StartupFest 2026 wraps up across 14 regions

StartupFest has completed its run across all 14 regions of Uzbekistan, becoming an entry point into startups, artificial intelligence, robotics and innovation for thousands of young people. The festival drew 6,891 applications in total. From those, 1,500 participants were selected, and more than 10 mentors and experts joined the programme. Together they produced over 200 startup projects and hundreds of new ideas. The festival was not a lecture series. Participants worked hands-on with AI tools, startup methodology, MVP building and pitching — covering every step between having an idea and being able to explain it to an audience as a product. Each session closed with teams defending their ideas in front of experts. The strongest teams earned a place at the interview stage of the UzCombinator acceleration programme, which means their work continues well beyond the festival itself. That was the point of the programme from the start: to reach young people who were outside the startup ecosystem and give them a real first step into it. Running in all 14 regions was what made that possible. And this is only the beginning. StartupFest returns with a new format and bigger opportunities.