LocationsAfter successful organization of hackathon program in Bukhara, now Startup Weekend Tashkent community is organizing IT flagship program in Qarshi.
Techstars’ Startup Weekend took place in Qarshi
October 16, 2023
Photo: UNDP Uzbekistan
Startup Weekend Tashkent, a hackathon which has been taking place in Tashkent since 2018, is now expanding to regions, making startup knowledge and experience available for the youth live in other cities of Uzbekistan.
The initial step was taken in Bukhara, as on August 18-20, the Techstars Startup Weekend Bukhara hackathon was held in the Bukhara State University involving more than 60 participants who received fundamental knowledge on startup business models and customer validation, and experienced hectic startup life for 3 days. After taking the first step in Bukhara, now Qarshi will be hosting the second Startup Weekend on 13-15 October.
Photo: UNDP Uzbekistan
Startup Weekend hackathon is an excellent opportunity for young enthusiasts to gain knowledge and valuable experience, network with industry professionals, validate and launch their startup ideas. With the support of partners, this event is sure to be a success and contribute to the growth and development of the startup ecosystem in the regions of Uzbekistan.
At the event, participants will have the opportunity to pitch their startup ideas and form teams around the most promising ones. They will then work together over the programme of three days to test and develop their business models and prototypes with guidance and support from industry professionals in the fields of startup, finance, marketing, and product management.
Photo: UNDP Uzbekistan
On the first day of the hackathon, participants receive instructions on how to work and pitch their startup ideas to attract the remaining participants to their team within one minute. The authors of the ten ideas that receive the most votes form a team with the necessary participants and under the hackathons program start working on the presented idea.
The second day of the hackathon is crucial for participants as they obtain workshops on Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and customer validation. After having workshops, they are supposed to go outside to validate their ideas and build prototypes. The teams also work together with various experts from the startup sector who share their expertise and guide teams.
On the third and final day of the event, the teams finalize their presentations and present them to the judges. The judges evaluate the teams based on three criteria: Best Customer Validation, Best Business Model, and Best Market Potential. Finally, the top three startups with the highest scores in all criteria will be rewarded with gifts which will motivate them to continue working on their MVPs.
Photo: UNDP Uzbekistan
The hackathon is organized by local leaders of Techstars, a global startup accelerator, in partnership with “Unlocking opportunities for Youth Economic Empowerment through Digitalization” joint project of UNDP and Ministry of Economy and Finance, funded by Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Alif Tech, Uzum, IT Park Karshi, IT City Academy, OWA, UZProgers. These organizations are committed to fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship in Uzbekistan, and the Startup Weekend Qarshi hackathon is just one way they are making this a reality.
