Historical regional competition launches to show Central Eurasia’s growing ecosystem on Silicon Valley’s largest stage.
For the first time in its history, Central Eurasia will have a direct path to Techcrunch’s starting field field with the launch of “Road to Battle -Field”, an innovative regional competition that promises to put the suppressed region firmly on the global innovative map.
The competition, organized by Silkroad Innovation Hub in partnership with Techcrunch and Freedom Holding, will encompass nine countries across Central Eurasia: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazistan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Türkiye, three Ther Wiltupuma Spotscrista with a nation. 2025 in San Francisco.
“We exhibit beginnings at Techcrunch Disrupt for several years as partners, 14 startups in 2023, 24 starts in 2024, and we see that they can be competitive,” said Asset Abdualiyev, Director General and founder of Silkroad Innovation Hub. “In 2024, we had the largest pavilion at Techcrunch Disrupt. We are happy to take our partnership with Techcrunch Disrupt to the next level providing direct access to Techcrunch Startup Battlefield 200 to the most promising starts of the Central Eurasian Region.”
Region ready for recognition
Central Eurasia’s starting ecosystem quietly built a moment, representing a dynamic technological hub of 100 million people with one of the youngest populations in the world. The region produces about 200,000 Stem graduates annually and is home to about 7,000 active startups through key sectors, including AI, Fintech, Edtech, Medtech and E-commerce.
The numbers tell a compelling story: corporate funding in Central Asia and the South Caucasus has grown 5.5 times in recent years, reaching $ 110 million in 2023 and $ 150 million in the first half of 2024 alone. Notable successes include AI company Higgsfield, valued at over $ 100 million, and Uzum from Uzbekistan, which raised $ 114 million in funding, becoming the first unicorn of the country with an estimate of $ 1.16 billion. Meanwhile, regional offices of global players, such as Telegram and Indrive, have established operations in Kazistan.
Despite this growth, the potential of the region remains largely untouched by global investors. The competition for road to battlefield aims to change this story by providing unprecedented visibility and access to Silicon Valley’s most influential networks.
“Not all investors understand how vast the opportunities are in that area,” explained Mr Abdualiyev. “This competition is about showing that Central Eurasia has beginnings that deserve global recognition.” The initiative gained strong support from key regional players. Magzhan Madiyev, Director General of Astana Hub in Kazistan, emphasized the importance of this occasion: “We have helped start up in the United States through our acceleration programs and have seen real advances. Many companies have already reached local investments, and this competition provides an even larger platform for the start of Kazistan.
A strong regional partnership
Competition benefits from a robust partnership network across the region, supported by major regional innovative hubs and accelerators:
Astana Hub (Kazatania), It park Uzbekistan (Uzbekistan), Future lab (Georgia), Sabah Hub and Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IDDA) (Azerbaijan), It parks Mongolia (Mongolia), To accelerate prosperity (Kyrgyzstan), It park dushanbe (Tajikistan), and Initial center (Türkiye).
It Park Uzbekistan, one of the main supporters, sees this as a core step in ecosystem development:
“We are happy to support and help Uzbek start scale worldwide,” said Abdulakhad Kuchkarov, CEO of IT Park Uzbekistan. “We want that through our efforts to evolve the corporate ecosystem, our startups are visible in the US market and increase worldwide. As part of the Central Asian innovative hub, which we are now being carried out with Astana Hub, this initiative matches perfectly with our regional development.” The initiative is supported by freedom, as the main partnership, the initiative is supported by freedom. “Freedom Holding Corp. supports central Eurasian teams on the Global Techcrunch stage several years ago, and this year there is no exception,” said Marlen Sikhayev, advisor to Freedom President Global PLC. “We believe in the potential of regional entrepreneurs and want to give them access to best practices, mentorship and investment. This initiative not only provides core support for startups, but also demonstrates that the technology and innovative sector of Central Eurasia support rhythm with global trends and develops as a unified region.”
Competitive structure and timeline
The competition follows a carefully structured process:
Stage 1: National Competitions (21 July – 10 August) Each country will host online pitch events.
Stage 2: Regional Final (August 15) The top 20 starts will compete in an online regional final to determine the three winners.
Stage 3: Battle -Preparation (1 September – 24 October) Winners receive intense preparation via weekly web pages before Techcrunch Disrupt 2025.
Stage 4: Techcrunch Startup Battlefield (26-29 October) The three finalists travel to Silicon Valley to compete in the startup of Techcrunch Battlefield 200.
Exclusive benefits for winners
The three winning startups will receive a complete package designed to maximize their Silicon Valley experience:
- Guaranteed spots In Techcrunch Startup Battlefield 200
- Round travel flights to San -Francisco for up to two housemates
- Housing covered up to two weeks
- Initial booth and exhibit space for all three days of Techcrunch to interrupt
- Investor and interconnected access to top VCs and private industry events
- Marking and Media Exposure by event materials and coverage opportunities
Initial criteria
The competition is aimed at early stages that meet specific criteria:
- Should not have exceeded the pre-series financial stage
- Must have a functional MVP
- Should have a limited global media exposure
- Must be based on one of the nine central Eurasian countries
Building success
Techcrunch Disrupt stands as one of the world’s most influential technological conferences, attracting more than 165,000 attendees and presenting speakers such as Elon Musk, Serena Williams, and Satya Nadella. At its core, Techcrunch Startup Battlefield has an impressive 15-plus year track of launching global technology giants, including Trello, Dropbox, N26, MINT, and anticipated AI. Alumni companies collectively raised more than $ 32 billion, with more than 50 unicorns coming out of the program.
Every year, 200 early stages compete for an incomparable exposure to highest investors and media, with 20 finalists preceding to compete live for $ 100,000 funding and the iconic interrupt cup.
Historical moment
The launch of road to battlefield represents more than just a contest; It is a historical moment for the initial euraship of Central Eurasia. Creating a direct path to one of the world’s most prestigious stages, the initiative promises to accelerate the region’s integration into the global innovative economy.
As the competition opens for applications, entrepreneurs across Central Eurasia now have a chance to show their innovations to Silicon Valley’s most influential investors and partners. For a region that has long been underpriced in global initial competitions, it could be the catalyst, which transforms central Eurasia into a recognized hub of global innovation.
Applications for a road to battlefield are now open at https://road2battlefield.com/ with a deadline of July 15, 2025.
