Plug and Play International Startup Program Launched for Young People in Bukhara
2026-08-24 21:40:00 / News of ministry

The program is being implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Digital Technologies, the Bukhara Region Governor's Office, UGL Holding, and Plug and Play, one of the world's leading innovation platforms.
Under the project, Plug and Play's global network of more than 550 corporate partners and over 3,000 mentors will connect with university students in Bukhara. This is intended to help develop young people's innovative ideas, provide them with international experience and mentorship, and prepare promising startups for investment.
In the initial stage of the nine-month program, 100 teams will be selected from 300–400 students. In subsequent stages, this number will be narrowed down to 50 and then to 25 teams. In the final stage, the top 15 startups will present their projects to investors, major companies, and representatives of government organizations at the Plug and Play Bukhara Expo.
Participants will take part in monthly offline mentorship sessions held in Bukhara, as well as online coaching programs. Specialists from major companies such as Mercedes-Benz, NVIDIA, AWS, Porsche, Nestlé, Revolut, and Procter & Gamble will be involved in the training process.
The initiative is supported by UGL Holding with an investment of several hundred thousand dollars. The company will receive equity stakes in startups that successfully complete the program. The Bukhara Region Governor's Office, for its part, will provide the necessary infrastructure, venues, and logistics for implementing the program.
The program's subsequent acceleration stage will be carried out in partnership with IT Park Uzbekistan.
The Bukhara Digital Silk Road initiative marks an important step toward developing the startup ecosystem in Bukhara, supporting the innovative ideas of talented young people, and bringing local startups to international markets.
