Why businesses in Central Asia need to invest in startups right now

Central Asia is no longer a “quiet haven” on the sidelines of progress. Why are global giants and superpowers paying special attention to the region?

Unprecedented attention to our region is driven in part by the Trans-Caspian Corridor and the Chinese railway project, which will forever change the world’s logistics map. Resources and goods from Central Asia will be delivered to Europe via these routes many times faster than existing routes.

We are officially at the center of attention for global players.

What does this mean for business in the AI era? While we are laying tracks for trains, a wave of AI is rushing along digital highways to us.

We are used to domestic competition, but soon there will be significantly more dominant competitors in our markets. The digital world and AI have erased borders. Ignoring technology today is not “conservatism”; it is voluntary withdrawal from the game. But if businesses are already bogged down in routine, with no time for implementation or endless tracking of AI news, what should they do? How can they stay informed?

Avigail Menashe, City — San Francisco, Co-Founder at Turkic American Angel Network, LinkedIn

The “Invisible Competitor” and the Penalty for Slowness

By the end of 2026, your main market rival will not be a neighboring Kyrgyz, Uzbek, or Kazakh firm, but an international AI startup. It will use AI to fully automate entire industries: logistics, retail, and even credit scoring, operating with a workforce 90% smaller than yours.

This, unfortunately, is not the prediction of futurists; it is our current reality, which is already happening in many countries. Research is relentless: companies that delay AI implementation by just 12 months lose an average of 30% of their market share, 30% FOR REAL! 

These percentages go to those who manage to implement innovations just a bit earlier; those who are only a year late are out of the game.

Next are facts as a WAKE UP CALL, which can no longer be ignored

If you think AI is only chatbots for writing texts, look at these numbers.

We are already entering an era where “intelligence” and “labor” are becoming cheap commodities—things that can be automated.

Giants Under Fire: if corporations like Adobe are losing hundreds of billions in market capitalization due to the rapid development of AI tools, what will happen to traditional businesses in our region that have not even begun to adapt?

Evaporation of Middle Management: AI agents are already capable of performing 70% of routine coordination, reporting, and planning. “Lean business,” Lean Flow—is no longer a trendy option, but the only condition for survival.

Robots Are Cheaper Than People: the cost of basic humanoid models, such as the Unitree G1, has dropped radically to $13,500. This is already cheaper than the annual salary of a worker even in developing countries. This is your new “ticket” to the economy of the future.

Industrial Revolution 2.0: robots from Figure 02 have already completed a pilot project at a BMW plant, independently moving 90,000 heavy parts with millimeter precision. Without lunches, weekends, or salaries.

Tesla’s Scale: Elon Musk launched the Optimus Gen 3 line with the goal of producing 1 million robots per year. Soon, there will be more machines than people.

Machine Intelligence: in the Humanity’s Last Exam test, AI scored 44.7%. It is already halfway to surpassing experts with doctoral degrees. It is already taking the most difficult exam in the WORLD!

AI is the “New Gold,” the “New Oil and Gas” of Central Asia

Just as the Kumtor or Kashagan fields defined the economy of past decades in Central Asia, today it is defined by digital sovereignty. If Central Asian businesses do not create their own local AI layers, they will be doomed to pay a “digital tax” to Silicon Valley for every customer interaction. Our people, our customers, but the “digital” tax goes there!

AI progress will sweep away and shake entire industries, business angel: in the position of “Riding the Wave” of this progress

Some still view angel investments as a “toy” for the rich or charity for startups. This is a deep misconception.

In current realities, being a business angel is the best strategic decision for any owner of a traditional business for three reasons:

1. Access to Insights: business angels are the first to learn about breakthrough technologies in various niches two to three years before they become mainstream. This allows you to transfer these tools into your current projects, staying ahead of competitors.
2. Keeping a Finger on the Pulse of AI Trends: by investing in startups, you are not just giving money; you are buying a “front-row ticket” to watch how the world changes. You begin to understand the mechanics of AI from the inside, not from news headlines when everything is already implemented.
3. Participation in a Great Story: you stop being just a “company owner” and become a co-author of progress. Angel investments allow you to be involved in creating solutions that will tomorrow change industries and perhaps—the face of an entire region!

Being a business angel is not about the risk of losing money. It is about the chance to not lose relevance. It is an opportunity to keep a finger on the pulse of time and integrate innovations into your business before the “invisible competitor” knocks on your door, into your business!