IT Park Uzbekistan and the international venture capital firm 500 Global have agreed to expand cooperation in developing Uzbekistan's startup ecosystem. At a meeting between Sherzod Shermatov, Minister of Digital Technologies, and Azamat Karamatov, CEO of IT Park Uzbekistan, with Pedro Santos Vieira, Managing Partner at 500 Global, discussions focused on increasing venture investments, international expansion of Uzbek projects, and developing the entrepreneurial environment.

500 Global works with fast-growing technology startups and implements acceleration programs, including for companies from Eurasia. The fund manages approximately $2.3 billion in assets. In Uzbekistan, the company has invested at least $600,000 in projects such as TASS Vision, IMAN, Cerberus, Tezbor, Talklabs, and Unitlab AI.

Going forward, the parties plan to develop programs to prepare startups for attracting international funding, expand entrepreneurs' contacts with foreign investors, and support projects at various stages of development — from early rounds to entering international markets.

Separately, the negotiators discussed the operating conditions for venture funds in Uzbekistan, including simplifying the movement of investment capital. It is expected that the expanded partnership will help local technology companies attract more foreign funds and enter new markets faster.