The Road to Battlefield competition, spearheaded by Silkroad Innovation Hub in collaboration with TechCrunch, Freedom Holding, Astana Hub, and IT Park Uzbekistan, has entered its second year with remarkable growth. This initiative offers startups from Central Eurasia a direct pathway to TechCrunch’s Startup Battlefield 200, set to take place during Disrupt 2026 from October 13 to 15 in San Francisco.
Asset Abdualiyev, founder and CEO of Silkroad Innovation Hub, emphasized the competition’s mission: to connect regional founders with top venture capitalists and global ecosystems, providing opportunities previously unavailable at this scale. He highlighted the untapped talent in the region, aiming to bring innovative ideas from every corner to the forefront.
In its inaugural year, 2025, the competition attracted 485 applications from 27 countries, marking the largest startup pitch event in the region at that time. Notable startups like Polygraf AI (Azerbaijan/U.S.), Surfaice (Kazakhstan/U.S.), and Investbanq (Singapore/U.S.) emerged to represent Central Eurasia on the global stage.
The 2026 edition has seen a significant surge in participation, with 726 applications from 39 countries—a nearly 50% increase in submissions and representation from a dozen more countries compared to the previous year. This record-breaking turnout spans Central Asia, the Caucasus, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and South Asia. Founders presented their pitches online to a panel of 47 judges from eight countries, including top venture capitalists, leaders from major tech hubs, and successful founders. An AI judge, AI-Dana, also contributed as an independent jury member.
National rounds were conducted online from July 6 to 20, culminating in 22 startups advancing to the regional final on August 12. The finalists include:
- MoliyAI (Uzbekistan)
- Sino AI (Uzbekistan)
- Deepen (Uzbekistan)
- Fermopolis (Uzbekistan)
- Oqim App (Uzbekistan)
- Cerberus (Uzbekistan)
- Soup (Kazakhstan)
- CortexAI (Kazakhstan)
- Scano (Kazakhstan)
- 4sell.ai (Kazakhstan)
- WeGlobal AI (Kazakhstan)
- ZhanCare.AI (Kazakhstan)
- Kaptın Kaptın (Türkiye)
- Pocket eSIM (Türkiye)
- SeaDar (Azerbaijan)
- Telagri (Georgia)
- Admyra (U.S.)
- Soulward (Kyrgyzstan)
- Suriy (Mongolia)
- MVSxAI (Qatar)
- Looq (Japan)
- Defensive Pedal (Romania)
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan each have six startups in the regional final, underscoring their prominence as the region’s largest startup ecosystems. Magzhan Madiyev, CEO of Astana Hub, noted the steady growth in AI products from Kazakhstan and Central Eurasia, reflecting the strengthening of the innovation ecosystem. He emphasized Astana Hub’s mission to nurture globally competitive founders ready to scale into markets like the U.S.
Notably, AI dominates the applicant pool, with approximately 84% of the 726 startups focusing on AI products. This trend highlights the rapid adoption of AI technology as a foundational element for new ventures in the region.
The Road to Battlefield competition’s expansion signifies Central Eurasia’s burgeoning role in the global startup landscape. By providing a platform for regional innovators to access Silicon Valley’s resources and networks, the initiative is poised to accelerate the growth and recognition of startups from this historically underrepresented area.
