Anastasia Filippova, Head of Startups, Venture Investments and Development of Local IT Services Department, IT Park Uzbekistan

1) How do you use your role to ensure that technology and policy are truly inclusive?

Inclusiveness is the foundation of our work. Since 2019, our team has been building the startup ecosystem across the entire country: programs, competitions, and educational tracks are launched not only in Tashkent, but in every region of Uzbekistan.

A special milestone is Tumaris Tech, which has become the largest initiative aimed at involving women in tech entrepreneurship. 

Between 2019 and 2025, we have: 

• conducted 4 incubation waves and 6 acceleration cycles 

• supported 157 startups 

• delivered 800+ hours of tracking 

• trained 50+ business angels and 30+ startup trackers 

• provided training opportunities to 200+ young women 

• engaged 500+ female participants in webinars 
   

Our experience proves: when the right conditions are created, talent emerges in every region and in every group. 

2) What’s a moment in your career when you saw firsthand how technology or a new policy changed a citizen’s life for the better?

One of the strongest examples is the President Tech Award. 

It is not just a competition - it is a “gateway” for startups to enter the real economy. Many teams gained access to mentors and funding, found their first major clients, and accelerated their growth. For a number of startups, participation became the moment when their product moved from idea to real market traction.

Equally significant, the Digital Startups Program became the first comprehensive public platform in Uzbekistan supporting startups with mechanisms such as co-financing (1+1), reimbursement of international accelerations, mentors for local incubation/acceleration, and support for intellectual property protection. 

These cases clearly show that with the right design, government support can reshape the trajectory of startups and unlock new opportunities for them. 

3) What was the most impactful project you worked on this year, and how did you measure its success in building trust and serving the needs of the public?

2025 has been a turning point for the startup ecosystem of the country. 

According to Dealroom.co, the total valuation of Uzbekistan’s startups surpassed US$3.9 billion, a 13 times increase since 2020, making it one of the fastest growth rates in the world. 

According to StartupBlink, Uzbekistan entered the Global Top 100 ecosystems for the first time, rising 12 positions in a single year. We are now first in Central Asia and second globally in ecosystem growth pace. 

These metrics confirm that systemic reforms, scaling programs, and internationalisation of teams deliver sustainable results. 

4) What was one unexpected lesson you learned this year about designing for real people? This can be about a specific project or a broader lesson about your work.

The biggest lesson in 2025 is: startups lack not technology, but context and access to data. 

We realised that what they need is not only mentors and funding, but also direct interaction with the state as a potential client. That is why we launched GovChallenge, enabling startups to solve real government tasks and receive their first public contracts. 

Additionally, participants of the Digital Startups Program received a free one-year access to the Digital Government Platform, opening new data sources and opportunities. 

5) We hear a lot about AI. What's a practical example of how AI can be used to make government services more inclusive and trustworthy?

AI is becoming a core element of public initiatives. The launch of the President AI Award demonstrated that the government sees AI as a tool to advance transparency, accessibility, and efficiency of services. 

Artificial intelligence can: 

• automate application review 

• match founders with relevant support programs 

• forecast product sustainability 

• reduce bureaucratic burden on entrepreneurs 
   

Another important step was the adoption of Presidential Decree No. PP-320 (30.10.2025) on supporting AI-based projects. According to it, startups gain: 

• preferential access to the national data lake 

• subsidised access to local GPU computing power 
   

This allows AI teams to work with large datasets, train models faster, and enter the market more efficiently and at a significantly lower cost. AI is making the entrepreneurial journey faster, more accessible, and more technologically empowered. 

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6) How are you preparing for the next wave of change in the public sector? What new skill, approach, or technology are you most excited to explore in the coming year?

Our focus is ensuring that our ecosystem aligns with global standards. 

In 2025, we began implementing GovChallenges and the open government data model thanks to a new regulation expanding access to government APIs and data for tech teams. 

We are building a system where startups grow not despite the state, but in partnership with it - and this principle will define the next stage of transformation. 

7) What advice do you have for public sector innovators who want to build a career focused on serving all citizens?

Be multidisciplinary. You must equally understand entrepreneurship, technology, and public administration. 

Think globally. 2025 showed that ecosystem success depends on startups accessing international markets - the US, MENA, and Europe. 

Measure only by real metrics: exports, investment, and job creation are the true indicators of programme effectiveness. 

8) Who inspires you to build a more inclusive and trustworthy public sector?

I am inspired by our founders who entered markets like the US and the MENA region in 2025, yet continue working with teams and talent in Uzbekistan. 

This generation proves that Uzbekistan can become not only a consumer, but a creator of global technologies. 

Our diaspora also inspires me - people who overcame geographic, cultural, and market barriers to launch and scale their startups abroad. They show that Uzbek founders can compete in the most demanding global markets while maintaining ties with home and contributing back to the ecosystem. 

These people - both in the country and abroad - are proof that Uzbekistan can become a full participant in the global innovation landscape.

9) If you had an unlimited budget, what would your dream project be?

I would establish the Central Eurasian International Venture and Innovation Center - the next phase of the Central Asian Innovation Hub developed jointly with Astana Hub. 

It would be a cluster combining a venture fund, acceleration programmes, research labs, and international tracks - a full infrastructure capable of shaping a unified regional innovation market. 

10) Outside tech, what excites you the most?

I am inspired by people. 

Our team, building the ecosystem of future unicorns every day. The youth, who dream boldly and prove that Uzbekistan is a country of great opportunities. Ultimately, people are the driving force behind innovation.