Turkmenistan's Startup Ecosystem: Results of the Digital StartUp Awards 2025

Daniil Maykovsky, city — Ashgabat, CEO StartUp Academy

2025 proved to be a landmark year in the development of both the Turkmenistan startup ecosystem as a whole and its leading organization, StartUp Academy. One of the key indicators of the ecosystem's transition to a new level were the results of Turkmen startups' participation in the Digital StartUp Awards program, implemented in eight countries in the region at the initiative of IT Park Uzbekistan.

Digital StartUp Awards and the Best StartUp Project competition

The main component of the program was the Best StartUp Project competition, which took place in two stages:
1. National semifinals in eight countries in the region
2. The final in Tashkent with the participation of the best startups from Central Eurasia.

The national selection stage of the Best StartUp Project competition in Turkmenistan took place on November 15, 2025, in Ashgabat. Twelve strong startup teams, selected from 21 applications, participated in the semifinal.

For the first time in Turkmenistan, such a concentration of founders, experts, and representatives of the country's technological ecosystem gathered in one place at one time.

Each team presented its product in the format of a three-minute pitch before an international jury.

As a result of the voting, two projects received a Ticket to the Grand Final in Tashkent:
— E-Mekdep — a Learning Management System for schools
— Bezen — a marketplace for selecting styles and ordering dresses.

On December 14, these startups took the stage at one of the most competitive events in the region — the final of the Best StartUp Project competition with a prize fund of $100,000. This was a different level altogether: the strongest teams, high expertise, and a focus on scalability and markets.

Both startups performed confidently and professionally, clearly demonstrating that Turkmenistan is a full-fledged and competitive part of the Central Eurasian startup ecosystem.

An important part of the Digital StartUp Awards program was the incubation track. Back in September 2025, 30 startups were selected from 268 applications from eight countries, including three from Turkmenistan. All of them successfully passed the selection and did not drop out in the subsequent stages.

As a result, 15 projects took the stage at the Demo Day in Tashkent on December 13, 2025.

Turkmenistan was represented by:
— Hinlen — a music project for a local audience focused on new hits, live performances, and behind-the-scenes of show business
— Zootel — an online platform and multiservice solution for the pet care industry
— Opportunities Nearby — a platform for internship programs for students and schoolchildren.

The high representation of Turkmen startups in the incubation final became a significant achievement. Each team received an investment check for $10,000.

This result is important not only from the perspective of investments. It is about trust, recognition of the level, and confirmation that startups from Turkmenistan are competitive on the regional stage.

What this means for the ecosystem

The story of Turkmen startups' participation in the Digital StartUp Awards is not just about a competition. It is about the presence of strong teams ready to compete at the regional level. It is about the formation of Central Eurasia as a unified space for startup support. And it is about the fact that the path to the international stage begins with the right choice of partners.

This is only the beginning. Next — even more confidently. And even louder.