AvtoTest: Uzbek Innovation to Reduce Traffic

Promotion
Glen Davis / Forbes
AvtoTest:
Uzbek
Innovation to
Reduce Traffic
Accidents
Worldwide
By Michae l Roney
When conversation turns to a hot new software product, it doesn’t usually center on Uzbekistan. That’s now
changing, due to an innovative driver-training program, AvtoTest, which already has 500,000 users in the
Central Asian republic, with international versions envisioned for the near future.
vtoTest is the latest success from
30-year-old entrepreneur, founder
and CEO Komil Allamjonov. It uses
animation to give its users the
interactive experience of driving under
Uzbek traffic rules on the streets of the capital city Tashkent, helping them prepare for
driving license exams. Uzbekistan’s Ministry
of Internal Affairs has already approved the
program for use in 315 driving schools all over
the country. AvtoTest also has won “Best Software 2013” awards in national competitions.
“I don’t like to read, so I thought that there
should be something for people like me,”
says Allamjonov. “I realized that there was
nothing close to this animated approach to
driving rules, and based on that, we created
this product.”
The Big Launch
Allamjonov began work on AvtoTest with a
very modest budget and a staff of five. They
launched the product on December 12, 2012,
at a huge event with 8,000 people, featuring
CIS’s top celebrity artist, DJ Piligrim, and program giveaways to those in attendance. Soon
the driving schools became interested and
sales took off. Allamjonov figures that about
500,000 people in Uzbekistan get driver’s
licenses each year, a potential customer base
Final2_Avtotest.indd 1
that is augmented by licensed drivers who
want to refresh their skills.
“We never thought that it would be for
profit; we created this product just for people, as a social innovation,” he notes, “but
when we saw the high level of sales, we
realized that we could make it very successful. We addressed a need that people didn’t
even know they had. We have created the
demand, and now they can’t get enough.”
Global Goals
Riding the wave of success, Allamjonov and
his team now are developing a version 2.0 of
AvtoTest for Uzbekistan, as well as an international edition. Both are expected to launch
on December 12, 2014. They will include
more than 2,000 3D animated training segments, which make up 276 hours of educational programming. “We plan to introduce
AvtoTest in other countries in Central Asia,
Europe and possibly even America,” he says.
“The rules that you follow on the road are
80% the same in every single country, and
this program was created so that it can be
adapted to any of them.”
Allamjonov believes strongly that the new
versions of AvtoTest will expand on its initial
success. Personal resources developed from
his years in business provide a solid platform,
“Every single country
in the world wants to
reduce car accidents.
I hope to reach people
who will be interested
in addressing that.”
—Komil Allamjonov
Founder and CEO
AvtoTest
and to expand internationally, he is ready to
risk trusting his intuition again.
“Every single country in the world wants to
reduce car accidents,” Allamjonov explains.
“In fact, the World Health Organization has
found that they are included in the top 10
causes of death in the world. I hope to reach
people who will be interested in addressing
that—not only businesses, but also investors,
governments and NGOs. I’m ready to deliver
this knowledge to them. If that happens, we’ll
have millions of students who will become
our clients, and working together, we can
make a difference by improving the driving
culture and preventing car accidents.”
9/23/14 5:04 PM
2 Promotion
Profile
Glen Davis / Forbes
Komil Allamjonov:
Business Built on Intuition
Dreaming big and following his intuition comes naturally to Komil Allamjonov, the young Uzbek entrepreneur
behind the hot-selling driving school software, AvtoTest. He also has created automated accounting software
and a business newspaper with weekly circulation of 50,000—both of which have become major products
in Uzbekistan—as well as the news portal UZ24.uz, winner of the international Oltin Qalam (Golden Pen)
award in journalism. UZ24.uz boasts online radio and Internet channels and three language versions—Uzbek,
Russian and English.
“T
here is a good Uzbek proverb: O’ychi o’yini o’ylaguncha,
tavakkalchi ishin bitirar.
It means while the thinker
keeps thinking, the risk-taking man will get
the deal,” says Allamjonov. “Whatever businesses I have started, I always trusted my
intuition and took the risk.”
Creativity and Curiosity
At age 14, Allamjonov started a business to
manufacture lump sugar in his home using
money supplied by his first investors: his
parents, Gulmira and Ismoil Shokirqorievs.
Networking through his father’s car repair
customers, he earned nearly five times his
costs, but he was forced to stop when he had
trouble finding raw materials.
While still a teenager, Allamjonov’s persistence and creativity landed him on the
Uzbek television channel, where he created,
produced and reported on a popular reality show called 050 (Uzbek’s 911 service).
The show was based on hotline calls received
by Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations. Following that, he worked in the press
offices of various ministries for ten years,
building his professional network further and
Final2_Avtotest.indd 2
developing a reputation as a person who
loved to solve complex problems.
Allamjonov originally studied the arts, and
then attended Tashkent State Economic University, and, achieving yet another dream,
studied at Harvard University in 2013. All of
his business successes have grown from the
desire to simplify, automate and explain in a
way that makes learning easy for people.
“I’m more a creative person who just
wanted to create something useful, and I
always believe that nothing is impossible.
I am a person who always asks the question
‘why?’” he says.
Well Positioned for Business
Allamjonov’s success has been aided by the
fact that Uzbekistan is a rapidly developing
country, hungry for innovative technologies,
with strong support from the government.
Uzbekistan offers an excellent platform for a
tech-oriented startup or an established player
looking for a new market.
By virtue of his unusual career, Allamjonov
is well connected to all facets of the Uzbek
market, from business to government and
education, making him a sought-after resource
for anyone interested in doing business in his
“I’m more a creative person
who just wanted to create
something useful, and
I always believe that
nothing is impossible. I am
a person who always asks
the question ‘why?’”
—Komil Allamjonov
Founder and CEO
AvtoTest
country. “This atmosphere where we are doing
business is very vibrant and dynamic, and it
offers a lot of opportunities for innovation,”
he says.
Allamjonov calls himself a self-critical person who refuses to accept the status quo.
“When I see that something is wrong or can
be improved, I work on new ideas to fix it.
When the day comes that I say, ‘OK, it’s perfect. I made it,’ I think I will have to retire,” he
laughs. Based on his track record thus far, that
day could be a long time coming. n
9/23/14 5:04 PM