Central Eurasia is on the cusp of supercharging its emerging startup ecosystem. In addition to the Road to Battlefield competition, they’re ensuring a clear path to their renowned TechCrunch Startup Battlefield. This annual regional competition is aimed at very early-stage startups from nine Central Eurasian countries. Perhaps most importantly, it provides them with the opportunity to showcase their innovations on an international stage.
The competition is held in conjunction with TechCrunch Disrupt, one of the world’s most important tech conferences. It seeks to find and develop entrepreneurial talent in a diverse, growing tech hub that serves as the gateway to 100 million people. The Disrupt event hosts more than 165,000 attendees each year. It includes other high-profile names like Elon Musk, Serena Williams, and Satya Nadella.
The Road to Battlefield features a structured four-stage process: National Competitions, Regional Final, Battlefield Preparation, and finally, participation in TechCrunch Startup Battlefield. This holistic ecosystem provides the foundational tools and skills start-ups need to develop. It prepares them to succeed in a hyper-competitive world.
A Growing Ecosystem
Central Eurasia’s startup scene has been building up its own karate chop break through. The area averages about 200,000 STEM graduates a year. The area is home to an estimated 7000 active startups. Venture funding in Central Asia and the South Caucasus has increased 5.5 times over the past few years. That grew to an astounding $110 million in 2023 and is set to explode to $150 million just in the first half of 2024.
A very special thanks goes to Road to Battlefield’s key supporters, IT Park Uzbekistan. They view this new competition as a significant movement toward building out those local ecosystems. Their goal is to facilitate the best, most promising startups to find investors who aren’t quite aware of the potential in that space.
“Not all investors understand how vast the opportunities are in that region,” – Mr. Abdualiyev.
Competition Structure and Benefits
Startups that wish to participate must meet certain eligibility criteria and apply by July 15, 2025. The competition will culminate in an online regional final where the top 20 startups will compete for three coveted spots that will send them to Silicon Valley for TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200.
The benefits of participation are extensive. Each of these finalists will earn guaranteed slots in TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200. In addition they will be provided with roundtrip flights, lodging, a startup booth at the event, and priceless access to investors and networking opportunities. They will receive enormous branding and media attention that is often critical for emerging companies to build traction.
Magzhan Madiyev, a supporter of the initiative, emphasized the importance of such competitions in helping startups scale in the U.S. We’ve witnessed tangible success with our acceleration programs at scaling startups to the US market and are looking forward to continuing that success along the east coast. Fifty-seven companies have already raised local investments. This competition provides an even bigger stage for Kazakhstan’s startups to receive international exposure.
Past Successes and Future Potential
The formidable TechCrunch Startup Battlefield track record of launching future global tech giants stretches back more than 15 years. Every single one of the startups that have participated has gone on to raise millions in funding and create truly awe-inspiring success stories. The Road to Battlefield hopes to do the same across Central Eurasia. It showcases out-of-the-box solutions and encourages an entrepreneurial attitude.
According to Asset Abdualiyev, CEO & Founder of Silkroad Innovation Hub, previous exhibitions of startups at TechCrunch Disrupt have shown that these companies can hold their own on a global stage. “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,” he remarked.
