Yoshlar Ventures, Uzbekistan’s first government-backed venture fund, has announced the expansion of its fund from $10M to $20M, with a commitment to reach $30M by 2027, tripling its capacity to back founders from Uzbekistan building innovative startups across global markets.
Uzbekistan’s most ambitious founders have consistently pursued the same path as ambitious founders everywhere: venturing into global markets to build companies, develop skills, and establish networks. For years, no government-backed fund existed to back them at the earliest stage, particularly those building outside Uzbekistan. Yoshlar Ventures was established to change that, deploying capital at pre-seed and seed, where private markets have historically looked the other way.
The country has evolved rapidly into one of the most promising destinations for tech investment in Central Asia, with emerging initiatives underway across education, healthcare, banking, and the AI industry. As the economy accelerates and its diaspora grows, the pipeline of exceptional founders building globally is deeper and broader. The expansion to $20M and the trajectory toward $30M is proof that the plan is working.
Since its founding, Yoshlar Ventures has backed seven founders from Uzbekistan. With portfolios spanning EdTech, FinTech, AdTech, and beyond, these early investments are proof that sovereign backing and global market access can change the trajectory of a company from day one.
With the expanded fund, Yoshlar Ventures plans to:
- Invest in more founders from Uzbekistan at pre-seed and seed with up to $400K checks
- Deepen its presence across the US, UK, and MENA, where founders are building at the highest rate
- Expand its portfolio to 30 startups by the end of 2026
- Strengthen governance standards and long-term portfolio support to build a lasting ecosystem.
“There is a moment in every emerging market when the capital infrastructure catches up with the talent. For Uzbekistan, that moment is now. We are backing 30 companies by the end of 2026. We are not waiting for the world to discover founders from Uzbekistan, we are making it a reality.” — Abdulaziz Yakubov, CEO, Yoshlar Ventures
Yoshlar Ventures is building the institutional infrastructure that defines Central Asia’s startup story for the next decade.
