For the first time in its history, Eurasia Central will have a direct path to TechCrunch Battleffield startup by launching “Road to Battlefield”, a breakthrough regional competition that guarantees to appear strongly to appear in an insufficiently represented region on the global map of innovation.
The competition, organized by Silkroad Innovation Hub in cooperation with TechCrunch and Freedom Holding, includes nine countries in Central Eurasia: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tadżykistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. National competitions will lead to the regional final, in which the three best startups earn places in the startup TechCrunch Battlefield 2025 in San Francisco.
“For several years we have been putting up startups in TechCrunch as partners – 14 startups in 2023, 24 startups in 2024 – and we see that they can be competitive,” said Asset Abdualiyev, CEO and founding father of Silkroad Innovation Hub. “In 2024 we had the largest pavilion in TechCrunch Disrup.
The region is ready to recognize
The startup ecosystem in Central Eurasia quietly builds a shoot, representing the dynamic technical center of 100 million people with one of the youngest populations in the world. The region produces about 200,000 STEM graduates a yr and is home to about 7,000 energetic startups in key sectors, including AI, FinTech, Edtech, Medtech and E-commerce.
The numbers tell a fascinating story: financing the project in Central Asia and the South Caucasus has increased in recent years by 5.5 times, reaching $ 110 million in 2023 and $ 150 million in the first half of 2024.
Noteworthy success is AI Higgsfield, value over $ 100 million, and Uzbekistan Uzbekistan, which collected $ 114 million, becoming the first unicorn in the country with a valuation of $ 1.16 billion. Meanwhile, regional offices of worldwide players, corresponding to Telegram and Indrive, have established activities in Kazakhstan.
Despite this increase, the region’s potential stays largely unused by global investors. The competition on the battlefield is aimed at changing this narrative by ensuring unprecedented visibility and access to the most influential silicon Valley networks.
“Not all investors understand how huge the possibilities in this region are,” explained Abdualiyev. “This competition consists in showing that Central Eurasia has startups that deserve global recognition.”
The initiative brought strong support from key regional players. Magzhan Madiyev, general director of Astana Hub in Kazakhstan, emphasized the importance of this chance: “We help in scaling startups in the United States thanks to our acceleration programs. Many companies have already provided local investments, and this competition is an even larger platform for Kazakhstan startups in display.”
Strong regional partnership
The competition uses a solid partner network throughout the region, supported by the leading regional centers of innovation and accelerators:
Astana Hub (Kazakhstan); IT Park Uzbekistan (Uzbekistan); Future laboratory (Georgia); Sabah Hub and Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA) (Azerbaijan); Mongolia Park (Mongolia); Accelerate prosperity (Kyrgyzstan); Dushanbe park (Tajikistan); and startup of the center (Türkiye).
Park Uzbekistan, one of the key supporters, considers it a key step in the development of the ecosystem. “We are pleased to support and help at the scale of startups Uzbek around the world,” said Abdulakhad Kuchkarov, CEO IT Park Uzbekistan. “We wish that our efforts aimed at developing the ecosystem of the undertaking, our startups could be seen on the American market and expand all over the world. As part of the Innovation Center in Central Asia, which we currently implement with Astana Hub, the initiative is ideally consistent with our goals of regional development.”
The initiative is supported by Freedom Holding as the principal partner, showing a significant involvement of the private sector in regional innovations. “Freedom Holding Corp. has been supporting central Eurasian teams at the global stage of TechCrunch for several years, and this year is no exception,” said Marlen Sikhayev, adviser to the president of Freedom Finance Global Plc. “We believe in the potential of regional entrepreneurs and we want to provide them with access to the best practices, mentoring and investment. This initiative not only provides key support for startups, but also shows that the technology and innovation sector in Central Eurasia is suitable for global trends and develops as a uniform region.”
Competition structure and time axis
The competition is consistent with a rigorously structured process:
Stage 1: National competitions (July 21 – August 10). Each country will host online events.
Stage 2: Regional final (August 15). The 20 best startups will compete in the regional online final to determine three winners.
Stage 3: Battlefield preparation (September 1 – October 24). The winners receive intensive preparations through weekly online seminars leading to TechCrunch disturbing 2025.
Stage 4: Startup TechCrunch Battlefield (October 27-29). Three finalists travel to the Silicon Valley to participate in the TechCrunch Battlefield 200 startup.
Exclusive advantages for the winners
Three winning startups will receive a comprehensive package designed to maximize their experience from the Silicon Valley:
- Guaranteed places In the startup of TechCrunch Battlefield 200.
- Both ways flights to San Francisco for up to two team members.
- Accommodation Covered up to 2 weeks.
- Startup stand And the exhibition space for all three days TechCrunch disturbs.
- Access to investors and networks for the best VC events and a private industry.
- Branding and exposure to the media through the materials of events and the possibilities of coverage.
Startup criteria
The competition is directed to startups at an early stage, which meet specific criteria:
- He cannot exceed the financing stage before the series.
- Must have a functional MVP.
- He should have a limited global media exhibition.
- It have to be based on one of the nine central Eurasian countries.
Relying on success
TechCrunch is disturbed is one of the most influential technological conferences in the world, attracting over 165,000 participants and presenting speakers corresponding to Elon Musk, Serena Williams and Satya Nadella.
At the basis of the startup TechCrunch Battlefield offers an impressive over 15-year history of starting global technological giants, including Trello, Dropbox, N26, Mint and Forethuld AI. Graduate corporations collected over $ 32 billion together, and over 50 unicorns emerged.
Each yr, 200 startups at an early stage compete for an unparalleled exposure to investors and the highest level media, and 20 finalists began to compete live for financing value $ 100,000 and the iconic Cup of Przystacja.
Historical moment
Launching the road to Battlefield represents greater than just competition; This is a historic moment for the startup ecosystem in Central Eurasia. By creating a direct path to one of the most prestigious startup stages in the world, the initiative guarantees to speed up the integration of the region with the global revolutionary economy.
As the competition is opened, primarily entrepreneurs in Central Eurasia now have the opportunity to present their innovations to the most influential investors and partners in the Silicon Valley.
In the case of a region, which has long been insufficiently represented in global startup competitions, this may occasionally be a catalyst that transforms Central Eurasia into a recognized center of worldwide innovation.
Applications to the road to Battlefield are Now openwith the date of July 15, 2025