The startup ecosystem in Central Eurasia is having its second. What began as 485 purposes from throughout 27 international locations together with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Pakistan, Qatar, Romania, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, UAE, UK, Ukraine, USA, Uzbekistan, Vietnam has culminated within the largest startup pitch competitors in Central Eurasia’s historical past the “Road to the Battlefield”, that’s placing the area’s most promising entrepreneurs on a direct path to San Francisco’s most prestigious startup stage at TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200.
The Highway to the Battlefield competitors, organized by Silkroad Innovation Hub in partnership with TechCrunch and Freedom Holding, is extra than simply one other startup contest. It marks a historic milestone for a area that has been steadily constructing its dynamic tech ecosystem and shall be remembered because the occasion that put Central Eurasia on the worldwide startup map.
“At Silkroad Innovation Hub, our mission is to put Central Eurasia on the global startup and VC map,” mentioned Asset Abdualiyev, CEO and Founding father of Silkroad Innovation Hub. “This initiative represents an important milestone because, for the first time, TechCrunch hosted a regional competition to source great startups for their prestigious Battlefield competition. When we began, it was simply an idea, a vision to empower founders from underrepresented geographies. We’re pleased to announce that this has become the largest startup competition in Central Eurasia’s history, demonstrating a significant interest from founders across the region in building truly innovative companies and showcasing them globally. We’re grateful to TechCrunch for their continued partnership and their ongoing interest in the region.”
Between July 21 and August 12, 380 startups pitched throughout 9 nationwide rounds on-line, delivering a formidable 32 hours of pitching content material. The competitors showcased exceptional range, with 35% of collaborating startups based by feminine founders, and the youngest entrepreneur, simply 14 years previous, was from Unify (Uzbekistan).
The startups represented numerous growth levels: 43 within the thought stage, 224 with MVPs, 127 in pre-seed, 65 within the seed stage, and 26 in pre-Collection A.
Now, 4 standout startups, Polygraf AI (Azerbaijan, USA), QuickShipper (Georgia), Surfaice (USA, Kazakhstan), and ArtSkin (Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan) have secured spots at TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2025 in San Francisco, the place they’ll compete towards a few of the most promising ventures from world wide.
This marks the primary time in TechCrunch historical past that startups from Central Eurasia have had a devoted pathway to one of many tech world’s most prestigious competitions. Past figuring out high-potential ventures, the initiative has sparked cross-border collaboration, attracted worldwide investor curiosity, and firmly positioned Central Eurasia as a area to look at on the worldwide innovation map.
“The 168 applications from Kazakhstan to the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield regional selection is a clear signal of our ecosystem’s growing maturity and global ambition,” mentioned Zhaslan Madiyev, Minister of Digital Growth, Innovation, and Aerospace Trade of Kazakhstan. “This level of engagement reflects the effectiveness of our national innovation strategy. Through Astana Hub and strategic partnerships with global platforms, we are committed to supporting Kazakh entrepreneurs as they scale internationally.”
Competitors Outcomes
Following the nationwide rounds from July 21 to August 12, the competitors concluded with a Regional Remaining of Highway to Battlefield on August 15, the place 20 finalists introduced to a global panel of judges.
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The 20 finalists who superior to the Regional Competitors had been Arlan Biotech, Artskin, Athena AI, Biometric Imaginative and prescient, EZSpeech by Mila4AI, FabStory AI, HaWoO2, Hello Physician, Investbanq, and Jobster.hr, LYDYA, MiraiTech, NeuroGuard AI, Pikare SkySource, Polygraf AI, QuickShipper, Snory, Steppe AI, Surfaice, and Zero Waste.
A panel of 40 jury members from 10 international locations judged the nationwide on-line competitions, representing a broad spectrum of buyers, lecturers, and ecosystem leaders. The jury included Aidana Bergazdenova (Astana Hub Ventures), Dalerkhon Nodirov (IT Park Ventures), Zolzaya Jargalsaikhan (IT Park Mongolia), Abdulla Al-Naimi (Doha Business Consulting), Agahuseyn Ahmadov (IDDA), Alya Abbaszada (SABAH Angels), Marat Tolybai (Activat VC), Samir Hajibayli (Caucasus Ventures), Yuhan Fang (Stanford Institute), Nihal Yazgan (Bilkent CYBERPARK), Müge Bezgin (Startup Centrum), Kim Latypov (VC Lawyer, Stanford GSB), Deon Nicholas (Forethought AI, winner of TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2018), Ella Shukho (500 World), Darsh Mann (StartX), Aziza Zakhidova (EBRD Ventures), Abay Absamet (Silkroad Angels Membership), Isabelle Johannessen, Head of TechCrunch Startup Battlefield Program, and others.
