2nd Central Asia Internet Symposium – 2 March 2016 By Daniel Zaretsky, Global Entrepreneurship Week Tajikistan

1. IT TAKES A CITY TO RAISE A STARTUP. PLOT OUT
YOUR LOCAL ECOSYSTEM BELOW TO HELP
NEWCOMERS.
Source: http://fi.co/canvas – Startup Ecosystem
Canvas from the Founder Institute

2. STARTUP ECOSYSTEM CANVAS
It takes a city to raise a startup. Plot out your local ecosystem below to help newcomers.
1. IDEA
EVANGELISTS
Successful local founders who lead the ecosystem
& frequently mentor newbies.
1. Inspire
a. Startup Media:
Centralized local information, listings, and news.
Inspirational Events: Open, inclusive, beginner
startup events.
2. Educate
Best Practices:
Beginner knowledge-sharing events.
Training & Feedback:
Skill & idea development programs. Skill & Idea development.
3. Validate
Team Formation:
Resources & events for teaming up.
Build First Product:
Hackathons & resources to build.
2. LAUNCH-STAGE
GOVERNMENT
Public organizations that facilitate local
economic development.
1. Start
Establish:
Law firms & banks that specialize in helping startups.
Workspace:
Co-working and flexible workspaces.
2. Develop
Formalize:
Accounting, development and HR for early-stage startups.
Prepare for Seed:
Incubators & advanced mentorship.
3. Launch
Seed Accelerators:
Seed funding mentor programs.
Pitch & Demo:
Show local startups for investment.
TALENT
Local Universities:
Major business or technical universities
Local Employers:
Major technical employers with a large workforce
3. GROWTH-STAGE
1. Recognition
Investor Networking:
Connect professional investors with founders.
Major Media:
Mainstream local business press.
1. Funding
Angels / Micro-VCs:
Seed-stage investors. Seed-stage investors
Venture Capitalists:
Series A and beyond.
3. Growth
Infrastructure:
Office space, HR, local business insurance.
Expansion:
Growth accelerators/consultants.
SUCCESS STORIES
Successful homegrown companies that have raised significant institutional funding, employ a large workforce, or have achieved liquidity.
Learn more about the Startup Ecosystem Canvas at http://fi.co/canvas
This worksheet is intended for printing on legal paper. This work was developed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

4. 1. IDEA
 1.1 INSPIRE
 a. Startup Media:
 Centralized local information, listings, and news. (i.e. startup blogs/ publications/ lists/ FB groups/
newsletters, Startup Digest)
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 ENT Economic News of Tajikistan (FB Group)
 KNP/YEC Young Entrepreneurs Club (FB Page)
 NABWT National Association of Businesswomen of Tajikistan (FB Page)
 NASMB National Association of Small and Medium Business (FB Page)
 TajikInvest (FB Group)
 Technopark IT Business Incubator (FB Page)
 Inspirational Events:
 Open, inclusive, beginner startup events. (i.e. Startup Weekend, idea fairs, and inspirational meetups)
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 Entrepreneurship Day
 Farakh (NABWT)
 GEW Global Entrepreneurship Week Tajikistan
 TedX

5.  1.2 EDUCATE
 Best Practices:
 Beginner knowledge-sharing events. (i.e. beginner events that serve to educate more than
inspirate, like 1 Million Cups, Startup Grind, Startup Founder 101, etc).
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 AIESEC
 IAESTE
 Junior Achievement
 SIFE
 YEC meetings
 Training & Feedback:
 Skill & idea development programs. Skill & Idea development. (Ex. bootcamps and
comprehensive training programs, like Founder Institute, General Assembly, Lean Startup
Machine, code camps, etc).
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 Social Entrepreneurship
 Technopark events

6.  1.3 VALIDATE
 Team Formation:
 Resources & events for teaming up. (i.e. events or other resources that
facilitate early-stage recruitment and cofounder matching, like
CoFoundersLab, FounderDating, and entrepreneur networking groups
and events, “find a cofounder XXX”)
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 Build First Product:
 Hackathons & resources to build. (i.e. hackathons and other builder-
focused events and resources)
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 Eurasia Mobile Challenge (Beeline)
 Hackathon (EFCA Eurasia Foundation of Central Asia/World Bank)

7. 2. LAUNCH-STAGE
 2.1 START
 Establish:
 Law firms & banks that specialize in helping startups.
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 FINCA
 Imon International
 Spitamen Bank
 Workspace:

 Co-working and flexible workspaces (note: “official” office space goes in 3.1.a.
Infrastructure).
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 Technopark
 Universities??

