Tumaris.Tech: Successful Completion of the First Export Accelerator for Women-Led Startups
The Demo Day of the inaugural export accelerator took place as part of the Tumaris.Tech project, organized by IT Park Uzbekistan with the support of the USAID Project on Entrepreneurship and Business Environment Development. The accelerator program featured the participation of 24 women-led entrepreneurial projects from across Central Asia, alongside business angels and international venture capital funds.
The Tumaris.Tech project was launched in August 2020 with the aim of providing comprehensive support to women entrepreneurs. Over the course of two seasons of incubation and acceleration programs, more than 120 startups received mentorship and assistance, with over 30 tracking sessions and more than 15 events specifically designed for female founders of startups. Cumulatively, the number of participants during the first and second rounds surpassed 4,000 young women and female entrepreneurs. These efforts were recognized at the WSIS Forum in Geneva, where the Tumaris.Tech received the prestigious Capacity Building award.
The third round of Tumaris.Tech focused on facilitating the international expansion of women-led startups, increasing sales, and establishing strategic international partnerships.
The 12-week export accelerator program was conducted with the support of a key partner, Most Business Intelligence.
Participants benefited from expert consultations on entering markets in the United States, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and Southeast and Central Asia. Each project was assigned a dedicated tracker, and over 120 hours of intensive work enabled the teams to develop detailed plans for optimizing their business metrics and achieving their strategic goals.
Seventeen projects advanced to the Demo Day, where they showcased their progress and achievements to an audience comprising distinguished guests, business angels, and international venture capital funds.
Key Achievements of the Projects:
- Bilim Box (Uzbekistan) — An educational platform offering training in high-demand professions, with a focus on empowering women on maternity leave to generate additional income.
“We were able to completely revamp our product offering and launched our first sales. During the program, we achieved a 40% increase in conversion rates.”
- Power Up (Kazakhstan) — A power bank rental service.
“We increased our revenue fivefold, launched sales in Georgia, integrated user interfaces into popular messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram), and secured $45,000 in investments. The payback period for our franchisees was reduced to the minimum value of just two months.”
- PowerON.space (Kazakhstan) — An AI solution designed for product managers and marketers.
“We made a decision to pivot towards AI-driven solutions, developed a product prototype, secured our first sales, and established a legal entity in the United States.”
The Tumaris.Tech program continues to demonstrate significant success in supporting women-led startups, facilitating their expansion into international markets, and assisting them achieve financial sustainability. The participation of women in such initiatives not only expands their business opportunities but also contributes substantially to the development of entrepreneurship through the region. Moving forward, Tumaris.Tech aims to provide even greater opportunities for startups and partners committed to promoting and advancing women’s entrepreneurship in Central Asia and beyond.