Central Eurasian startups gain global stage

The second annual Road to Battlefield competition, organized by Silkroad Innovation Hub, has drawn a record number of applications from founders across Central Eurasia, signaling the region's growing ambition to reach global markets. The event, held in partnership with TechCrunch, Freedom Holding, Astana Hub, and IT Park Uzbekistan, aims to give startups from Central Asia, the Caucasus, and beyond a direct path to TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 during Disrupt in San Francisco this October.

Record-breaking applicant pool

This year, the competition received 726 applications from 39 countries, up from 485 applications from 27 countries in 2025. That marks a nearly 50% increase in submissions and 12 more countries compared to the program's debut year. The surge underscores a trend: Central Eurasia is emerging as one of the fastest-growing startup pipelines in emerging markets.

The applicant pool is heavily dominated by AI startups. According to the organizers, 609 of the 726 startups—roughly 84%—are building AI products, highlighting how quickly AI has become the default starting point for founders in the region.

Judging and format

Founders pitched online in front of 47 judges from eight countries, including representatives from top VC firms, major tech hubs, and successful founders. An AI judge, AI-Dana, served as an independent jury member, adding a novel twist to the evaluation process.

National rounds ran online from July 6 to 20, narrowing the field to 22 startups. Those finalists will compete in a regional final on August 12, where judges will select three to represent the region at TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200.

The 22 finalists

The 22 finalists span a diverse range of countries and sectors: MoliyAI, Sino AI, Deepen, Fermopolis, Oqim App, and Cerberus from Uzbekistan; Soup, CortexAI, Scano, 4sell.ai, WeGlobal AI, and ZhanCare.AI from Kazakhstan; Kaptın Kaptın and Pocket eSIM from Türkiye; SeaDar from Azerbaijan; Telagri from Georgia; Admyra from the U.S.; Soulward from Kyrgyzstan; Suriy from Mongolia; MVSxAI from Qatar; Looq from Japan; and Defensive Pedal from Romania.

Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan each have six startups in the regional final, a clear sign that these two countries now stand as the region's largest startup ecosystems.

AI dominance and young founders

Beyond the sheer number of AI startups, the competition has seen a surge in young participants. The youngest applicant is just 14 years old, and 89 of the 726 applicants—including seven founders from Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan—are under 18. Most applicants are early stage: 41.6% at MVP, 38.6% pre-seed, 14.7% at seed, and 4.7% still at the idea stage.

This demographic trend aligns with the vision of regional ecosystem leaders. Magzhan Madiyev, CEO of Astana Hub, noted, “We’re seeing steady growth in AI products, especially from Kazakhstan and Central Eurasia, and that tracks exactly with our vision. This progress reflects the strengthening of our innovation ecosystem and the tremendous work being done across it. At Astana Hub, our mission is to nurture the next generation of globally competitive founders ready to scale into markets like the U.S., and it’s inspiring to see many of them take the stage, compete internationally, and move one step closer to the world’s leading startup stage.”

Investment and prizes

This year, the competition introduced new incentives: a $100,000 investment prize pool, split $50,000, $30,000, and $20,000 across the top three finalists, funded jointly by Astana Hub Ventures, IT Park Ventures, and Silkroad Innovation Hub. The top three winners will also receive up to $100,000 in OpenAI API credits, split the same way, while the rest of the Top 22 finalists will each get $10,000 in OpenAI API credits.

The three eventual winners will also receive a fully paid trip and accommodation to TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 in San Francisco, along with access to a network of more than 1,000 founders spanning 39 countries.

Regional support and outlook

The competition is backed by a wide network of regional partners, including accelerators and innovation hubs across Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, China, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Mongolia, Qatar, Tajikistan, Türkiye, and Uzbekistan.

Marlen Sikhayev, adviser to the president of Freedom Holding Corp., highlighted the staying power of the initiative: “We’ve been supporting the ecosystem from the very beginning, and this year is no exception. What stands out most is how much of it is being driven by AI, solutions built right here in Kazakhstan and across our region that are no longer staying local. They’re being shown to the world, on the same stage as the biggest names in tech. That’s exactly what we set out to support when we backed this initiative, and it’s exactly what keeps us backing it.”

Why it matters

For startups in Central Eurasia, the Road to Battlefield competition represents more than a chance to pitch. It offers a rare, direct route to international investors and global visibility—a path that was largely unavailable at this scale before. With AI startups dominating the pool, the region is positioning itself as a serious player in the global AI landscape. As the competition heads into its regional final, the three chosen winners will carry not just their own ambitions, but the hopes of an entire region eager to prove it can compete on the world stage.