one-year spike. Dealroom.co puts the ecosystem at $1.2 billion in 2023, $1.7 billion in 2024, and $3.9 billion in 2025. Uzbek startups have raised more than $400 million since 2020. More than 20 venture funds now operate in the country, with over $200 million in combined capital.
Two companies reached unicorn status in the past two years, according to the ministry’s dealroom.co figures: Uzum and TBC Bank. Their success shows investors that startups in this market can reach scale.
Independent rankings reflect this too. StartupBlink’s Global Startup Ecosystem Index Report moved Uzbekistan from 115th place in 2022 to 79th in 2026, a 36-place gain. It also called Uzbekistan the world’s fastest-growing startup ecosystem and the No. 1 startup hub in Central Asia, and named it Country of the Year. Startup Genome separately named Tashkent the Startup Capital of Central Asia for 2026.
At the city level, StartupBlink ranks Tashkent 229th worldwide, ahead of Almaty (291st) and Astana (332nd) in neighboring Kazakhstan. Samarkand (814th) and Fergana (863rd) also make the global list, which suggests activity is spreading beyond the capital.
Startup Genome names three sectors driving Tashkent’s ecosystem: fintech and e-commerce, artificial intelligence and logistics, and education technology. U.S. funds already know these categories well, so newcomers face a shorter learning curve.
