Dear friends & partners,

We are delighted to bring you the latest news on startup ecosystems in the CAREC region. Our newsletter highlights various developments in the areas of startups, ICT, and digital transformation. 
 
We would be happy to report on your organization’s work, so feel free to share your story or article with us. This newsletter is distributed to various stakeholders in the CAREC region. For more updates join our telegram channel:
https://t.me/CAREC_digital

Regards,
Team CAREC
Digitalization Policy and Initiatives 
Digitalization gaining ground in China on wider application
According to market research company International Data Corp, Chinese enterprises' expenditures on digital businesses will witness speedy growth in 2023, as cutting-edge digital technologies, such as 5G, artificial intelligence and cloud computing, have been increasingly applied into a wide range of fields and integrated with the real economy
Mongolia provides major boost to the country’s thriving tech sector with launch of “Mindgolia” procurement portal 
The Government of Mongolia launched its new online procurement portal called Mindgolia redicuing costs and bureaucracy related to the procurement of software solutions. As part of the Mongolian transition “from mining to mind”, “Mindgolia” will showcase globally the world-class digital solutions that the Mongolian tech industry has been developing for many years.
Opportunities and Upcoming Events
IT Business Forum and Central Asia Tech Awards 
The purpose of the forum that will be held on March 24, 2023 in Bishkek is to announce new digital products, organize and expand networking, and popularize IT specializations. 
Open Data Challenge in Uzbekistan 
Annual hackathon on developing solutions using open data will take place on 27-29 January 2023 in Uzbekistan. It will be held in the following areas: "public sector", "social sector", "business" and "anti-corruption".
Startup Ecosystem Initiatives 
CAREC University Startup Generator 2023 workshop: Building a winning startup team
On January 17, 2023 CAREC University Startup Generator 2023 conducted an online workshop on building a winning startup team. In this interactive workshop, students developed an understanding of not only the skills needed but also the mindset needed for success. 
Astana Hub plans to increase the share of domestic IT exports to $500 million by 2025
Astana Hub provides an acceleration program for startup projects to increase their income and enter new markets. In 2022, the program trained 35 participants. The Astana Hub also trains IT specialists, and complies with President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s instructions to begin preparing at least 100,000 highly qualified IT specialists by 2025.
CAREC University Startup Generator Silicon Valley Innovation workshop 
On 20th December 2022, the CAREC Secretariat organized a pre-competition workshop session “Silicon Valley Innovation – Separating Breakthroughs from the Hype” for the CAREC member countries’ university students participating in the #CARECStartupChallenge. 
CAREC Innovation Members’ workshop: Investing in Frontier and Emerging markets 
On 8th December 2022, the CAREC Secretariat organized the second CAREC Innovation Network workshop on “Investing in Frontier and Emerging Markets”. This workshop aimed to highlight the evaluation of business ventures and investments in frontier and emerging markets like the CAREC region and discussed the role of ecosystem builders in preparing startups for potential investment.
Reading 
12 great technological startups from Central Asia 
This article gathered achievements of the brightest Central Asian startup initiatives and accelerators in 2022. 
Pakistan startups raise $347 million in 2022 despite weak economy 
Despite a tough 2022 for the global and domestic economy, funding for Pakistan startups remained passable with a slight decline of 7 percent in 2022 as compared to the last year, the report by Alpha Beta Core stated. 
Azerbaijan's innovation and startup ecosystem, development potential
In this interview, StartupBlink CEO and Founder Eli David spoke about Azerbaijan's startup and innovation ecosystem, its potential to develop, the country's ranking in the startup ecosystems ranking report, as well as insights and trends of the country's ecosystem development over the years.
About CAREC Program 
 
The CAREC 2030 Strategy emphasizes the integration of information and communication technology (ICT) across the CAREC Program’s spectrum of operations. As part of its CAREC Digital Strategy 2030 implementation and upcoming initiatives, efforts are being made to accelerate digital adoption in the Program’s five operational clusters.
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The purpose of this communication is to apprise you of various activities in the CAREC region relating to startup ecosystems, digitalization, and information technology.