As the year comes to an end, the co-founder of Silkroad Innovation Hub shared the hub’s achievements, key milestones, and plans for the future.
Asror Arabjonov, Co-founder of Silkroad Innovation Hub
Achievements of Silkroad Innovation Hub
It has been just over a year since our official opening, and in this short time, we have made tremendous progress. I feel that the startup community in our region is increasingly talking about Silicon Valley, and it is becoming a trendy destination for scaling their projects. We see people becoming more confident and ambitious.
Our goal is to show that entrepreneurship and startups can be prestigious and impactful. It’s not just about “buying and selling” but about building a team and a company that can succeed even at the Silicon Valley level.
Over the past year, many participants in our hub have found co-founders, developed ideas, and launched projects. These results demonstrate that creating something of your own is just as important as getting a job at big tech companies like Google or Facebook. We are building a new culture, and it’s truly exciting.
We launched two major programs for startups: an acceleration program in partnership with the largest B2B SaaS accelerator, Alchemist, supported by the World Bank, Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Digital Development, Innovations and Aerospace Industry, and Astana Hub. Through this initiative, we selected 10 successful startups, some already generating millions of dollars in the Central Asian market, and helped them explore the U.S. market.
Additionally, 13 startups participated in our Silicon Valley Residency Program, which helps startups enter the U.S. market. We also conducted a training on venture and angel investing in collaboration with BGlobal Ventures and the Kazakhstan Investment Corporation. Around 200 participants completed the full VC Bootcamp course.
Another program, Go Abroad, was organized in partnership with Nazarbayev University Research and Innovation System (NURIS) and the SIT Foundation. It involved 70 startups in the online phase, with 10 founders traveling to Silicon Valley. They underwent training, attended conferences like Central Eurasia @ Silicon Valley 2024 and TechCrunch Disrupt, and participated in networking events.
We also collaborated with TechGarden, a technology innovation park, to offer a five-day training in Silicon Valley for startups working in Kazakhstan’s mining industry. These startups received a tailored program focused on their specific needs.
In partnership with the World Bank and the FPIP project (Stimulating Productive Innovations), we conducted the Silicon Valley Soft Landing Program. This initiative supported startups in establishing companies, covering legal, financial, and tax aspects. By the end of the six-day program, participants had fully registered companies with tax numbers, bank accounts, and legal addresses. Over 30 startups completed the program, and 11 of them incorporated as Delaware C Corporations.
We organized numerous corporate training sessions, including an intensive Executive Training Program for BI Group. Additionally, we launched the Silkroad Angels Club, which allows investors from our region to invest in Silicon Valley startups. Investors can pool smaller amounts—for example, 10 investors contributing $10,000 each to form a $100,000 investment in one project.
The Central Eurasia @ Silicon Valley 2024 conference was a highlight of the year and a fitting conclusion to our efforts over the past 18 months.
Key Challenges for the IT Sector
The number of high-quality startups is decreasing, and many believe there are no promising projects left in Central Asia. However, I think the issue lies with those working in this industry, such as Astana Hub, IT parks, venture investors, and organizations like Silkroad Innovation Hub. We need to work harder to identify and support talent. When selecting startups for Alchemist, many of them were unexpected discoveries.
There are many interesting projects that don’t consider themselves startups but have great potential if guided properly. It’s essential to not just help founders but to create an environment that fosters their growth and development.
I urge all market participants—venture investors, development institutions, and others—to focus on finding and nurturing new talent. Instead of only working with established startups, we should engage with technical universities, identify talented individuals with innovative ideas, and support them even if they are just starting out. These individuals could create something truly significant.
We must do foundational work to show young people that building companies is not only exciting but also profitable and beneficial to society. This will open doors to innovation and entrepreneurship for them.
There is also a lack of women founders, and I hope to see more women actively participating in the startup ecosystem. This is a challenge for next year—to encourage more women to join the startup community. However, this issue isn’t limited to our region; it’s a global problem. Even in the U.S., the ratio of women CEOs to men in startups and large companies is significant. We have very few examples, though there are inspiring entrepreneurs like Yana Shoibekova and Laura Yeraliyeva, who are excellent role models. We need to share their stories to inspire young girls and show them they can achieve greatness too.
We actively support women entrepreneurs and investors. For example, as part of the VC Bootcamp, we announced five grants for women to participate in the training for free. Initiatives like these encourage greater participation of women in entrepreneurship and startups.
Our most important achievement is becoming a destination for ambitious entrepreneurs and talented youth, including those studying in the U.S. or Europe. They hear about us, reach out, and take an interest in our programs. Our goal was to create a platform that unites all the talented people from our region, and I believe we have achieved that. Globally, we engage with people from Southeast Asia, London, Europe, and the Middle East, creating opportunities for those who want to make a difference.
We are confident that our region will soon produce unicorns, and we will be part of that process, investing in the next generation of founders. Our mission is to continue this cycle: support startups, help them grow, and reap the rewards. Examples like Y Combinator, which helped create billion-dollar companies, show how this works. Their founders reinvest in other startups, creating a massive network.
We want to build such a platform, reinvesting our earnings into the most talented people from our region, continuing this cycle every year, and creating opportunities for the next generation of successful entrepreneurs.
Plans
We are committed to further developing the startup ecosystem. Silkroad Innovation Hub remains open to all founders from our region, and our doors will continue to welcome them. We will host events, organize networking opportunities for founders visiting Silicon Valley, and facilitate connections with successful founders, investors, and advisors.
We plan to launch an accelerator program for startup founders visiting Silicon Valley and continue identifying the best startups in the region to offer to our investors. We are also expanding our Angel Club, as we believe a strong angel investment ecosystem is crucial for startup growth. Our goal is to teach angels how to invest wisely and demonstrate the benefits of investing in startups over traditional assets like real estate.
In 2025, we plan to host a major startup competition and are currently working on the format, considering both global and regional options.
Motivation and Inspiration
For me, this is not a standard job—it’s about engaging with founders and exploring new directions. Every new startup is an opportunity to learn something new. Interacting with 100 different founders and their business models keeps me motivated to learn every day.
At the hub level, we are addressing a key question: If not us, then who? Every event we organize helps solve this challenge. Another guiding principle is “Go big.” We want people to dream ambitiously.
A second principle is “Give first.” This is a community of people willing to give more than they take. For instance, someone helping others creates an atmosphere of mutual support. The third principle is about fostering a community of ambitious and talented people. And the most important principle is: Be the change. When you see a problem, ask yourself: “If not me, then who?”
We want to have people around us who don’t just complain, but see the problem and solve it. I notice this trait in all successful founders. For example, Ashat Omarov, who passed through Y-Combinator, created a system for ordering Santufei tickets because he himself faced this problem. It motivates us to do what others do not. For example, we decided to hold a conference because if we don’t, then no one will organize a technology conference about Central Eurasia in Silicon Valley. That’s our big motivation.
We believe in the idea that “Talent is distributed equally, opportunity is not.” Talent exists everywhere, regardless of a person’s background, but opportunities—such as access to education and resources—are not equally distributed. We believe our region is full of talented people who deserve the same opportunities as anyone else.
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