Uzbekistan’s Leading AI Startups: Winners of the Angel Connect Hackathon

IT Park Uzbekistan, in collaboration with AI LAB, the ProBusiness business club, and the U-Enter Innovation Center, successfully hosted the Angel Connect hackathon, aimed at developing AI-driven solutions to optimize business processes. The event brought together more than 150 participants, organized into 36 teams.

Why is this important?

Angel Connect is a hackathon dedicated to leveraging artificial intelligence for the optimization of business processes. Its primary objective is to bring together developers, entrepreneurs, and investors to create innovative AI-driven solutions.

The competition spanned 48 hours, during which participants were provided with extensive mentorship support. The event was attended by more than 20 investors and representatives of venture capital funds, including United Ventures, AloqaVentures, Zubr Capital, and IT Park Ventures. Furthermore, over 20 mentors, representing various industries offered their expert guidance to the participating teams.

As part of the event, participating teams received expert guidance from mentors specializing in software development, marketing, and business investment. The mentors included:

• Artem Panferov — Serial entrepreneur, Founder of AI LAB and Angel Connect.
• Vitaliy Tarasyuk — Founder of the ProBusiness business club and Angel Connect.
• Sirojiddin Aslonov — Founder of Angel Connect.
• Anastasia Markova — Founder and Creative Director of AI LAB and EndCode development studio. 
• Pavel Panferov — Founder of AI LAB and EndCode development studio.
• Sergey Kim — Founder and CEO of the marketing agency Sekta.
• Sergey Shyma — Marketing Director at TDI AI Creative Agency.
• Saidravshan Shakirov — Founder of Monday Academy.
• Andrey Samsonov — Partner and Director at Minale Tattersfield.
• Artem Strelchenok — Founder of the Sogda Digital venture studio and Zubr Capital.
• Anar Kostenko — Founder of KSP.

Winning Teams

Following an intense competition, 26 out of 36 teams advanced to the final round. The winning teams were:

1st Place — TechDiff. The team developed an innovative solution tailored for the retail sector, utilizing a specialized camera installed at store entrances or sales departments. The camera automatically analyzes the number of visitors, their age, and gender while excluding employees from the data. This technology enables businesses to obtain precise insights into customer flow. The team was awarded a prize of 12 million UZS.  

2nd Place — ByteBusters. The team introduced AI Law Assistant, a digital legal assistant designed for entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan. The solution provides accurate responses to inquiries related to taxation, customs procedures, and contractual matters, all based on up-to-date legislative frameworks. Its functionalities include contract generation and analysis, a tax and customs duty calculator, and notifications regarding changes in legislation. The team received 8 million UZS.

3rd Place — FloraForce. The team presented Care4Green, a comprehensive digital platform that integrates online purchasing, delivery, consultations, insurance, and investment processes within the plant, seedling, and agricultural product sector into a unified ecosystem. The startup was awarded 5 million UZS.  

Additionally, the jury recognized the MVP of the Neuro Train startup, an HR bot that simulates real-world workplace scenarios, analyzing employees' responses and decision-making processes. Utilizing AI, it evaluates soft skills, identifies errors, and generates personalized recommendations. The team was also awarded 5 million UZS.   

Moreover, the top 10 teams were honored with certificates for C-space.

The Angel Connect hackathon served as a pivotal platform for the advancement of AI-driven solutions and the creation of innovative business models capable of transforming the market landscape and enhancing operational efficiency. By uniting the brightest minds in technology, investment, and entrepreneurship, the event demonstrated the potential of artificial intelligence in addressing real-world business challenges. Through initiatives such as Angel Connect, Uzbekistan’s IT ecosystem continues to gain momentum, providing promising startups with the necessary support to achieve new heights.