Current opportunities for startups in Central Eurasia as of March 2026

STARTUP WOMAN 2026
Republican startup competition "Innovative Ideas" for girls aged 15-25 from all regions of Kazakhstan. Participants can receive 2,000,000 tenge for project development, mentorship from top experts and Innotech, training, networking, and direct access to ministries. The finale and awards ceremony will take place at the Astana Women Summit on April 29, 2026. Competition tracks: Future Economy, Social Impact, Green & Sustainable, Industry & Energy, Startups & Venture.

Application deadline: March 15
When: March 15 - April 29
Where: Astana, Astana Hub

RED BULL BASEMENT
The international Red Bull Basement program invites students and young innovators to propose ideas for technological solutions that can change the world. The best projects pass the national selection, gain access to AI tools and mentorship to refine their prototypes, and winners will present their developments at the global finale in Silicon Valley, where they can receive global expertise, networking, and international recognition.

Application deadline: March 15

Stanbase Pitch Day
An online event aimed at establishing a regular dealflow between investors and startups in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Within the framework of a structured pitch session, selected startups will present their projects to investors and scouts, delivering a four-minute pitch and answering questions. Participants will be able to receive feedback, establish direct contacts, and continue negotiations after the event.

When: March 18
Where: online

Central Eurasian Venture Forum 2026
A forum for investors and startups from Central Asia — a platform for presenting projects, networking, and closing deals. Startups at the Pre-seed and Seed stages can participate in the Most Investable Battle and go through the Investment Readiness Accelerator Tashkent acceleration program.

Application deadline: March 15
When: April 3-5
Where: Tashkent, JW Marriott Hotel

Supernova Pitch Competition
The largest startup competition in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Opportunity to gain international recognition, meet with investors and technology leaders, and win an equity-free grant from a prize fund of $30,000. For startups in AI, Blockchain, EdTech, FinTech, and other advanced technologies.

Application deadline: March 15
When: May 4-5
Where: Almaty, IEC Atakent

Startup Booster Batch 2026
The leading acceleration program in Uzbekistan for startups at the MVP stage. Six weeks of intensive program with mentorship, practical workshops, and a final Demo Day before venture funds. Opportunity to attract investments from $25,000 to $1 million.

Application deadline: until March 20

VN JAM CA: Urban Legends
Online hackathon for creating visual novels for participants aged 16 and older, where you can work both in a team and solo. Participants will develop a novel on Windows 11 or Web within two weeks, with at least two branches and two endings, without using AI for the script and key graphics.

Application deadline: until March 20

When: March 21 - April 3
Where: online / Almaty, Almaty Hub

AI Dev Conference // Hackathon
A three-day offline event dedicated to creating AI products and technological solutions with global potential. Participants will attend AI training, receive mentorship from startup founders, participate in a practical workshop on AI implementation, get help with investment pitch decks, and win prizes from partners. Students, developers, product managers, and anyone interested can participate, even without a technical background.

Application deadline: March 22

When: March 27-29
Where: Bishkek

Investment Readiness Accelerator
MOST Business Intelligence has opened enrollment for the first batch for startups ready to prepare their project for attracting investment and scaling revenue. This year's feature of the accelerator is the participation of venture funds and business angels who will evaluate projects directly during the program, giving a chance to receive preliminary investment agreements even before the Demo Day. The program lasts eight weeks.

Application deadline: March 24

When: March 27
Where: Almaty

Decentrathon 5.0
The main technological hackathon of Kazakhstan with a new format: one day of offline opening in Shymkent and nine days online. For developers, AI engineers, and web3 enthusiasts.

Application deadline: until March 26
When: March 27 - April 5
Where: Shymkent

Online pitch for startups from Uzbekistan
Startups from Uzbekistan can participate in an online pitch. Two projects will be selected to present their ideas and receive a professional review from venture industry experts. This is an opportunity to improve the pitch, receive recommendations from investors, and make a name for themselves in the startup community. The jury will include experts from Yoshlar Ventures: Shahzod Ismailov, Shokhrubek Gulomov, and Sardor Shokirov. Leave an application via the link.

When: March 26 at 18:00
Where: online, The Tech YouTube channel

AI’preneurs Program
An acceleration program from Astana Hub for specialists, entrepreneurs, and developers who want to create and scale AI startups. Participants go through the path from Founder Lab to a 10-week Core Accelerator with MVP development and hypothesis testing. The best projects will present solutions at the Demo Day to investors and business angels and gain access to GPU infrastructure, mentorship, an international network of hubs, and preliminary investments via SAFE.

Application deadline: until March 27

CAU Tech Hackathon 2026 and Global Tech Summit 2026
Central Asian University will host a major regional technological event — CAU Tech Hackathon 2026 and Global Tech Summit 2026 with a prize fund of $38,000. Within the framework of the hackathon, competitions will take place in the tracks AI in Healthcare, Cybersecurity CTF, and Robotics Challenge, while the summit will become a platform for discussing the development of artificial intelligence infrastructure, technology regulation, digital sovereignty, and workforce preparation in the AI era.

When: March 27-28
Where: Tashkent, Central Asian University

FashionMode Hackathon
Hackathon for developing technological solutions for the fashion industry. Participants will create prototypes for two cases: an application for optimizing sewing production and a fashion AI assistant. The format is hybrid, and the prize fund is 1,000,000 tenge. Developers, IT students, testers, and web designers are invited to participate.

When: March 27-29
Where: online / Karaganda, Terricon Valley