Uzbekistan-based FMCG distribution technology company Smartup has secured investment from Silicon Valley venture capital and innovation platform Plug and Play, adding a major international investor as the company accelerates its expansion into the MENA region and advances its AI capabilities.
Smartup, a portfolio company of IT Park Ventures, develops an enterprise platform designed to automate FMCG distribution and sales operations, bringing field sales, warehouse management, finance, marketing and other distribution processes into a single system.
The company has built a significant footprint across Central Asia and beyond. Today, Smartup says its platform is used by more than 28,000 professionals across 11 countries and serves over 800 companies. It estimates that it holds approximately 30% of the Sales Force Automation (SFA) market in Central Asia.
Its technology is also used by distributors working with products from major global brands including PepsiCo, Nestlé and Samsung.
From Uzbekistan to International Markets
The Plug and Play investment follows earlier backing from IT Park Ventures, which invested $1 million in Smartup to support product development and international expansion.
The addition of a Silicon Valley investor represents another step in Smartup’s international growth strategy and highlights the increasing attention being paid to technology companies emerging from Uzbekistan and the wider Central Asian ecosystem.
Founded in Silicon Valley in 2006, Plug and Play has become one of the world’s most active early-stage investment and innovation platforms. Its investment track record spans thousands of companies, with names such as PayPal, Dropbox, LendingClub, N26 and Honey among its portfolio companies.
For Smartup, the investment provides not only additional capital but also access to an international ecosystem of investors, corporations and technology partners as it looks beyond its established Central Asian footprint.
AI at the Centre of Smartup’s Next Phase
Smartup plans to use the new investment to accelerate its expansion into the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) while further developing artificial intelligence capabilities across its platform.
One of the key areas is computer vision, including technology capable of recognising and analysing products and their positioning on retail shelves. The company is also developing machine-learning solutions to optimise logistics, routes and shipments.
Another focus will be intelligent analysis of communications between sales teams and customers, allowing distributors to extract insights from field conversations and improve sales execution.
Alongside these capabilities, Smartup plans to further develop its B2B marketplace and fintech solutions, expanding the platform beyond traditional sales force automation toward a broader technology ecosystem for distributors.
The strategy builds on Smartup’s 15 years of experience in the market, moving the company from digitising distribution processes toward applying AI and machine learning across the entire distribution cycle — from the sales representative and warehouse to logistics and the retail shelf.
A Growing Signal From Uzbekistan
Smartup’s latest investment also comes as Uzbekistan works to develop a more internationally connected technology and venture ecosystem.
The combination of earlier institutional backing from IT Park Ventures and the arrival of a Silicon Valley investor provides another example of how Uzbek technology companies are beginning to attract capital beyond their home region.
For Smartup, the next test will be translating its strong Central Asian position into international scale.
With more than 800 companies already using its technology, an established footprint across 11 countries and a new focus on AI-powered distribution, the company is now setting its sights on MENA as its next major growth market.
