Results of the international startup competition: winners of the Digital Startup Awards 2025

The Ministry of Digital Technologies of the Republic of Uzbekistan, IT Park Uzbekistan, in collaboration with IT Park Ventures, held the grand final of the international Digital Startup Awards program on December 12–13 in Tashkent. This is one of the largest initiatives in Central Eurasia, with a total prize fund of $1 million.

The program’s goal is to identify high-potential projects, promote entrepreneurship, and stimulate innovative activity within the regional startup ecosystem. Startups from Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkmenistan, and Mongolia were invited to participate. Uzbek startups competed in the Best Startup Project category.

In 2025, the program attracted significant interest from founders and tech teams from Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Mongolia. A total of 1,025 applications were submitted, including 397 for the “Best Startup Project” track, 268 for the Incubation track, and 360 for the Acceleration track.

The competition was announced on July 1, 2025, with applications accepted until September 10, 2025. Within the Incubation and Acceleration tracks, teams underwent screening and interviews, after which they gained access to international experts and mentors, educational sessions, intensive workshops, and networking opportunities with tech teams, corporations, and venture funds. In the Best Startup Project category, selection took place through offline semifinals organized in participating countries.

The final stage of the program featured projects across all three tracks:

— 29 startups successfully completed the Incubation and Acceleration tracks,
— 22 startups participated in the Best Startup Project track.

The following projects received investments:

AVM.AI, Kazakhstan — $50,000
Avto-time, Kazakhstan — $25,000
Clario, Kazakhstan — $50,000
Epsilon3.ai, Tajikistan — $25,000
Layf, Armenia — $50,000
Moon AI, Kazakhstan — $50,000
Oneplace.HR, Mongolia — $50,000
Porte Tech, Kazakhstan — $50,000
Recepta, Azerbaijan — $50,000
Robospark, Kazakhstan — $50,000
Rosta, Kazakhstan — $25,000
Smarthub, Tajikistan — $50,000

Offline semifinals were held in nine countries in October–November. Twenty-two startups advanced to the final, including 18 from Central Eurasian countries and four from Uzbekistan.

The track featured solutions in EdTech, FinTech, E-Commerce, GovTech, AI, SaaS, as well as projects in sustainable development and creative industries. Participants included platforms for digitalizing education and healthcare, services improving trade and logistics efficiency, and analytics and artificial intelligence tools. The jury included representatives of international venture funds and accelerators from Egypt, South Korea, Oman, the United States, and the Czech Republic.

Digital Startup Awards 2025 Prize Winners:

First Place — $40,000 — Multicode, Kazakhstan

An AI-based SaaS platform for freight wagon operators that helps optimize operational processes. Founder: Anuar Sarsembinov.

Second Place — $25,000 — HGT, Uzbekistan

A startup in the digitalization of the municipal sector, creating a convenient and secure payment system for utility services. Founder: Alisher Tadzhiyev.

Third Place — $15,000 — Telagri, Georgia

A FinTech platform that reduces risks in agricultural lending. It transforms farm data into financial metrics, helping banks manage risks and farmers increase yields. Founder: Irakli Chikava.

Best Female Startup — $10,000 — MamaSpace, Kyrgyzstan

A maternal health platform supported by artificial intelligence and experts. It provides reliable recommendations and helps mothers care for themselves and their children. Founder: Gulnaza Khamambetova.

Additionally, program ambassadors received a combined prize fund of $10,000. These awards were presented to representatives of countries whose startups placed in the top three.