On August 13, the final Grand Demo Day of the second season of the Startup Garage acceleration program was held in Tashkent. Following an intensive two-month selection process, 14 of the most promising startup projects presented their business ideas to venture capital funds and angel investors.
By the end of the event, several high-potential projects were selected for investment, securing a total of $120,000 in funding to fuel their growth.
Gnezdo — Digitalizing the Regional Rental Market
One of the most significant investment packages of the evening was awarded to Gnezdo. Positioned as a “personal property manager,” Gnezdo offers a fully managed short-term rental solution for the Central Asian market . The platform transforms “sleeping” apartments into active income-generating assets by handling everything from listing to cleaning.
The startup utilizes AI-based dynamic pricing and integrates with 56 major Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) to maximize occupancy and revenue. Gnezdo successfully raised a total of $50,000 from a consortium of investors, including IT Park, United VC, Yoshlar VC, Aloqa VC, and UC Venture. The project aims to ensure that every vacant apartment in Central Asia can generate income without the owner’s direct involvement.
BAI Soft — A Comprehensive Solution for Business Automation
BAI Soft (Ultimate Automation Solutions) demonstrated its ecosystem designed to digitize the retail and service sectors. Addressing the fact that 70% of businesses in Central Asia still operate on paper, BAI Soft offers products like JetPOS, JetBot, and JetMobile to automate routine tasks and provide real-time profitability data. With over 4,000 product sales already recorded and a 95% customer satisfaction rate (CSAT), the company has shown strong market traction.
Investors recognized the project’s scalability and growth potential, committing a total of $50,000 as follows:
* UC Venture — $40,000
* Hayot VC — $10,000 These funds will be directed toward further platform enhancement and expanding the customer base to reach a target of 1,000+ SMEs by 2026.
Uagro — Advancing Agrotech Innovation
The Uagro project, which provides technological solutions for the agricultural sector, also garnered significant investor interest. Based on its solid business model and market potential, the venture capital fund Aloqa Ventures allocated $20,000 in investment to support the project’s expansion.
This Grand Demo Day served as a vital platform for the development of Uzbekistan’s technological ecosystem. Organized in partnership with major brands such as Asaxiy.uz , Bellissimo and Pivot.uz, the event provided young entrepreneurs with a unique opportunity to collaborate directly with investors and prepare their projects for expansion into international markets.
