Historic regional competition launches to showcase Central Eurasia’s rising startup ecosystem on Silicon Valley’s biggest stage.
For the first time in its history, Central Eurasia will have a direct pathway to TechCrunch Startup Battlefield through the launch of “Road to Battlefield,” a groundbreaking regional competition that promises to put the underrepresented region firmly on the global innovation map.
The competition, organized by Silkroad Innovation Hub in partnership with TechCrunch and Freedom Holding, will span nine countries across Central Eurasia: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Türkiye, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. National competitions will lead to a regional final where the top three startups will earn spots in TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 2025 in San Francisco.
“We’ve been exhibiting startups at TechCrunch Disrupt for several years as partners — 14 startups in 2023, 24 startups in 2024 — and we see that they can be competitive,” said Asset Abdualiyev, CEO 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 by providing direct access to TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 to the most promising startups from the Central Eurasian region.”
A region ready for recognition
Central Eurasia’s startup ecosystem has been quietly building momentum, representing a dynamic tech hub of 100 million people with one of the youngest populations in the world. The region produces approximately 200,000 STEM graduates annually and is home to an estimated 7,000 active startups across key sectors, including AI, fintech, edtech, medtech, and e-commerce.
The numbers tell a compelling story: Venture funding in Central Asia and the South Caucasus has grown 5.5x in recent years, reaching $110 million in 2023 and $150 million in the first half of 2024 alone. …