A new point of attraction is emerging on the horizon of Uzbekistan’s startup ecosystem, and it is clearly international in scope. For the first time in its history, the Techstars Global Founder Catalyst program has opened applications to startups from Uzbekistan.

The news reported by the UzVC venture fund does not sound like just another announcement, but as a signal: local projects are increasingly entering into a global dialogue about technology, growth, and investment.

Commercial startups that have already attracted no more than $400,000 in investments will be able to participate in the program. The format is entirely online, which blurs geographical boundaries, but the program also relies on the vibrant Techstars entrepreneurial communities in five locations worldwide: Istanbul, Sarajevo, Omaha, Belfast, and Uzbekistan. This approach allows participants to be part of a global network without losing their local context.

For 10 weeks, from March 16 to May 22, the teams will work on the startup’s most valuable asset: clarity. Clarity about the product, the market, and the growth strategy. The founders will have individual mentoring sessions with entrepreneurs who have themselves gone from ideas to unicorn companies. These are not abstract tips but practical experience: how to find product-market fit, how to package a value proposition, and how to prepare a pitch that investors actually hear.

The program’s separate focus is on preparing to attract investments. Participants will learn not just how to talk about a product, but how to build a compelling growth story backed by metrics, logic, and vision. In the world of venture capital, this often solves more than the idea itself.

A nice bonus will be loans from leading technology platforms – Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, Stripe, and others – totaling $4 million. It is also important that the program is conducted in English. This immediately sets the international benchmark and helps the founders adapt to the global market, where competition is higher but opportunities are disproportionately wider.

Roman Bondarchuk, UzA