From Navoi to Silicon Valley: How an Uzbek Entrepreneur Is Building His Startup Abroad

Nasim Nosirov, city — San Francisco, IT entrepreneur, LinkedIn

About me

I am from the city of Navoi, Uzbekistan. I was born and raised there, and then moved to the US to continue my studies in a master's program. I graduated from the University of Illinois a few years ago. After completing my studies, I began actively developing in the field of artificial intelligence and technology, working at several startups in Silicon Valley. Currently, I am working on my own AI projects.

One of my current projects is a startup related to AI-powered wearable devices. Today, most AI solutions are focused on software. However, in our project, we emphasize hardware, aiming to create a device that reflects the future perspective: not just smartphones, but full-fledged wearable technologies.

At the moment, I work from an office in San Francisco. I don't have a standard schedule — I handle everything from marketing to product development. I work almost without days off, as in the early stages of a startup, you need to fully dedicate yourself to the cause and put in maximum effort.

Where and how I learn

Reading books and blogs is kind of my hobby, so I try to dedicate time to it at least three times a week. Currently, I am mostly interested in how to build a company and launch a startup. I recently read Ben Horowitz's book The Hard Thing About Hard Things — about building your own company. But reading is just one way of learning. You can learn a lot through videos on YouTube or simply through practice.

I would recommend platforms like Coursera and YouTube to beginners — they are available for free. Today, you can literally learn everything on YouTube. Personally, I most often use Coursera and LinkedIn Learning. These platforms are specifically aimed at career development. But, in my opinion, the most valuable learning happens at work — not just through reading or watching videos. Therefore, I would advise beginners to try working at a startup, even for free — it will give you powerful practical experience.

In Silicon Valley, there is the Silkroad Innovation Hub, where events take place almost every week. I try to attend them at least once every two weeks. Last year, at Central Asia @ Silicon Valley, there were many guys from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan with cool startups. Then I attended TechCrunch.

Something is always happening here, and I try not to miss events. But honestly, due to working on current projects, I haven't been to any for almost a month.

Environment

Events are a great way to meet new people. Most of my contacts were formed thanks to studying and working. When you are truly passionate about something and start to understand it, over time you will naturally find out what events are happening nearby. Just come — and you will meet exactly the people you need. This gives a huge advantage, especially if you are working on a startup.

Social networks also help me. Through them, you can also find interesting people and make useful connections. Although, honestly, I am an introvert by nature and like to work alone. But when I started working in companies and startups, I realized that connections are a powerful tool. Now I try to be more open.

Whatever you choose — it is important to take action, go out into the world, and meet people, even if it is sometimes uncomfortable.

On social networks, I mainly use LinkedIn and X. I used to be on Instagram, but currently I hardly use it, although it is also good for personal branding. Currently, I am focused on learning and networking: LinkedIn for connections, X for ideas and learning.

Where I spend my free time

I often go hiking — we have beautiful nature here in Silicon Valley. It's about a 20-minute walk from my house to the forest. I love walking and looking at beautiful places. I recently went to Yosemite — an amazing place, the nature is simply delightful.

To relieve stress, I go to the gym. I also practice jiu-jitsu. The last time I went to Nevada to a shooting range — I practiced shooting. Mostly, I do sports and spend time in nature.

Where to buy what

I used to be a big Apple fan. I have three phones: one is a flagship Apple, the second is from the startup Nothing Phone, which focuses on design, and the third is Motorola, which I hardly use. It's a bit unreliable, but it works. As someone interested in hardware, using all three, I understand current market standards and their development direction.

Currently, my favorite gadget is the recently released Nothing 3. I used to love iPhones, but now Apple has stopped actively introducing innovations and has become a large corporation. This is one of the reasons why we ourselves are trying to make something in hardware, such as wearable devices.

I mainly buy gadgets online — today this is the most convenient way. But here, in San Francisco and Palo Alto, there are official Apple Stores where you can see everything. 

Recommendations

Everyone who reads this, know — you can achieve everything. Everything is available online, all tools are at hand. Dream big and achieve your goals.