Where to find investments, networking, and growth: key events of April 2026

April 2026 is packed with events for startups, developers, and tech teams in Central Asia and the region. The program includes hackathons, educational intensives, acceleration and incubation programs, as well as international initiatives that help develop products, find investors, and enter new markets.

HackNU’26
The ninth annual 24-hour student hackathon organized by the NU ACM Student Chapter in Astana. Participants in teams of two to four people will be able to develop innovative solutions in various technological fields, enhance their skills, and meet like-minded individuals and industry representatives. The event is open to both beginners and experienced developers, creating an environment for practical application of knowledge and working on real ideas.

Application deadline: April 1

When: April 4-5
Where: Astana, Nazarbayev University

E-commerce Central Asia Expo
An international exhibition and conference dedicated to the development of digital business and e-commerce in Central Asia. The event brings together marketplaces, FinTech companies, logistics services, IT solutions, startups, and retailers, creating a platform for networking, finding partners, product demonstrations, and discussing key market trends. Participants can visit the exhibition, speak at the conference, or book a booth to present their company and attract new clients and investors.

When: April 1-2
Where: Tashkent, Azimut Grand Hotel

Uzum Hackathon
Uzum announced the holding of the Uzum Hackathon with a prize fund of 60 million sums, where participants will be able to develop solutions in the fields of advertising technology, trend forecasting, and IT employee adaptation. Hackathon tracks will be randomly assigned to teams on the first day. Teams of three to five people aged 18-25 with programming skills are invited to participate.

Application deadline: April 3

When: April 11-12
Where: online

VC Party Tashkent
An afterparty following the Central Eurasian Venture Forum 2026, which will bring together investors, funds, entrepreneurs, and representatives of the regional startup ecosystem in an informal atmosphere for networking and discussing investment opportunities. The program includes music, a buffet, a bar, and free communication with forum participants.

When: April 3 at 20:00
Where: Tashkent

Online Session Go-to-Market Series: South Korea Market Entry
An educational online session from IT Park Uzbekistan for startups and IT companies planning to enter international markets. During the event, participants will learn about the structure of the South Korean technology market, what strategies are needed to enter it, and how to build business partnerships in one of the most developed innovation ecosystems in the world.

When: April 7 at 11:00
Where: online

GGW Pitch Bootcamp #17
Go Global World will conduct an intensive two-hour workshop in an online format for startuppers, where participants can test their pitches in front of investors and receive honest, practical feedback. The format includes three minutes for the presentation and five minutes of Q&A with experts. Participants will gain an understanding of how to improve their project presentation, what questions investors ask, and how to make the pitch more convincing, and the best startup will get the opportunity to present at the next GGW Sharks in front of a pool of investors.

When: April 8
Where: online

AITU Venture Hub: Incubation Program
AITU is conducting the Venture Hub incubation program for students who want to develop their idea or MVP into a full-fledged startup and start scaling the product. Participants will develop their projects in teams, enhance their entrepreneurial and product skills, and compete for a prize fund of 10,000,000 tenge while receiving support in developing their solutions. The program is designed for teams of more than two AITU students and requires the presence of an MVP or a well-developed idea, as well as full engagement at all stages of participation.

When: April 10
Where: Astana, AITU

Impact Acceleration Program
An acceleration program from EIF for startups in Armenia that are creating technological solutions with social or environmental impact. Participants receive support in product development, preparation for investment, and business scaling, as well as the opportunity to attract funding from the C-Quadrat Ampega Social Fund. The program is focused on early stages and particularly supports teams working on sustainable development goals. Participation implies readiness to attract equity financing.

Application deadline: April 10

Where: Armenia / online

Cursor Hackathon 2026
A hackathon by Cursor in the format of a 48-hour continuous development session in Tashkent. Participants in teams create and present their own products, competing for a prize fund and support from organizers and partners. During the event, Cursor, Appwrite, and Hetzner credits are provided, along with mentoring support and comfortable working conditions. Participation is selective: you need to register, form a team of up to five people, and complete qualifying tasks.

When: April 10-12
Where: Tashkent

Online Incubator Nomad Launch
Investly Hub announced the start of a new cohort for the online incubator Nomad Launch. This free program is designed for 200 participants aged 16 to 23, offering school students and university students the opportunity to launch their own startup from scratch in a few weeks with the support of mentors and access to the international ecosystem.

When: April 17
Where: online

Research AI Competition Parameter Golf Armenia
A research competition and participant support program for OpenAI Parameter Golf, aimed at developing and optimizing language models under strict constraints on size and training time. Participants are invited to create and improve models, minimizing error on test data with limited resources. The project is focused on researching new architectures, compression methods, and model optimization, as well as developing the AI community in Armenia. Prize ֏500,000 and possible compute credits and access to the YSU supercomputer.

Application deadline: April 14
Where: online / Armenia

Empower Me Hackathon Kazakhstan
An intensive three-day hackathon for young entrepreneurs and startup teams, aimed at developing and launching an MVP. Participants go through the full cycle of product creation — from idea generation and team formation to MVP development, marketing strategy, and final presentation to the jury and investors. The best teams get a chance to participate in an international demo day and an incubation program in Turkey.

When: April 22-25
Where: Almaty, MOST IT Hub

Startup World Cup Kyrgyzstan Regional 2026
Startups from the region can apply to participate in the selection and get a chance to present their company at the global final in Silicon Valley. The winner will travel to San Francisco, where they will perform in front of leading investors and venture funds from around the world, and compete for an investment prize of $1,000,000.

Application deadline: April 30