Who is building the IT community of Uzbekistan: 13 founders of local communities

IT communities help develop Uzbekistan's technological ecosystem by bringing together specialists, entrepreneurs, students, and those just starting their journey in the industry. We have gathered founders and leaders of local communities who are fostering professional connections, education, knowledge sharing, and new opportunities for participants.

Shavkat Karimov
Shavkat Karimov leads IT Community of Uzbekistan — a community established in January 2023 to unite IT specialists, students, entrepreneurs, and anyone interested in technology. The community promotes IT education, assists with careers and startup launches, and organizes hackathons, conferences, courses, and meetups. Key projects include IT Girls, IT Talks, Hacknovation, Design Science, and IT Community Roadshow.

Nuriddin Iminkhunov
Nuriddin Iminkhunov is the co-founder and leader of GDG Tashkent, one of the strongest developer communities in Uzbekistan, founded in 2015. The community helps connect local IT specialists with the global tech community, organizing technical events, educational programs, and meetups for developers and other professionals. 

Umed Rahimov
Umed Rahimov is the founder of Stanbase Tech, a platform covering startups, investments, and the Central Asian technological ecosystem. He develops the regional startup community, organizes events for entrepreneurs and tech industry representatives, including Fuck Up Talks, and shares insights about startups, investments, IT companies, and the people driving the technological ecosystem.

Anna Ambrozevich
Anna Ambrozevich leads Women in Tech Uzbekistan — the Uzbek branch of an international community, launched in 2024. The community supports women and girls in STEAM, develops career and leadership skills, helps integrate them into the global tech community, and runs educational programs, Women in Tech Talks, mentoring, and ambassador programs. 

Shakhriyor Khudoberdiev
Shakhriyor Khudoberdiev founded ML Community Uzbekistan — a community of specialists and enthusiasts in artificial intelligence, machine learning, Data Science, and data analysis. The community grew from a small club at Inha University in Tashkent and now conducts educational programs, meetups, and conferences, helping to develop Uzbekistan's AI ecosystem.

Natalia Ni
Natalia Ni leads Agile Uzbekistan — one of Uzbekistan's first IT communities, established in Tashkent in 2020 to share experiences and foster Agile culture. The community unites over 1,000 specialists, hosts Agile Talks meetups, workshops, Agile breakfasts, and open dialogues, while also developing the Agile Jobs project and collaborating with professional communities from other countries.

Dmitry Dolbilin and Anna Shibanova
Dmitry Dolbilin and Anna Shibanova created Data Community Uzbekistan to develop a professional community of data specialists. The community brings together experts from Data Management, Analytics, Engineering, Governance, and Data Science, organizing meetups, lectures, workshops, and educational programs. Participants include specialists from the financial sector, retail, telecom, and other industries, with the organizers focusing on sharing practical experience and advancing the data field in Uzbekistan.

Saida Khalilova
Saida Khalilova leads IT Ladies Uzbekistan — a community for women developing their careers in IT and the technology sector. Under her leadership, the community hosts webinars, IT breakfasts, educational and mentoring programs, and other initiatives aimed at the professional and career growth of its members. 

Mukhammadkarim Tukhtaboev
Microsoft Developers Community Uzbekistan is a community for developers, engineers, architects, and managers working with Microsoft technologies. MDCU organizes conferences, hackathons, meetups, and educational programs covering .NET, Azure, AI/ML, Copilot, and other areas, while helping participants develop technical and leadership skills. Major community initiatives include Microsoft Community Conf and the international AI hackathon Sharpist.

Valentina Ustinova
Valentina Ustinova is one of the organizers of ITOsh, or International Tech Open Sharing Hub, a community of IT professionals in Tashkent. The community unites specialists to share experiences, support, and develop Uzbekistan's IT sector, hosting regular Cozy IT Meetups featuring professional and general technology topics. Seven such meetings took place in 2025.

Aziz Mirzaev
Aziz Mirzaev is the co-founder of UzGeeks, an open IT community in Uzbekistan for engineers, developers, and other professionals. The community unites over 840 active participants, hosting meetups, seminars, and gatherings to share experiences and nurture young specialists. In 2026, UzGeeks celebrated its 10th anniversary and continues to organize regular events on IT, AI, development, and startups. 

Ulugbek Ismatov
Ulugbek Ismatov is the co-founder of AI COM — Artificial Intelligence Community, a community uniting specialists and enthusiasts in artificial intelligence in Uzbekistan. He is also one of the founders of the Central Asian Association for Artificial Intelligence (AICA) and participates in the development of the startup accelerator UZ Combinator.