On July 25, the findings of Uzbekistan Founder Portrait 2026 were officially presented at U-Enter in Tashkent. Conducted by Stanbase, the research provides a data-driven overview of Uzbekistan’s startup ecosystem, highlighting the profile of startup founders and the key challenges they face.
The event brought together more than 100 startup founders, investors, government representatives, corporations, and ecosystem partners.
The presentation was opened by Umed Rakhimov, founder of Stanbase, who spoke about the objectives of the research and its independent methodology. He was followed by Maftuna Berkimbaeva, the lead researcher, who presented the key findings of the Uzbekistan Founder Portrait 2026 report.
The study is based on 229 survey responses and 25 in-depth interviews with startup founders from different regions of Uzbekistan.
According to the report:
- 47% of startup founders are under the age of 24;
- 56% are building their startups without a co-founder;
- 63% identified limited access to funding as the biggest barrier to business growth.
These findings indicate that while Uzbekistan has a rapidly growing community of young entrepreneurs, access to capital remains one of the ecosystem’s most pressing challenges.
AI and Silicon Valley insights
The event also featured a keynote session by renowned technology entrepreneur David Yang, who shared his perspectives on AI automation, digital employees, and the latest technology trends emerging from Silicon Valley.
Industry leaders discuss the future of the ecosystem
The presentation concluded with a panel discussion featuring representatives from UzVC, AloqaVentures, Delever, and Osnova.
Panelists discussed the research findings, the current state of Uzbekistan’s startup ecosystem, the investment landscape, and the next steps needed to support the growth of technology companies in the country. The discussion was moderated by Farrukh Maksumov.
Uzbekistan Founder Portrait is an annual study conducted by Stanbase with the goal of providing an objective picture of Uzbekistan’s startup ecosystem. The research identifies the key challenges, opportunities, and trends shaping the country’s technology entrepreneurship landscape.
The study was carried out in partnership with Founders Hub, UNDP Uzbekistan, IT Park Uzbekistan, University of Business and Science (UBS), International School of Finance, Technology and Science (ISFT), and Red Team Accelerator.
The full presentation of the report has been made publicly available by Stanbase, offering detailed insights into the current state of Uzbekistan’s startup ecosystem and its future development prospects.