“It’s humbling and energizing to see this level of excitement for Startup Battlefield. The SilkRoad Innovation Hub – Road to Battlefield was one of the most organized and high-energy pitch events I’ve seen, and the enthusiasm from founders across Central Eurasia was incredible. We’re thrilled to welcome Polygraf AI, QuickShipper, Surfaice, and ArtSkin to San Francisco as part of the Startup Battlefield 200 — and can’t wait to share their stories with the world.” – Isabelle Johannessen, TechCrunch.
For the primary time within the competitors’s historical past, the panel was joined by an AI decide named AI-Gerim, who served as an impartial jury member, including an progressive layer of analysis to pitches. Collectively, this mixture of world experience and AI-driven insights units a brand new customary for assessing rising startups.
The startups showcased a vibrant cross-section of industries, with Synthetic Intelligence main the best way. Founders tackled real-world issues in AI & Automation, EdTech, HealthTech, FinTech, Inexperienced & Local weather Tech, AgriTech, HRTech, MarTech, SaaS, and E-commerce.
After a extremely aggressive closing spherical, 4 successful startups had been chosen to symbolize Central Eurasia:
Polygraf AI (Azerbaijan)
Polygraf AI delivers regionally deployed AI options that detect AI threats and defend insurance policies towards any AI options. Their SLM (small language mannequin) AI options are quick and carry out the best accuracy in third-party audits.
“I think the Central Asian and Caucasus-based founders are growing stronger, and this competition showed again that talent is no longer a problem. It’s no longer just isolated to the Western world. We have an amazing talent in there, and all the participants showed it,” mentioned Yagub Rahimo, Founding father of Polygraf AI. “The competition was proper, amazing. All the participants presented amazing solutions and tools. But as in every other competition, there is one number one, and I’m so glad that Polygraph was that number one. We have won South by Southwest, Summerfest Tech AI Summit, and multiple other awards already this year. We want to win the Startup Battlefield this year, too.”
QuickShipper (Georgia)
QuickShipper is a supply gateway that permits each retailer to supply environment friendly and pleasant deliveries immediately from a single window. The startup affords corporations a complete ecosystem for managing their in-house drivers, together with a community of built-in supply companions.
“It was a great experience to compete with startups from so many different and interesting markets. The diversity of ideas and talent was inspiring, and it makes it an even bigger honor to represent the Eurasian market in the finals now,” mentioned Mariam Akhvlediani, Co-founder & CEO of QuickShipper. “We feel proud and excited to be in the Top 4. It is a significant milestone for QuickShipper and other startups to be on such a stage. We see it as both a recognition of our hard work and a chance to show what we can do on a global level.”
Surfaice (Kazakhstan and USA)
Surfaice affords a unified AI-driven working system that includes an autonomous fleet of brokers that combine workflows comparable to website search, budgeting, bidding, punch-list automation, and milestone monitoring. This ends in a 2X enhance in productiveness, for instance, doubling the variety of retailer builds per yr from about 100 to 200. It gives a single, complete platform for all their building software program.
“I think our journey to Battlefield has been very dramatic because we almost missed the deadline to apply for this program, but then I motivated my team. So imagine if I hadn’t pushed them and we missed this deadline, we probably would have missed this opportunity,” mentioned Alim Uderbekov, CEO & Co-Founder. “Overall, it was great to compete with all the other startups and finally be on the stage. It is also funny that, just today, I randomly came across a video about Pied Piper from the Silicon Valley TV show, where they were also attending TechCrunch Battlefield, and I thought, ‘Wow, is this real?’ It’s really hard to understand your feelings because you’re just walking forward, which is a journey that we are going through. But it’s so exciting, looking at my whole past, where I’m coming from, a small city in South Kazakhstan, and I’d be on the main stage for a startup in Silicon Valley, that I used to see only virtually, and now I’m become part of it. I think it’s unbelievable.”
In an unprecedented transfer that added much more pleasure to the competitors, TechCrunch determined to make their very own choice and select ArtSkin as a particular TechCrunch decide, bringing the overall to 4 startups representing the area.
ArtSkin (Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan)
Artskin develops neurointerface expertise that transmits the feeling of contact to the human physique throughout a number of cutting-edge fields, together with AR/VR, bionic prosthetics, telerobotics, spacetech, surgical procedure, and humanoid robotics.
