® INMerge Innovation Summit continues its Roadshow series with INMerge Tashkent
Organized by PASHA Holding, the INMerge Innovation Summit continued its Roadshow series with INMerge Tashkent, following its previous stop in Istanbul. The event brought together regional and global leaders from startups, venture capital, and corporate innovation to explore Central Asia’s rapidly evolving digital ecosystem.
The program opened with a keynote by Caspar Craven, “You Can't Navigate a New World Using an Old Set of Charts: Why Change Demands a Different Mindset,” highlighting the need for adaptive leadership in times of change.
In the panel “Building Everyday Ecosystems: Designing Products Around the Customer Journey,” industry leaders explored how seamless, customer-centric platforms are redefining engagement and value creation. The speakers included Kevin Khanda, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Uzum; Anvar Isamukhamedov, Chief Executive Officer at Paynet; Maxim Evdokimov, Chief Product, Marketing, and Customer Experience Officer at Bir Ecosystem; Semyon Morgunov, Head of Fintech at Yandex Uzbekistan; and Sergei Chekalkin, Chief Experience Officer at TBC Uzbekistan. The session was moderated by Nargis Dustmatova, Chief Growth Officer and Chairwoman of the Fintech Association of Uzbekistan. The discussion underscored the importance of integrating technology, data, and user experience to build scalable, everyday solutions.
Shifting the focus to investment and regional growth, the panel “Can Capital Alone Build the Digital Silk Road or Are We Missing Something?” examined the interplay between funding, infrastructure, and strategic vision. The session was moderated by Behzod Ismoilov, Managing Director at AICA – Central Asian Association for AI, and featured insights from Tughra Musayeva, Head of Innovations at PASHA Financial Holding and Managing Partner at INMerge Ventures; Alim Khamitov, CEO, Managing Partner and Co-founder of MOST Holding, Co-founder of MOST Investors’ Club at MOST Ventures; Daler Nodirov, CEO at IT Park Ventures; Abdulazal Toshkhujaev, Managing Partner at UzVC; and Mustafa Kopuk, Managing Partner at DOMiNO Ventures. Panelists emphasized that while capital is essential, sustainable ecosystem development depends equally on talent, regulatory support, and cross-border collaboration.
The Roadshow concluded with a Startup Pitch Competition evaluated by leading regional investors. Three selected startups earned the opportunity to participate in the main INMerge event in Baku on 8–9 October 2026. The first-place startup “Name of startup” will receive a fully funded package, while two additional startups “Name of startup” and “Name of startup” will receive partial funding support.
As a key stop in the 2026 Roadshow, Tashkent highlighted the region’s growing innovation potential and reinforced INMerge’s role in connecting ecosystems, capital, and ideas across borders.
Established in 2006, PASHA Holding is one of the leading conglomerates in Azerbaijan operating across a diverse range of sectors, including banking, insurance, fintech, real estate, retail grocery, agriculture etc. With a workforce of more than 25,000 employees and total assets exceeding USD 18 billion, the Group has a growing international footprint. PASHA Holding currently operates in six countries: Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Türkiye, Georgia, Montenegro, and the United States.
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