Silkroad Innovation Hub’s Road to Battlefield startup competition has entered its second year, offering founders across Central Eurasia a route to TechCrunch Startup Battlefield 200 at Disrupt in San Francisco. The programme matters because it aims to connect emerging regional startups with international investors and technology ecosystems that have previously been less accessible at this scale.

Applications rose from 485 across 27 countries in 2025 to 726 from 39 countries this year, an increase of nearly 50%. Twenty-two startups reached the regional final on 12 August, from which three will be selected for the global event; Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan each supplied six finalists, while 609 applicants, about 84%, were building AI products.