Plug and Play Uzbekistan
Plug and Play is an international innovation platform and venture-capital ecosystem that works with startups, corporations, investors and public institutions. The Uzbekistan programme began in 2022, and Plug and Play formally opened its Tashkent office on 6 May 2023. More than 300 entrepreneurs, investors and ecosystem specialists attended the opening event. At that time, the wider Plug and Play platform reported activity in more than 30 locations, a network of approximately 10,000 startups and partnerships with about 1,400 corporations.
The platform runs structured accelerator cohorts in Tashkent. Its fourth batch, announced in February 2025, selected 15 startups from more than 50 applicants for a 12-week programme focused on financial technology, enterprise solutions and artificial intelligence. The 2025 Uzbekistan Expo attracted more than 400 participants and presented companies from the third cohort of 17 startups and the fourth cohort of 15.
Programme activity continued in 2026. Batch 6 launched in Tashkent on 30 March with 18 startups from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The cohort covers gaming and entertainment, education technology, artificial intelligence, digital platforms and advertising technology. At the launch, programme reporting highlighted investment results among portfolio companies and alumni, including US$150,000 secured by PromptLab and US$100,000 raised by Smartcast.
The Plug and Play Uzbekistan Expo held on 6 May 2026 brought together more than 30 international and regional startups in artificial intelligence, financial technology, GameDev, creative technology, HealthTech and EdTech. Through repeated cohorts, an operating local office, investor-facing events and measurable funding outcomes, Plug and Play has established a functioning innovation-service infrastructure in Uzbekistan. Its contribution is the creation of an ongoing route through which local startups can refine products, meet corporate partners, present to investors and enter wider international networks.