How a girl from Uzbekistan created a startup with 150,000 users and attracted $350,000 in investments

Today, the service is used by approximately 150,000 people, and the startup has already attracted over $350,000 in investments and completed the UzVC and Techstars Founder Catalyst programs. Kamila shared how the OSNOVA idea emerged, why the team focused on the B2B segment, and what goals they set for the coming years.

Kamila Uzakova, city — Tashkent, founder of OSNOVA, LinkedIn

How It All Began

Before OSNOVA, my partners Anton Chekhov and Alisher Jumaniyazov and I spent eight years developing several educational projects. One of them was ALPHA, one of the leaders in corporate offline training in Uzbekistan. Through our work with companies and specialists, we gained a deep understanding of the challenges faced by all market participants.

We first tested online solutions during the pandemic, but it wasn't until the end of 2023 that we realized the market was truly changing and ready for such a product.

Startup Launch

Initially, OSNOVA launched as a career platform for young people. At first, we hosted a few courses on a third-party platform, conducted market research, and launched career guidance products for young people and working professionals.

We paid special attention to up-to-date content in the Uzbek language. We moved to developing our own platform only after validating our key hypotheses and seeing real demand.

Today, OSNOVA creates a human capital development system that connects education with the skills that businesses and the market truly need.

The platform helps companies automate onboarding, adaptation, and employee assessment, accelerates the creation of internal training using AI, and allows the use of AI trainers to practice practical skills.

Target Audience

Currently, OSNOVA has approximately 150,000 registered users, including more than 6,000 corporate users. Our clients include major companies and banks in Uzbekistan.

We have attracted more than $350,000 in investments, completed accelerator programs UzVC and Techstars Founder Catalyst, and received the international ASOCIO award in the AI in Education category.

At the same time, we are developing a school direction, teaching students in grades 9–11 in-demand digital and AI skills.

Challenges

One of the most difficult stages was choosing a priority development direction. We had to shift from a broad educational concept to a clear commercial focus.

We realized that it was necessary to first focus on the B2B segment. It ensures business stability and simultaneously provides the most accurate understanding of the skills that companies and the labor market truly need.

By working directly with businesses, we can see the real demands of employers and develop educational products based on them.

One of the riskiest decisions was to start developing our own platform after testing the product on third-party solutions. This required significant resources, but it gave us the opportunity to independently develop the technology, adapt faster to customer needs, and build a scalable product.

Plans

Currently, our team consists of 20 people who are developing the platform, AI products, and the corporate segment.

In the next two to three years, we aim to build a comprehensive skills development infrastructure that integrates school education, career beginnings, and continuous employee learning within companies.

Our goal is to create a system that can support individuals at various stages of their professional development.

What Is Important for Women Founders

I would advise women who want to launch their own projects to start with small steps and test their ideas with real users as early as possible.

It is important to participate in available programs, regularly receive feedback, surround yourself with strong mentors, and engage with a professional community.

There is no need to wait for the perfect moment — it is much more important to start, validate the hypothesis, and gradually move forward.

Today, I see much more support for women founders. Over the past two years, the startup ecosystem in Uzbekistan has grown significantly, and along with it, more opportunities have emerged for women who want to launch and develop their projects.

Entrepreneurship still requires confidence and persistence, but now women have greater access to programs, communities, and environments where they can receive support and grow their businesses.