The C5+1 Tenth Anniversary Business Conference was held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., bringing together representatives of governments, businesses, and innovation communities from the Central Asian countries and the United States. The event was dedicated to strengthening economic partnership, advancing digital technologies, and promoting sustainable growth in the region.
The conference featured five thematic sessions: “Strengthening U.S.–Central Asia Supply Chains”, “Harnessing the Power of Artificial Intelligence”, “Connecting Through the Digital Economy”, “How to Invest in the U.S.”, and “How to Invest in Central Asia.”
One of the key sessions of the conference was the plenary session “Harnessing the Power of AI”, where participants discussed opportunities for integrating advanced AI solutions into public and private sectors, the development of innovative ecosystems across Central Asia, and investment conditions in the region.
Participants included representatives from leading companies, including Google, Meta, Perplexity AI, Scale AI, StartX, Zypl.AI, and others.
Uzbekistan was represented by Abdulakhad Kuchkarov, CEO of IT Park Uzbekistan, who delivered a speech highlighting Uzbekistan’s investment potential for American companies, national initiatives supporting startups, and the country’s efforts to strengthen its startup ecosystem.
Kuchkarov emphasized that Uzbekistan aims to become a regional technology hub, fostering international partnerships and creating a favorable environment for foreign investors and technology companies.
For IT-enabled services (ITES) companies, Uzbekistan offers a range of support mechanisms — including the “Zero Risk” and “Softlanding” programs, a special IT Visa, as well as tax and customs incentives. Additionally, under the “Enterprise Uzbekistan” initiative, expanded conditions will be introduced to attract major foreign technology companies.
“Uzbekistan is building a low-risk, innovation-friendly environment for technology businesses. We are open to cooperation with U.S. investors and ready to serve as a bridge between the United States and Central Asia,” — stated Abdulakhad Kuchkarov.
Uzbekistan continues to actively invest in human capital and education in technology. In a country with a population exceeding 38 million, more than 7 million people are proficient in foreign languages — including English, German, Korean, Japanese, and Arabic.
As part of ongoing education reforms, Uzbekistan has launched the “School of Artificial Intelligence” model supported by UNESCO, integrating AI fundamentals into the national school curriculum.
A testament to Uzbekistan’s growing expertise in IT education is its selection as the host country for the International Olympiad in Informatics (IOI 2026), reaffirming the nation’s growing potential in nurturing technology talent.
Uzbekistan offers a comprehensive range of startup support programs designed to promote innovation and enhance international collaboration. Through the 1+1 Co-Funding mechanism, the government co-finances startups that attract foreign venture investments — contributing up to $100,000 per project.
The state also covers participation costs in leading accelerators, provides grants for education and mentorship, and offers interest-free, collateral-free loans of up to $23,500 to help startups scale their solutions.
These measures position Uzbekistan as a unique platform for U.S. and international companies to test, scale, and co-develop innovative technologies.
As part of the Startup Showcase organized with the support of Silkroad Innovation Hub, three Uzbek startups — Tilmoch, GrowMe, and Numeo — were presented at the conference. The teams introduced solutions in artificial intelligence, education, and digital services, attracting interest from international experts and venture investors.
Tilmoch AI is an AI-powered translation and language platform that supports a wide range of Turkic languages — from Uzbek and Kazakh to Turkish and Uyghur — connecting an audience of over 180 million speakers.
GrowyAI is an intelligent platform utilizing AI to enhance team performance and management decision-making. It helps businesses analyze team dynamics, automate feedback collection, and generate personalized recommendations to boost productivity. More than 5,000 users are currently participating in GrowyAI’s digital coaching pilot programs.
Numeo AI is a “smart logistics assistant” that creates digital employees to automate business processes. Using machine learning, the platform optimizes supply chains, analyzes routes, and forecasts demand. Led by entrepreneur Akmal Paiziev, Numeo AI solutions are already being implemented by logistics companies in the United States, demonstrating strong scalability potential in global markets.
The participation of Uzbek startups formed part of IT Park Uzbekistan’s strategy to promote national startups on international platforms and strengthen the country’s position as an emerging technological innovation hub in Eurasia.
IT Park Uzbekistan’s participation in the C5+1 Conference opened new opportunities for expanding partnerships, attracting venture investments, and integrating Uzbek innovations into the global technology market.
