A $6 Million Opportunity: A Major Competition for Startups

In Uzbekistan, A new season has begun for startups in the fields of IT and AI. Applications for the President Tech Award and President AI Award have been open since July 1, with a total funding pool reaching $6 million.

Two competitions, one big goal

This year, two major programs have launched simultaneously for startups: the President Tech Award and the President AI Award.

While the President Tech Award focuses on supporting technological startups, the President AI Award is designed for teams creating practical solutions based on AI.

The main goal is to move beyond the “just try to build a project” stage for young people and developers with ideas, helping them enter the real market through grants, investment, mentorship, and acceleration.

President Tech Award: A $5 million fund

The President Tech Award fund has been increased to $5 million. These funds will be directed toward developing, scaling, and bringing startups to market.

The competition covers several stages and categories:

The range of topics is broad: FinTech, EdTech, HealthTech, DeepTech, logistics, GameDev, and other technological fields.

It requires more than just writing code; you must build a product, bring it to market, and present it clearly to investors. In other words, you need to transition from “I have an idea” to “the business is working.”

President AI Award: $1 million for AI

The second major program is the President AI Award. It is intended for startups in the field of AI, with a total investment fund of $1 million.

The following areas have been set as priorities for the competition:

• AI in public administration;
• AI in industry and business;
• AI in medicine and healthcare;
• AI in education;
• AI in green economy and agrotech.

These areas were not chosen by chance. AI enables time savings, cost reduction, faster decision-making, and improved service quality in these specific sectors.

Who can participate?

Teams of 3 to 8 members can participate in the President AI Award. Participants must be over 18 and have a practical product or prototype based on AI technologies.

Team participation is also essential for the President Tech Award. Depending on the category, teams of 2 to 8 members can apply.

These competitions are not for the “I’ll do it all by myself” format; they are modeled after real startup teams. A product entering the market requires a developer, designer, marketer, product manager, and business mindset all in one place.

Winners get more than just money

The most important aspect of the programs is that, along with funding, mentorship and acceleration opportunities are provided.

Selected teams will have the chance to work with international experts, mentors, and investors to improve their products, define business models, and reach the next level.

Money is important, of course. But for a startup, the right mentor and the right market strategy are sometimes more valuable than a grant. It is easy to spend $100,000 incorrectly, but turning it into $1 million in growth is a different level.

Where to apply?

Applications for both competitions are accepted via the awards.gov.uz portal.

Applications for the President AI Award opened on July 1. The program includes stages for selection, evaluation, announcement of finalists, and awarding.

The most important task for participants is not just filling out the application, but clearly showing how the product solves a problem, who needs it, and how it can grow in the market.

Why are these competitions important?

In Uzbekistan, the startup ecosystem has been growing rapidly in recent years. However, many projects still face three problems: funding, experience, and market entry.

The President Tech Award and President AI Award are trying to bridge this gap. If these competitions work as intended, new technological companies, jobs, and export-oriented IT products may emerge in the country.

Especially the separate award in the field of AI in Uzbekistan is an important signal for shaping the AI ecosystem.

The time for startups has begun

A $6 million total fund, mentorship, acceleration, and access to investors — this is a serious chance for startups.

Now the main question lies with the teams themselves: who will find the real problem, who will build a working product, and who will be able to take their idea to market?

A big door has opened for AI and tech startups in Uzbekistan. It will be interesting to see who crosses it first.