The acceleration activities of international IT and venture expert Alisher Hasanov in Uzbekistan are helping local startups develop, improve their business models, and achieve sustainable revenue. Among the program participants are companies that have reached annual recurring revenue (ARR) of between $500,000 and $3 million.
Initiatives aimed at bringing internationally experienced professionals into Uzbekistan’s startup ecosystem, strengthening the business capabilities of local entrepreneurs, and supporting the development of promising technology companies are expanding. One such initiative is the acceleration activity in Uzbekistan led by international mentor and A9R Accelerator founder Alisher Hasanov.
Alisher Hasanov is an expert with more than 20 years of experience in IT, technology entrepreneurship, and venture investment. Throughout his career, he has worked with Yandex’s projects in the Turkish market, Rambler, Rutube, and one of Russia’s major technology startup accelerators — IIDF.
He has also contributed to the development of startups such as Codiplay, Kwaka, and EasyTap, whose combined valuation exceeds $100 million. In addition, he has been involved in scaling technology companies such as LegionFarm and DocsInBox. The initiative to expand Alisher Hasanov’s activities in Uzbekistan was formed approximately a year ago in cooperation with local entrepreneurs.
Its main goal is to bring practical knowledge and experience gained in international markets into Uzbekistan’s startup ecosystem and help local founders build sustainable and competitive businesses.
Within a relatively short period, a number of promising Uzbek startups have participated in acceleration programs involving Alisher Hasanov. They include Asaxiy Invest, Verifix, Domo, AliPos, Darstop, and other technology projects.
Among the accelerator participants are companies that have reached $500,000 in annual recurring revenue, as well as projects that have increased this figure to as much as $3 million.
These results demonstrate the commercial potential of Uzbekistan’s technology companies and their ability to grow through the right business approaches.
The programs focus primarily on identifying real market problems, gaining a deeper understanding of customer needs, achieving product-market fit, building sales processes, and developing sustainable revenue models.
Startups begin with problems, not ideas
One of the key principles in Alisher Hasanov’s approach to entrepreneurship is to start the startup-building process with a real problem rather than an idea. According to this approach, before developing a new product, an entrepreneur should answer three key questions:
- How many people or companies face this problem?
- How significantly does the problem affect their daily lives or business activities?
- Are customers willing to pay for a solution to this problem?
These questions are important in ensuring that startups go beyond simply creating a technological solution and instead become economically sustainable businesses that address actual market demand.
Attracting international mentors and experienced entrepreneurs to the local ecosystem can contribute not only to the development of individual companies but also to the formation of a stronger entrepreneurial culture in the country.
Practical knowledge of international markets, business scaling, customer relations, and revenue-model development is particularly valuable for Uzbek startups. Such initiatives can help local founders build companies according to international standards, improve existing business models, and expand opportunities to enter new markets.
The development of a startup ecosystem should be measured not only by the number of new companies or the amount of investment raised, but also by the sustainability, profitability, and real economic value of the businesses being created.
Alisher Hasanov’s activities in Uzbekistan represent one of the practical initiatives aimed at combining international experience with the entrepreneurial potential of local founders.
Interview with Alisher Hasanov
More about building startups, identifying real market problems, understanding customer needs, and the principles behind creating successful technology companies can be found in an interview with Alisher Hasanov.
