How did the Central Eurasia at Silicon Valley technology conference go — the first in the history of Silicon Valley

The event took place in a landmark location for Silicon Valley — the Yerba Buena Arts Center, where Apple co-founder Steve Jobs first introduced the iPhone and iPad to the public. As conference organizers stated, the next 10–15 years should see the emergence of major unicorn companies from Central Eurasia.

The conference brought together the top 100 startups, regional entrepreneurs, American venture investors, leaders of large companies, representatives of tech giants from Silicon Valley, students and professors from leading American universities, and many others. The event was attended by 1,200 people, with more than 50 speakers, including high-ranking government officials from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Azerbaijan, Coursera CEO Jeff Maggioncalda, Unshackled Ventures founder and partner Nitin Pachisia, as well as representatives of Minerva University, Ilya Strebulayev, professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, professors from the University of California, Berkeley, and other experts.

Conference organizers, founders of the Silkroad Innovation Hub in Palo Alto, Asat Abdualiev and Asror Arabjanov, shared insights into the region’s history, its potential in developing the global tech industry, and their mission to draw attention to a region that remains largely unknown in the world’s tech capital.

Jaslan Madiev, Minister of Digital Development, Innovations, and Aerospace Industry of Kazakhstan, presented key figures: Kazakhstan accounts for 50% of the GDP in Central Eurasia. He highlighted the achievements of the Government of the Republic in the field of innovation: Kazakhstan ranks 10th in the UN Global Online Services Index and third among countries in Central and South Asia, after Iran and India, in the Global Innovation Index. He also cited Astana Hub as a preferred regional office for decacorns — startups with a valuation exceeding $10 billion — and unicorns. Currently, Telegram, EPAM, inDrive, and others are based there.

Magzhan Madiev, founder and CEO of Astana Hub, discussed other government initiatives in Kazakhstan aimed at digitalization, including the availability of a digital nomad visa, accessible internet, and more.

Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera, spoke about the future of education and work in light of the development of Generative AI. According to him, low-skilled workers are at risk of being replaced by automated systems.