8.  2.2 DEVELOP
 Formalize:
 Accounting, development and HR for early-stage startups.
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 Prepare for Seed:
 Incubators & advanced mentorship. (i.e. advanced knowledge sharing, later
stage events and resources for startup TEAMS, Startup Next, etc)
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 NABWT Incubator???
 Technopark Incubator

9.  2.3 LAUNCH
 Seed Accelerators:
 Seed funding mentor programs. (Techstars-style programs that provide
funding)
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 Pitch & Demo:
 Show local startups for investment. (i.e. demo days for companies seeking seed
investment)
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 GEW
 Technopark Pitch Event

10. 3. GROWTH-STAGE
 3.1 RECOGNITION
 Investor Networking:
 Connect professional investors with founders. (i.e. events or groups that facilitate connections with
professional investors vs. angels, venture capital associations, )
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 Major Media:
 Mainstream local business press. (i.e. major local or regional publications that frequently champion
local businesses, major local or regional publications with a business section).
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 Abdullo Media http://www.abdullo-media.tj/
 Asia +
 VIP Magazine (Asia +)
 Business and Politics ??
 Elita Magazine
 Ideas Magazine https://www.facebook.com/magazine.ideas?fref=ts
 Radio Vatan
 Vecherka http://vecherka.tj/

11.  3.2 FUNDING
 Angels / Micro-VCs:
 Seed-stage investors. Seed-stage investors
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 Venture Capitalists:
 Series A and beyond.
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.

12.  3.3 GROWTH
 Infrastructure:
 Office space, HR, local business insurance. (i.e. office space/ HR/
insurance providers for capital-rich companies to grow and scale)
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 Expansion:
 Growth accelerators/consultants. (i.e. programs and business
consultants for capital-rich companies to grow and scale).
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.

13. EVANGELISTS
 Successful local founders
who lead the ecosystem &
frequently mentor newbies.

 Successful local founders who lead the ecosystem & frequently mentor
newbies. (i.e. Local leaders who have taken a leadership position,
speak at a lot of startup events, mentor all the programs, etc.)

 List people here in alphabetical order, with links.

 Ilhom Aliyev
 Pulod Amirbekov
 Sherali Djurabaev
 Peter Fabian
 Dilshod Juraev
 Manizha Khaitova
 Daniel Zaretsky

14. GOVERNMENT
 Public organizations that
facilitate local economic
development.

 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.

 Mayor’s Office of Dushanbe
 Regional Governments
 Ministry of Economic Development and Trade
 Goskominvest
 TajInvest
 Ministry of Education
 Ministry of Innovation and New Technologies
 President’s Office
 Council on Science and Innovation
 National Coordination Council on Innovative Development
 National Coordination Council on Development of Intellectual Property
 National Center for Patents and Information.

15. TALENT
 Major local business or tech universities and employers that attract and retain local talent.
 Local Universities (universities with prominent technical or business programs).
 List resources here in alphabetical order, with links.
 Tajik State University of Commerce
 Technological University of Tajikistan
 Tajik Technical University
 Khojand State University
 Moscow State University – Dushanbe branch
 Russian Tajik Slavonic University
 Institute of Service and Entrepreneurship
 Tajik State University
 Presidential Lyceum
 Homatov School
 Local Employers (Major technical employers with large local offices)

 List employers here in alphabetical order, with links.
 Babylon
 Beeline
 Huawei
 Megafon
 Saturn
 TARENA ??

16. SUCCESS STORIES SUCCESSFUL HOMEGROWN COMPANIES THAT HAVE RAISED SIGNIFICANT
INSTITUTIONAL FUNDING, EMPLOY A LARGE WORKFORCE, OR HAVE
ACHIEVED LIQUIDITY.

 List companies here in alphabetical order, with links.

 Dunyo I Nav http://dunyoinav.tj/
 Hayot https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100008230658518&sk=about
 NAQSH ?? https://www.facebook.com/NAQSH-
%D0%A0%D0%B5%D0%BA%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%BC%D0%BD%D0%BE%D0%B
5-%D0%B0%D0%B3%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%82%D1%81%D1%82%D0%B2%D0%BE-
507307286075433/timeline/
 Promotion
 Reklama.tj http://rg.tj/
 Shedevr
 Somon.TJ
 Total Advertising Group
 Successful homegrown companies that have raised significant institutional funding,
employ a large workforce, or have achieved liquidity.