In Uzbekistan, the number of young entrepreneurs is steadily increasing due to the broad opportunities and incentives created to support business development. In particular, under the 2025–2027 programs Youth Business, First Step in Business, and Jobs for Youth, a range of measures is being implemented to provide preferential financing and targeted support for young entrepreneurs.

As of March 1, 2025, the number of individual entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan reached 284,110. Over the past year, the number of women registered as individual entrepreneurs increased by nearly 18,000. The annual turnover of 261 young entrepreneurs nationwide exceeded 100 billion Uzbek soums. Over the past five years, the number of small and medium-sized enterprises has doubled.

The Yuksalish Movement, in partnership with the Institute of Socio-Economic Initiatives, has prepared a ranking of successful entrepreneurs in Uzbekistan under the age of 35.

The purpose of the ranking is to establish a solid evidence base for strategic decision-making aimed at identifying, recognizing, and supporting young entrepreneurs; to introduce to the public young leaders who contribute to the country’s economic development; and to increase youth interest in entrepreneurship by motivating them to start their own businesses.

The ranking was developed in several stages. At the first stage, a list of 100 young entrepreneurs under the age of 35 was compiled based on expert and entrepreneur recommendations, as well as analysis of media and social media publications, business rankings, and awards. The assessment took into account candidates’ media and social activity, personal reputation, public perception and influence on the business environment, the innovativeness of their products or services, the positive impact of their entrepreneurial activity on the image of their region and the country, achieved results, and corporate social responsibility.

At the second stage, based on criteria developed by the Yuksalish Movement, an expert evaluation was conducted to form the final list of 20 individuals. The maximum overall score was 100 points.

The evaluation was carried out according to the following criteria:

1. Level of innovative ideas and solutions in business activities – 20 points.
2. Economic performance: revenue, profit, job creation, and contribution to economic growth – 20 points.
3. Duration and sustainability of business operations – 15 points.
4. Competitiveness, product or service quality, and marketing strategy – 15 points.
5. Social responsibility to society, the environment, and the economy, including participation in social projects, charitable activities, and support for local communities – 10 points.
6. Public reputation and positive perception of the entrepreneur’s activities – 10 points.
7. Contribution to the development of entrepreneurial culture among young people, promotion of new ideas, media and social media activity, and involvement in mentoring other young entrepreneurs – 10 points.

The Top 20 includes representatives from various sectors, among them: Alina Mirzayeva, founder of Sintez Agency, who has raised quality standards in the advertising and branding market and won prestigious competitions; Azizbek Qurbanov, head of the venture fund United Ventures with authorized capital of 525 billion soums; Bekzod Ahmedov, CEO of Agro Food Gastro JSC, who is introducing digital solutions and innovations in the agricultural sector; Jakhongir Polatov, founder of the largest network of English-language educational centers, Cambridge; and others.