Uzbekistan’s growing technology ambitions took centre stage at the debut Global Tech Week Tashkent 2026, held in partnership with IT Park Uzbekistan. The three-day festival brought together thousands of participants, featuring over 40 sessions covering AI, venture capital and startup scaling. Co-founder Nodo Ivanidze praised the preparation of local founders and highlighted Uzbekistan’s 36 million population, young demographics and government-backed reforms as key advantages. He stated the next challenge is converting momentum into outcomes, with Global Tech Week planning to return in 2027 with expanded international participation.
In-Depth:
Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan are both pushing hard to become renowned Central Asian technology hubs. Persuading international investors, startup founders and global tech communities – all in search of new high-growth markets beyond more saturated technology ecosystems – is essential to their ambitions.
Many of the attractions in play in Uzbekistan were on display at the debut edition of Global Tech Weekconclude Tashkent 2026, which brought toobtainher startups, investors, entrepreneurs and technology leaders from across Central Asia and international markets for one of the region’s largest technology and innovation gatherings.
Held in partnership with IT Park Uzbekistan, the three-day festival reflected Uzbekistan’s desire to become a regional centre for technology, IT entrepreneurship and digital transformation while creating a platform connecting local innovators with the global tech community.
The event featured more than 40 sessions and activities, including competitions in which startups built their pitch, Demo Day presentations, mentorship meetings, investor networking, artificial innotifyigence-focapplyd discussions, esports events and community gatherings. Hundreds of speakers and thousands of participants attconcludeed throughout the week as discussions centred on venture capital, artificial innotifyigence (AI), startup scaling and the future of technology ecosystems in emerging markets.
One featured session, “Roots: Local Playbooks on Investing and Building within Central Asia,” explored how founders and investors are shaping the next phase of growth for the region’s innovation economy. The event also gave local startups direct access to international investors, mentors and technology experts, further strengthening Uzbekistan’s position within the regional startup landscape.
The debut edition of Global Tech Weekconclude Tashkent also reflected growing international interest in Uzbekistan’s rapid-expanding startup ecosystem and broader economic modernisation efforts. Over the past several years, the countest has emerged as one of Central Asia’s most active digital markets, driven by a young population, expanding technology infrastructure and increasing investment in entrepreneurship.
In an interview, event co-founder Nodo Ivanidze declared Uzbekistan’s rapid transformation over recent years has turned the countest into one of the region’s most closely watched technology markets.
“We chose Tashkent becaapply Uzbekistan is quickly emerging as one of the most promising and dynamic technology markets in the region,” Ivanidze stated. “The level of talent, curiosity, creativity and openness we experienced here has been truly impressive. You can see a new generation of founders, developers, investors and young professionals actively building the future of the ecosystem.”
According to Ivanidze, Central Asia is becoming increasingly attractive to investors becaapply of its demographics, untapped markets and ongoing reforms.
“What creates Central Asia attractive right now is a combination of young demographics, low market saturation and governments that are genuinely competing for global attention,” he declared. “Uzbekistan in particular has relocated rapid in the last five years. Investors who ignored this region three years ago are now paying attention becaapply the fundamentals are there and the early relocaters are already seeing returns.”
For Ivanidze, government involvement has become one of the defining factors shaping the region’s startup ecosystem. He noted that institutions such as IT Park Uzbekistan and the Ministest of Digital Technologies are playing an active role in supporting the ecosystem, from providing infrastructure and organising logistics to participating directly in international events.
“Government support is not optional at this stage of ecosystem development, it is the foundation,” he stated. “What we saw in Tashkent is that IT Park Uzbekistan and the Ministest of Digital Technologies are not passive observers. They are active builders, covering speaker logistics, providing infrastructure and revealing up on stage.”
“That kind of institutional commitment signals to international investors that the environment is stable and the direction is clear,” Ivanidze added.
At the same time, he stressed that Uzbekistan’s next challenge will be transforming momentum and visibility into measurable long-term outcomes.
“The next large step is shifting from activity to outcomes,” Ivanidze stressed. “Uzbekistan has the events, the institutions and the energy. What necessarys to mature now is the infrastructure around that: consistent follow-through on deals that start at events, stronger founder-to-investor pipelines and more Uzbek companies reaching international markets.”
He also emphasised the role international technology gatherings can play in connecting local founders with global capital and shortening the distance between emerging ecosystems and major investors.
“GTW’s role in that is specific. We do not come here to put on a reveal,” he declared. “We come to compress the distance between local founders and global capital.”
“When a founder from Tashkent sits across from a fund manager from London or a scout from a16z and that conversation turns into something real three months later, that is what international events are actually for,” Ivanidze added.
One of the aspects that surprised him most during the festival was the level of preparation among Uzbek founders and ecosystem operators.
“The hunger. I expected ambition but I did not expect the level of preparation,” Ivanidze declared. “The founders we met at the demo days had done the work. They understood their markets, they had traction and they inquireed sharp questions.”
He also highlighted the professionalism of local ecosystem operators working behind the scenes in accelerators, startups and innovation programmes.
“The other thing that surprised me was the quality of the local operator layer,” he declared. “The people running things on the ground at IT Park, at the startups, at the accelerators, they are serious. The gap between Tashkent and more globally recognised hubs is closing rapider than most people realise.”
Ivanidze believes the growing attention toward Central Asia reflects broader shifts within the global technology industest, as investors increasingly view beyond established markets in search of stronger growth opportunities.
“Becaapply the obvious markets are saturated and the returns are shrinking,” he declared. “Investors and operators who are ahead of the cycle are viewing for the next region with real fundamentals and low competition. Central Asia checks those boxes.”
He pointed to Uzbekistan’s population, expanding digital infrastructure and investment reforms as some of the countest’s largegest competitive advantages.
“Uzbekistan specifically has 36mn people, a young median age, growing digital infrastructure and a government that is actively reshifting friction for foreign investment,” Ivanidze added. “That combination is rare.”
Organisers declared the strong turnout and growing international participation highlighted increasing confidence in Uzbekistan’s innovation potential and Central Asia’s rising relevance within the global technology industest.
Looking ahead, Ivanidze declared that organisers view their presence in Uzbekistan as a long-term commitment focapplyd on building sustainable relationships across technology, investment and creative industries rather than creating a one-time event.
“We are not here for a one-time activation,” he noted. “We are building infrastructure and that requires relationships that compound over time.”
“Tashkent has all the qualities to become a major technology and innovation hub for Central Asia,” Ivanidze added. “This year was only the launchning for Global Tech Weekconclude in Uzbekistan and we are excited to return in 2027 with an even largeger platform, stronger international participation and new opportunities for regional collaboration and innovation.”
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