11 foreign venture capital funds that invest in startups from Central Asia

The startup ecosystem in Central Asia is actively developing, and more international and local funds are turning their attention to the region. Below is a brief overview of key venture funds.

Purple Ventures
A venture capital firm from the Czech Republic, focused on early-stage startups — Pre-Seed and Seed. The fund supports companies in FinTech, HRTech, AI, SaaS, and EdTech.

Examples from its portfolio in Central Asia include TASS Vision from Uzbekistan.

DOMiNO Ventures
A venture firm from the Netherlands specializing in investing in high-tech and digital startups from Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and Turkey. The main focus is on projects in logistics, e-commerce, HealthTech, and B2B SaaS.

Supported projects include Pointai, Datatruck, and DoDays.

Sturgeon Capital
A British investment company focused on supporting tech startups. The primary focus is on FinTech, marketplaces, logistics, and digital infrastructure.

Notable projects from Central Asia include BILLZ, Mohirdev, and zypl.ai. Sturgeon Capital was one of the first international funds to systematically work with Central Asian regions.

Prosus Ventures
One of the largest global venture funds, based in the Netherlands and investing in digital businesses worldwide. Key areas include FinTech, EdTech, FoodTech, and marketplaces.

A notable example of the fund's investment in the region is zypl.ai from Tajikistan. Prosus actively supports fast-growing markets and develops partnerships with local investors.

WePlay Ventures
A venture firm in the gaming industry, operating in Europe, Central Asia, and Turkey. The company invests in and supports early-stage game studios creating mobile, PC, and console games. WePlay collaborates with IT Park Uzbekistan and helps regional gaming startups find publishers, investors, and enter global markets.

SABAH.fund
A venture fund from Azerbaijan launched to accelerate the growth of early-stage startups. The main focus is on startups in EdTech, HealthTech, AI, and social impact.

Talos Capital
An international venture fund investing in promising technologies at the intersection of AI, DeepTech, cybersecurity, and defense solutions. It operates at early investment stages — Seed and Series A.

Talos Capital actively explores cooperation opportunities with Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries in the fields of AI, high technology, and startup ecosystem development.

EPS Ventures
A Malaysian company specializing in IT outsourcing and consulting. EPS Ventures views Uzbekistan as a strategic direction for investment and IT export development.

The company collaborates with IT Park Uzbekistan, supporting young specialists and developing projects in FinTech and AI. 

AMKM Investments
A private investment holding company and family office of Sheikh Ahmed bin Muna bin Khalifa Al Said Al Maktoum. AMKM actively participates in direct investments and launching its own projects, as well as cooperating with Silicon Valley venture funds.

The portfolio includes the Turkmenistan startup KinesteX, as well as projects in FinTech, SaaS, AR, gaming, wearable tech, biotech, and consumer medical testing.

500 Global
One of the influential early-stage funds supporting startups worldwide. Key investment areas include SaaS, FinTech, EdTech, AI, and ConsumerTech.

Regional projects include Yaya from Kazakhstan and IMAN Invest from Uzbekistan. The fund runs acceleration programs in Central Asian countries and supports startups with export potential.

Y Combinator
One of the world's most well-known accelerators, open to startups from anywhere in the world. The program is focused on scalable tech products with global potential.

Regional startups that have completed the acceleration include Nozomio and Leaping AI from Kazakhstan. Participants receive $500,000 in funding, mentorship, and access to the Silicon Valley investor network.