ASTANA — Central Asian founders are gaining significant traction in the United States, where more than 350 regional startups now operate through the Silkroad Innovation Hub in Silicon Valley, said the hub’s founder Asset Abdualiyev in an interview with Digital Business on Nov. 26. He discussed market dynamics, investment trends and the expanding presence of Kazakh entrepreneurs in the U.S. tech sector.
Asset Abdualiev. Photo credit: Digital Business
“I moved to the United States in 2017 and reached Silicon Valley a year later. Back then, there were very few people from our region, mostly employees of major tech firms or students at Stanford and the University of California. I rarely encountered founders of IT projects,” said Abdualiyev.
He said the number of Central Asian founders in Silicon Valley increased significantly after the pandemic accelerated global demand for technology. By late 2021 and early 2022, entrepreneurs from Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and the Kyrgyz Republic began entering leading U.S. accelerators and attracting investment from major venture capital firms.
Among these was Nurlybek Mursali, who launched Biodock, a cloud-based artificial intelligence (AI) platform that automates and accelerates the analysis of microscopic biological images. Mursali completed the Y Combinator program and later secured investment from Andreessen Horowitz, a prominent Silicon Valley venture firm known for supporting companies such as Airbnb, GitHub and Coinbase.
According to Abdualiyev, the Central Asian region is now experiencing a “real boom” which reflects broader political and economic engagement between Central Eurasian states and the U.S.
“Silkroad Innovation Hub is a good example of this shift. Our partners include nearly all ministries of AI, digitalization and IT from the region, as well as leading startup ecosystems such as Astana Hub, IT Park Uzbekistan, Nazarbayev University, IDDA [Innovation and Digital Development Agency] Azerbaijan and IT Park Mongolia,” said Abdualiyev.
“Overall, we have built more than 40 partnerships with major companies, development institutions, venture funds and universities,” he added.
More than $3 billion in combined valuation
Silkroad Innovation Hub currently hosts 350 resident startups. More than half are founded by Kazakh entrepreneurs, with others representing the Kyrgyz Republic, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Türkiye, Georgia and Mongolia.
“The total capitalization of all projects exceeds $3 billion, and together they have attracted more than $100 million in U.S. venture investment. Some of them raised funding at valuations above $100 million. We are talking about serious companies that have grown before our eyes,” said Abdualiyev.
The hub’s launch coincided with the Astana Hub-Draper University Hero Training program, which brought together 15 participants who became the hub’s initial residents. Several notable startups emerged from that cohort, including Citix, which received $1 million from Tim Draper in late 2023, and Surfaice, which raised $1.5 million from U.S. investors.
What makes the U.S. market different
Abdualiyev said that while the U.S. market offers scale, competition and customer expectations differ from those in Central Asia. He noted that success often depends on how clearly a product addresses a specific problem and how effectively founders communicate their value.
“The U.S. market is unique, so a project needs to be built directly for it. Scaling a product that performs well in Kazakhstan can be very difficult here. But it is possible. Everything depends on whether the problem you are solving exists universally,” he said, giving an example that parking challenges look similar in Almaty, Tashkent and New York, so solutions in that segment can translate across borders.
He also said founders sometimes understate their achievements during presentations, delaying key metrics that demonstrate traction. He emphasized that highlighting results early is standard practice in the U.S. and helps establish credibility with potential investors.
“We often notice that our founders are very modest at pitch events. Many prefer to stay quiet rather than highlight achievements. Recently, a startup with an annual recurring revenue of $800,000 mentioned its financials only on the 15th slide. When we asked why, they said it might seem unimportant,” he said.
“If you make $800,000 in the U.S., that means the product is validated. Stating this upfront is not boasting. It is normal and shows confidence in your product,” he added.
AI opens new opportunities
Abdualiyev said the rapid growth of AI is creating new avenues for founders from the region.
“With the development of AI, a window of opportunity opens for everyone. Older solutions are being actively replaced by AI-based products. Our founders are capable of riding this wave, because the main question in the U.S. is whether your startup solves a concrete business problem,” he said.
Abdualiyev pointed to Call2action.ai, founded by Kazakhstan’s Yersultan Jussakinov, as an example. The company evolved from a broad human resources (HR) bot into an AI agent that helps U.S. trucking firms hire drivers, focusing on a high-demand niche. Call2action.ai recently raised $500,000, including investment from American funds.
Other resident startups have also secured major funding rounds. Higgsfield AI closed a $50 million raise, and DeepInfra, which provides scalable, cost-efficient infrastructure for deploying machine learning models, raised $20 million.
“We recently organized a meeting between President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev and our leading founders working in Silicon Valley. In one week, we gathered 24 startups with a combined valuation of $1.5 billion. When the president saw companies valued at $20 million, $30 million and $100 million, I think he was encouraged,” said Abdualiyev.
Promising founders and standout success stories
Abdualiyev said several Central Asian startups now demonstrate strong performance in the U.S. market.
He noted that Alma, founded by Kazakhstan’s Assel Tuleubayeva and the Kyrgyz Republic’s Aizada Marat, has become a fast-growing LegalTech company providing AI-powered tools for legal professionals. The startup has raised approximately $6 million and generates several million in annual revenue.
Valinor Discovery, co-founded by Kazakhstan’s Zhanel Nugmanova, applies GenAI and multi-omics data to model virtual patients and forecast drug effectiveness, including for cancer therapies. The company has raised more than $8 million at a $50 million valuation.
Numeo AI, created by Akmal Payziev, offers logistics-focused AI tools and raised $2.7 million from the NFX venture fund after completing Silicon Valley residency programs.
Perceptis AI, founded by Kazakh entrepreneurs Alibek Dostiyarov and Yersultan Sapar, uses AI to streamline consulting workflows and has attracted more than $3.5 million.
Other cases include Uzbek founder Mavlonbek Muradov, who went from selling homemade pies on DoorDash during the pandemic to building and exiting one startup and launching another, CentML, co-founded by Kazakhstan’s Akbar Nurlibayev and later acquired by NVIDIA, and Aleem, a language-learning platform developed by young Kazakh founders Alidar Kuchukov and Asylzhan Altay.
“Projects here are numerous. The list can go on, because there are many strong startups,” said Abdualiyev.
“I urge startup teams from Kazakhstan and the region not to hesitate and to participate actively in programs aimed at expanding into the U.S. market. We will help with visas, housing, networking and expertise,” he added.
The article was originally published on Digital Business.
