Uzbekistan’s startup ecosystem is rapidly developing. There is no doubt that digital technologies and innovations are bringing new approaches to the field of entrepreneurship. One of the startups that is strengthening its position in this process is MentorGO, a platform focused on mentoring and professional development. This project is taking the process of education and self-development to a new level by connecting experienced professionals and young people who are striving to work on themselves. We talked with MentorGO co-founder Nuriddin Kamardinov about the idea behind the creation of the platform, the challenges it has faced, and its future plans.
— Nuriddin, first tell us about yourself and your entrepreneurial activity
— I am a programmer. Since graduating from Tashkent University of Information Technologies, I have been working in the IT sector for more than 6 years. During my career, I have gained experience in local and international companies. Currently, I work for the Swedish company DanAds. Entrepreneurship is a relatively new direction for me, but startups and innovations have always interested me. Therefore, I received the necessary knowledge by participating in various startup accelerations.
— What was the idea behind MentorGO and what motivated me to create it?
— We founded MentorGO together with Kudratkhodja Musayev. We loved participating in various international grant programs during our student years. These programs provided new knowledge, networking, and travel opportunities. However, winning a grant requires special skills, and it was very difficult to learn them independently. Therefore, we decided to create a platform that would help others based on our own experience.
— What were the biggest challenges in launching a startup?
— Since we have sufficient IT experience, there were no technical problems at first. But the hardest part for us was sales and understanding the market. We had to rework our initial business model to adapt it to the market. Finding market fit and gaining customer trust was one of the biggest challenges.
— What are the main goals and benefits of MentorGO?
— Our goal is to connect young people who want to study abroad or participate in grant programs with experienced mentors. We currently offer 1-hour consulting sessions and mentoring courses. The main advantage of MentorGO is that we provide an opportunity for those who have won grants and studied abroad to earn money. Currently, clients are receiving advice directly from them.
— How many users are currently on the platform and how are they being activated?
— Currently, our monthly sales have reached 30, which brings our platform $1000+ in revenue. Our main audience comes through Telegram. We provide information about grants every day through our GrantGO channel and thus attract users.
— How is MentorGO different from other platforms?
— Our main competitors are traditional consulting agencies. They prepare documents on behalf of clients, and we help by sharing knowledge and experience. Our mentors only advise clients, they prepare the documents themselves.
— What is the business model of MentorGO?
— We have chosen a commission-based business model. We take our share from each sale, and the rest becomes the mentor’s income.
— Have you attracted investment so far?
— Yes, we received investment at the pre-seed stage. We won the Unicorns acceleration organized by Yosh Tadbirkor and received an investment of $15,000. We are currently preparing for investment at the seed stage.
— What are your plans to expand beyond the Uzbek market in the future?
— We plan to enter the Central Asian market in the first stage. However, we need to establish ourselves in the local market before that.
— Who are MentorGO’s main competitors?
— So far, there are not many local platforms that are direct competitors to us. The biggest competition comes from traditional consulting agencies. Unlike them, we are creating a new generation approach — a knowledge exchange and mentoring system.
— What marketing strategies do you use to attract new users?
— Content marketing is our main strategy right now. We provide information about grants on our Telegram channel and thereby ensure the flow of customers. We are currently working on developing other social networks.
— What are your future plans?
— Our immediate plan is to launch our mobile application. It is also planned to attract mentors in new areas. Currently, our mentors are focused on winning grants and studying abroad, in the future we want to cover topics such as language certificates, Work & Travel, and obtaining a visa.
— What is your opinion about the startup ecosystem in Uzbekistan?
— The startup ecosystem has developed significantly in recent years. Support from the state and society is increasing. If a few years ago, financial resources were a problem, now this issue has become much easier. Venture funds have started working, and knowledge has become the main problem for starting a startup.
— What advice would you give to young entrepreneurs?
— Courage and quick action are the most important qualities. With current AI and technologies, creating an MVP is fast and cheap. The main thing is to start and test the market.
Author: Feruza Askaraliyeva
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