The Startup World Cup will be held in Uzbekistan for the first time.

On September 24, 2026, Tashkent will host for the first time the regional stage of Startup World Cup — an international pitch competition for startups that unites over 100 regional stages in more than 60 countries.

The event will take place at the CAEx venue as part of ICT Week Uzbekistan. The regional stage is organized by Don’tSettle LLC, with the competition powered by Pegasus Tech Ventures — a Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm and organizer of Startup World Cup.

The winner of the Tashkent stage will earn the opportunity to advance to the Startup World Cup Grand Finale in San Francisco and compete for a $1,000,000 investment prize.

Technology startups from any country can apply. There are no geographical restrictions. Registered startups from pre-seed to Series A stage are invited to participate across all verticals: AI, FinTech, SaaS, DeepTech, consumer, marketplace, and other sectors.

Key participation criteria:

— registered technology startup

— stage from Pre-Seed to Series A

— team focused on international growth

— at least one founder or team member must be able to present the project in English

— startups from any country can apply.

Key dates:

August 31, 2026 — application deadline

September 7, 2026 — finalists announced

September 24, 2026 — Pitch Day at CAEx, Tashkent

Startup World Cup Uzbekistan 2026 is held with the support of partners and sponsors, including Don'tSettle, MUK Group, Microsoft, IT Park Uzbekistan, Women in Tech Uzbekistan, IT Community of Uzbekistan, ANORBANK, IT Park Ventures, Cursor Community, Limpid VC, C-Space, and others.

Apply via the link: https://dontsettle.ai/startup-world-cup