“Being selected as one of the top four startups to pitch on the main stage at the TechCrunch Startup Battlefield finals is an extraordinary honor and a thrilling milestone,” mentioned Iliias Dzheentaev and Madina Sabitqyzy, Co-founders of ArtSkin. “It validates our team’s dedication, innovation, and relentless pursuit of excellence. Knowing we’re among the top 200 startups in the world fills us with pride and excitement, but also a profound sense of responsibility. We’re now more motivated than ever to elevate our pitch, refine our strategy, and showcase our vision to a global audience. Our ambition is clear: we’re aiming to win TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, and this opportunity is a critical step toward achieving that goal.”
The opposite prime 10 finalists had been Arlan Biotech, Investbanq, Athena AI, MiraiTech, HaWoO2, and Biometric Imaginative and prescient.
These 4 groups now face a couple of months of preparation earlier than stepping onto the principle stage. At TechCrunch Disrupt, they’ll pitch alongside startups from everywhere in the world competing for funding, partnerships, and world recognition.
Past the Pitch
For collaborating founders, the competitors delivered worth past the ultimate rankings. The publicity, connections, and validation from collaborating in a globally acknowledged platform proved transformative in methods they hadn’t anticipated.
What’s occurring throughout Central Eurasia displays a vital growth. This isn’t nearly particular person corporations looking for funding; it’s about a whole area’s entrepreneurs measuring themselves towards world requirements and discovering they belong within the dialog.
“For Uzbekistan, participation in global arenas like TechCrunch Startup Battlefield is not just about visibility, it’s about shaping a future where our tech talent leads on the global stage,” mentioned Sherzod Shermatov, Minister of Digital Applied sciences of the Republic of Uzbekistan. “Our goal is to ensure that the next generation of breakthrough technologies isn’t just used in Uzbekistan, it’s built here.”
The impression of Highway to the Battlefield extends past the ultimate pitch displays. The competitors has inspired cross-border dialogue amongst entrepreneurs throughout the area and attracted new investor curiosity in Central Eurasian startups.
The principle accomplice is Freedom Holding Corp, a Nasdaq-listed monetary companies holding firm (ticker: FRHC) headquartered in Kazakhstan. As of Might 2025, the corporate achieved a exceptional milestone with a valuation of roughly US $10 billion, reflecting investor confidence and market power. It has established itself as one of the influential monetary gamers within the area, incomes a robust status for supporting innovation and entrepreneurship. Its assist for the Highway to TechCrunch Startup Battlefield displays not solely its world stature but in addition its long-term dedication to empowering founders from Central Eurasia, serving to them join with worldwide markets and scale their impression.
Extra considerably, it has launched Central Eurasia to the tech world in Silicon Valley as a supply of progressive options and rising expertise. The competitors was supported by main innovation hubs and accelerators throughout the area: Azerbaijan – Innovation and Digital Growth Company, SABAH.Hub, SABAH.angels; Bulgaria/USA – Future Unicorns; Georgia – Future Laboratory; Worldwide Organizations – Group of Turkic States, EBRD; Kazakhstan – Astana Hub, Astana Hub Ventures, Nazarbayev College, Silkroad Angels Membership; Kyrgyzstan – Speed up Prosperity; Media – The Tech; Moldova – Startup Moldova; Mongolia – IT Park Mongolia; Singapore – ACE; Tajikistan – IT Park Dushanbe; Türkiye – Startup Centrum, Bilkent Cyberpark; and Uzbekistan – IT Park Uzbekistan, IT Park Ventures. The initiative linked founders who may not have in any other case collaborated and offered a platform to showcase regional expertise on a worldwide scale.
“As the Innovation and Digital Development Agency of Azerbaijan, we are very happy to partner with Silkroad Innovation Hub and actively participate in TechCrunch Road to Battlefield startup competition,” mentioned Farid Osmanov, Chairman of the Innovation and Digital Growth Company (IDDA) of Azerbaijan. “We are excited that Polygraf AI, an Azeri-founded startup, got into the top four in this competition and will represent the region at the prestigious TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco. This shows that the Azeri ecosystem is developing fast and we are on the right track.”
Because the 4 successful startups put together for San Francisco, they symbolize the rising ambitions of Central Eurasia’s entrepreneurial group. The competitors has created new pathways for regional startups to entry worldwide alternatives and assets.
This text was co-written with Aikumis Seksenbayeva.
