The annual event, ITU Startup Central Eurasia Forum, organised by the International Telecommunication Union and the Startup Central Eurasia platform with the support of Sabah.lab Azerbaijan, took place on 24-25 November 2022.
The key presentation at the forum was the Startup Central Eurasia Ranking report prepared on the basis of a comprehensive study of the current development of start-up ecosystems in the region using ITU methodology to assess ICT-oriented innovation ecosystems and start-ups. The 2022 report focuses on the ecosystems of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. It is planned that the report will be an annual document with an analysis of current developments and challenges for all countries in the region, as well as recommendations for effective development from startup ecosystems.
The forum brought together startups, accelerators, business incubators, venture funds, technoparks and governmental organisations, who gave a detailed account of how they support startups and how they contribute to the development of the country's startup ecosystem. Also on the first day of the forum, five start-ups from the region presented their projects: "Avlo.Shop", "Trust Me", "Phubber", "Namba one" and "Bookshifa".
"There is less bureaucracy in a startup. Opportunity to make the most out of limited resources. Opening up new markets. I was very pleased to share information about our activities in order to increase entrepreneurial interest among students and to represent Kazakhstan in Azerbaijan at the ITU Startup Central Eurasia Forum. We demonstrated our challenges and solutions, participated in discussions and communicated with outstanding personalities from the start-up ecosystem," said Zhanat Dzhabasova, Head of the Centre for International Cooperation and Project Implementation at Dulatov University of Engineering and Economics in Kostanai.
The second day of the event included trainings on the following topics: advantages of startup development in the era of digitalization, main tools to measure startup success and attract investors using Startup KPIs tool, content marketing, and skills for effective communication with venture investors. At the end of the day, Kal Deutsch and Jeff Wallace conducted a training session on Silicon Valley Innovation.
We would like to express our gratitude to the organizers and all participants of the Forum!
