Startup Opportunities Calendar for June 2026

Innovative Startup Support Program from IRIA
IRIA, an innovative and responsive agency that has demonstrated its impact in the fields of Geneop and Nanolage of Innovation, has been publicly recognized for implementing the "Innovative Program for Supporting Startup Development." IRIA has announced an open tender to develop the startup ecosystem in Azerbaijan. The program aims to support innovative projects and foster the entrepreneurial environment in the country.

As part of the tender, four ideathons, four startup schools, and two incubation programs are planned to be conducted over the course of a year. Participants will gain access to training in product development, marketing, finance, and investments, as well as tools for working with digital platforms.

Applications are accepted through the Azerbaijan State Procurement Portal E-tender.

Road to Battlefield: The Largest Startup Competition in Central Eurasia
Road to Battlefield is the largest startup pitch competition in Central Eurasia, uniting the most ambitious startups in the region for the second year in a row. Participants will have the chance to compete for the opportunity to present their project at TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 in San Francisco from October 13–15.

Winners will receive a prize of $100,000 without giving up equity in their company, a free booth at TechCrunch Disrupt, a two-month training and mentoring program, publications on TechCrunch.com, access to major investors, and membership in the Silkroad Innovation Hub.

More details: https://road2battlefield.com

AI’preneurs — Astana Hub
A program for strategic thinkers and entrepreneurs who want to build a scalable AI startup. Participation is open to current and former startup founders, as well as professionals in product creation and development.

The program includes a competitive selection process, assignment of a tracker to each team, workshops and guest lectures from experts, individual product consultations, comfortable co-living, and coworking spaces for team work.

Apply via the link.

ITM Lab 3.0
A program for social startups that helps participants go from idea to investors in 8 months. Participants receive trackers, hypothesis testing, grant support, and a chance to present at Demo Day in Astana with investors, corporations, and government representatives.

The program is implemented by the ITeachMe Foundation in partnership with Chevron and with the support of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Teams with an idea, prototype, or existing startup in the field of social and inclusive solutions can participate.

The format includes 5 stages: hackathon, tracking, pitch day, implementation, and Demo Day.

Participate via the link.

TBC Business Training
A free program for small and medium-sized business entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan from TBC Bank in partnership with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The program is supported by the Government of Switzerland within the framework of the EBRD Small Business Support Fund.

Participants study finance, business planning, marketing, sales, HR, leadership, and legal literacy. Training is conducted in Uzbek in a hybrid format: online lectures followed by a two-day offline training. The first training will take place on June 12–13 in Tashkent; subsequently, the program will cover six regions of the country.

Registration via the Telegram bot @TBCtadbirbot.

Accelerate Prosperity
A pre-acceleration program for founders from Central Asia, aimed at preparing for applications to top accelerators, including Y Combinator, Techstars, Antler, 500 Global, Plug and Play, Alchemist, and a16z Speedrun.

Participants receive sessions with representatives of international accelerators, insights from founders who have been selected, and review of applications and pitches within the cohort.

The program is designed for founders at the idea, MVP, pre-seed, and seed stages and lasts eight weeks in an online format from June 15 to August 8, with two sessions per week.

Places are limited; apply via the link.

Inspire & Connect You[th]
A case championship for youth and startups, where participants develop their idea into an MVP through an incubation program.

Within the framework of ICY, teams solve business cases, work with the AI Startify platform, receive advice and stories from experts, and present their project at the final pitch with the opportunity for investment and winning an internship at Kompra Group by Kazdream.

When: June 6–7
Where: Astana, Nazarbayev University

Registration until June 5, 23:59 via the link.

Social Impact Award
An incubation program for young social entrepreneurs that helps turn an idea into a social project. Participants create an account, fill out an application, invite a team, and go through a competitive selection process.

Participation criteria: participant age 16–30 years, project at an early stage or just an idea, without significant external funding, has not previously participated in SIA with the same idea, and has not been a winner in previous years.

When: May 15 to June 15
Finalists will be announced: June 18

Details and application via the link.

K-PRO
A one-year educational program for young C-level and C-1 managers, aimed at developing management and strategic skills through practical learning and work with real business cases.

The program includes four modules. The first module takes place offline from June 22 to July 4, 2026, in the format of lectures and group practical assignments with mandatory daily participation. The subsequent three modules take place once a quarter in the format of one-day sessions with task completion and project defense at autumn, winter, spring, and summer meetings. Upon completion of the program, participants receive a certificate.

Participation is free.

When: June 22 to July 4
Where: at one of the universities in Almaty

Apply via the link.

Independence Grants2026
A state program supporting youth in Kazakhstan, providing grants for the implementation of initiatives and projects by young leaders.

In 2026, the grant amount is 3,000,000 tenge. A total of 30 grants will be awarded.

The program aims to support talented youth, develop innovative and cultural projects, and stimulate activity in social and public initiatives.

Order enters into force from the day of its signing.