Together with her partners, Kamila Uzakova is developing OSNOVA, a human capital development platform that combines education, career development, and corporate training. Today, the platform has around 150,000 registered users, the startup has raised more than $350,000 in investment, and has completed programs by UzVC and Techstars Founder Catalyst. We spoke with Kamila about how the idea for OSNOVA emerged, why the team chose to focus on B2B, and what goals it has set for the coming years. Kamila Uzakova, founder of OSNOVA

“We always wanted to create a digital product that could scale”

Before OSNOVA, my partners and I spent eight years developing several educational projects. One of them is ALPHA, one of the leading providers of offline corporate training in Uzbekistan. Through our work with companies and professionals, we gained a strong understanding of the challenges faced by all market participants.

We began testing our first online solutions during the pandemic, but it was only by the end of 2023 that we saw the market truly changing and becoming ready for this kind of product.

“We first tested our core hypotheses and only then moved to our own platform”

OSNOVA initially launched as a career platform for young people.

At first, we hosted several courses on a third-party platform, conducted market research, and launched career guidance products for both young people and working professionals.

We paid particular attention to relevant content in the Uzbek language. We only moved to developing our own platform after validating our main hypotheses and seeing real demand.

“We connect education with the real needs of companies and the labor market”

Today, OSNOVA is building a human capital development system that connects education with the skills businesses and the labor market actually need.

The platform helps companies automate employee onboarding, adaptation, and assessment, speeds up the creation of internal training programs with AI, and enables the use of AI-powered simulators for practicing practical skills.

“Today, around 150,000 users are registered on the platform”

OSNOVA currently has around 150,000 registered users, including more than 6,000 corporate users. Our clients include major companies and banks in Uzbekistan.

We have raised more than $350,000 in investment, completed the UzVC and Techstars Founder Catalyst acceleration programs, and received the international ASOCIO award in the AI in Education category.

At the same time, we are developing our school-focused direction and teaching students in grades 9–11 in-demand digital and AI skills.

“We had to move from a broad educational idea to a clear commercial focus”

One of the most difficult stages was choosing the priority direction for the company’s development.

We realized that we first needed to focus on the B2B segment. It provides business stability while also giving us the clearest understanding of which skills companies and the labor market actually need.

By working directly with businesses, we can identify employers’ real needs and use them as the basis for developing educational products.

“Building our own platform required significant resources”

One of the riskiest decisions was to begin developing our own platform after testing the product using third-party solutions.

It required significant resources, but it gave us the ability to develop the technology independently, adapt faster to customer needs, and build a scalable product.

“Today, I feel that women founders are receiving more and more support”

Over the past two years, Uzbekistan’s startup ecosystem has grown significantly.

Entrepreneurship, of course, always requires confidence and persistence, but today there are more and more programs, communities, and opportunities that help women develop their own projects.

“We want to build a comprehensive skills development infrastructure”

Today, our team consists of 20 people working on the platform, AI products, and the corporate business segment.

Over the next two to three years, we want to build a comprehensive skills development infrastructure that brings together school education, early career development, and continuous employee training.

Our goal is to create a system that can support a person at different stages of their professional development.

“Don’t wait for the perfect moment”

I would advise women who want to launch their own project to start with small steps and test their idea with real users as early as possible.

It is important to take part in available programs, regularly gather feedback, surround yourself with strong mentors, and become part of a professional community.